Planning for padel: meeting demand for this fast-paced new sport

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Governed here by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), padel is seen as accessible and a gateway to traditional tennis.

The number of padel tennis courts in the UK has grown from 50 in to 710 by the end of . Active players increased from 6,000 to 129,000 across the same period. The LTA projects there will be in excess of 1,000 courts by .

But can the planning system keep up with the pace of growth? And what are the opportunities and threats to meeting the demand from players and operators within the sector?

Our planning teams have already advised on the delivery of over 60 padel tennis and pickle ball courts across the UK, including the largest facility located in Bristol, which has 14 courts.

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Significant opportunities

Access to sport and recreation is expressly supported by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and most local plans. New courts, both private and public, contribute directly to the overarching goal of encouraging healthier lifestyles, and weigh heavily in favour of the grant of planning permission.

Based on our experience, there are significant opportunities for delivering new courts and these can include:

1. The repurposing of existing, vacant buildings – typically former commercial sites given their scale – either on a temporary or permanent basis. Internal padel courts can operate within Class E(d) which provides opportunities for the re-use of existing commercial buildings, without a requirement for a formal change of use.
2. Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land that would not typically be suitable for development given that outdoor sport and recreation (including buildings) are not defined as being ‘inappropriate development’. 
   
   Note that development in these areas must be sensitively designed to protect ‘openness’, albeit Savills has a number of successful examples to support new proposals. 
3. The newly introduced concept of ‘Grey Belt’ within the latest version of the NPPF.
4. The expansion of existing sports clubs and other recreation and leisure facilities or conversion of existing, under-utilised facilities.

WHAT ARE THE THREATS?

The principal planning risks associated with new outdoor (either open or covered) courts are generated by operational noise and lighting.  

There are typically creative design mitigation methods that can minimise the impact of new courts and therefore maximise the prospects of securing planning permission. In most instances, planning permission should be achievable for a minimum of daytime hours (i.e. 07:00 – 23:00). 

The delivery of padel tennis courts within an existing building would not typically generate any operational issues and would be determined on the acceptability of the land use.

Overall, the current national policy and local plan policies provide a positive framework to support the growth in padel tennis courts across the UK. There is a good case for the delivery of courts across a variety of different land and building types given its definition as a sport and recreation use.

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