Dublin City Council has given the green light to an exclusive south Dublin tennis club for its contentious plans to erect what local objectors have described as a “colossal glowing orb”.The council has granted planning permission to Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Ranelagh to install a proposed 10m-high, primarily white, air dome or “airtent” to cover one of its courts, in the face of local objections.The planned air-supported cover over Court No. 6 is to allow members play in adverse weather at the club at Winton Road.The dome – which will cover an area of 79.4sq m – will be seasonal, with the structure proposed to be erected between September 1st and April 30th each year. Planning documents state that experts will be required to be flown in to erect and remove the structure.In one objection lodged on behalf of a number of residents on Appian Way, Ken and Caroline Cahill told the council that “erecting a 10-metre-high, synthetic PVC monolith that will act as a colossal glowing orb throughout the dark winter months is contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area”, and would be “profoundly jarring”. However, the six-page council planner’s report, which recommended that planning permission be granted, stated the proposal “is reasonable and does not negatively impact on the residential amenity of the neighbouring properties”.The report states the proposal has a separation distance of 25 metres from homes on Apian Way, and while it is acknowledged that the properties there will experience a visual impact, the separation distance is considered to be reasonable.The council has granted planning permission, subject to 12 conditions.[ Planning request by fireworks supplier who worked on Taylor Swift concerts should be reconsidered, judge rulesOpens in new window ]In another objection, Adrian and Meredith Morris of Winton Road, Ranelagh, told the council that “tennis bubbles are great if not near people’s homes”. They stated that “as members of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) Club outside of Washington, DC, we are familiar with tennis domes/bubbles”.The Morris submission states that “a towering 10 metre tennis dome will dwarf surrounding properties and the homes adjacent will be bombarded with light and noise pollution around the clock. Not only would this make the quality of life in the neighborhood intolerable, but the property values of the adjacent homes will be reduced”.The Upper Leeson Street Area Residents’ Association (ULSARA) also voiced its opposition against the scheme.In a document lodged with the council, senior planner Laura Crowe at planning consultants for Fitzwilliam Tennis Club, Tom Phillips + Associates, told the council that along with the membrane, “further applications for proposed upgrades to other areas at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club are intended to be lodged in the near future”.Crowe stated that an “inflation unit” is required to provide the required internal pressurised air to maintain the structural integrity of the air-supported structure and the unit will have silencers fitted which will mitigate against any risk of noise impact from the proposed development.The club will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2027 and the proposed upgrades will facilitate celebrations associated with this anniversary, said the consultant.Those hoping to join the Fitzwilliam must be proposed and seconded by two members. Ordinary members pay €12,500 to join the club and an annual subscription of €2,295. Attorney General Rossa Fanning, billionaire businessman Denis O’Brien and Supreme Court judge Séamus Woulfe are among those who have held membership.