$7 is expensive?! Come to the UK, where I live, unless you buy gym membership (only the most expensive option comes with free court hire) then you're looking at £8 an hour. Or roughly $12. After which the next group comes along and you'll have to leave (unless you're lucky).
This makes joining a club an imperative (at say on average £60 a year, much better

), the only problem is they don't play singles. Could this be why the UK never produces decent singles players?
With these prices juniors can't play unless part of a junior club (which are rare), being naturally sporty and getting into county teams fast or having badminton loving parents who encourage them to play. As a result a lot of local league teams are shutting down, as there are no mediocre players coming up from junior level, only county players.
Where I went to school there was little in the way of inter school badminton, although at universities things are much better.
I wonder if Badminton England's solutions will resolve these problems? I'm still not sure if enough if being done at junior level to encourage players. Senior level has improved recently with some events encouraging social players to move up to local league.
I have to say that where I live badminton isn't dominated by Chinese or other Asian country players and neither do they separate themselves from the English speaking majority in any way. In fact sport is very good at integrating ethnic minorities into communities where they may otherwise feel out of place.
Thanks for the very good article highlighting the problems facing badminton development in your area.