Last updated October 2026
A canopy over one padel court costs about £95,000 including its foundations and drainage, and a court with a canopy comes to about £166,000 (our sum of LTA 2025 figures, ex VAT and fees). Every canopy needs planning approval and may need building control. We design the canopy, take it through planning with the court and build both, so clubs, councils, schools and homeowners get year-round play from one programme.
A canopy usually costs more than the court beneath it, so it pays to plan both together.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Courts | Court total (courts, lights, base) | Canopy foundation and drainage | Canopy incl. 3m rain screen | Canopy total | Court and canopy together |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £71,000 | £20,000 | £75,000 | £95,000 | £166,000 |
| 2 | £148,000 | £30,000 | £140,000 | £170,000 | £318,000 |
| 3 | £210,000 | £43,000 | £205,000 | £248,000 | £458,000 |
| 4 | £268,000 | £56,000 | £260,000 | £316,000 | £584,000 |
The last column is our arithmetic from the LTA lines. The LTA calls its figures indicative. Your canopy price depends on the site, and we confirm it after a survey.
How much does a padel court canopy cost?
About £95,000 for one court and £316,000 for four, including canopy foundations and drainage (LTA 2025). The canopy price in the LTA table includes a 3 metre rain screen around the sides.
Covering courts in a group brings the cost per court down: the LTA canopy total works out at about £79,000 a court across four courts against £95,000 for one. Covering existing courts is possible too; we check the court base and the space around it before pricing.
Do canopies need planning permission and building control?
Yes to planning, every time: the LTA says any indoor structure or canopy needs planning approval. Building control applies to fully enclosed structures and may apply to a canopy, depending on the design. Our planning team prepares the padel court planning permission application, with the noise and lighting assessments a covered court usually needs from our consultants, and we tell you at the quote stage whether building control applies.
Covered schemes have been approved across the country:
- Henfield Leisure Centre, Horsham District Council: 2 covered courts, approved with hours and lighting conditions (2023)
- Withdean Sports Complex, Brighton and Hove: 3 covered floodlit courts (2023)
- Kings Hill, Tonbridge and Malling: tennis to padel with two canopied courts (lighting condition discharged April 2026)
- Silksworth, Sunderland City Council: 4 covered courts converted from tennis courts, daytime hours only (September 2026)
- Willen Lake, Milton Keynes: 6 courts, 4 of them covered (June 2026)
- Woodside Playing Fields, Watford: 5 courts, 3 covered, under construction late 2025
How it works
- 01Tell us where you are up toSite, drawings and any council letters.
- 02Planning routePre-app, the reports and the application.
- 03BuildBase, courts and lights to the approved layout.
How high does a padel canopy need to be?
At least 6 metres at the ends or sides and 8 metres above the net line, under the LTA guidance. The LTA’s data sheet sets 6 metres as the minimum clear height over a court and recommends 8 metres for new build.
Height matters twice: for play, so lobs do not hit the roof, and for planning, because a taller structure is more visible. Henfield’s approved canopy had 6 metre eaves and a ridge of about 8.5 metres.
Fixed, open-sided or retractable: which roof suits?
The approved covered schemes we can point to, such as Henfield and Portobello, use fixed roofs over open or part-screened sides. A fully enclosed structure needs building control and a stronger planning case.
Your choices:
- Fixed canopy with open sides. Henfield’s open-sided polycarbonate canopy is an approved example. The LTA price includes a 3 metre rain screen around the sides.
- Several smaller canopies. Edinburgh’s Powerleague Portobello scheme put 3 courts under six sub-canopies on a former five-a-side pitch.
- Fully enclosed or domed structures. Fully enclosed structures need building control (LTA), and domes can struggle in the Green Belt: Cambridge refused a domed roof there.
- Retractable roofs. Ask us about these. The LTA table has no line for them, so we do not quote a typical figure.
We help you pick the type that suits your site, your neighbours and your budget before anything goes to the council.
How long does a padel canopy last?
The LTA asks for a membrane design life of at least 15 years and a frame life of 20 years, in hot-dip galvanised steel. Ask any supplier, us included, to put those figures in writing.
The LTA also expects a covered venue to keep a sinking fund of £1,500 per court per year for surface, lamps and columns.
Why have padel canopies been refused?
Mostly on Green Belt openness and looks. A canopy is the biggest structure in a padel scheme, so it draws the most objection where the land is protected.
- Barnet: fencing and canopies refused as inappropriate in the Green Belt (25/0235/FUL); the same scheme without canopies was approved (25/3670/FUL).
- Cambridge: a domed roof refused as inappropriate in the Green Belt (25/02147/FUL, reported by Freeths), and a five-court floodlit scheme with a canopy at a rugby club refused in March 2026.
- Hammersmith and Fulham: enclosures found a “discordant feature” in 2019.
On Green Belt land we test an open scheme against a covered one at pre-app stage, so you know the risk before paying for the full design.
Can a canopy cut noise?
We do not promise it. The published research measured open courts, where the enclosed glass end ran about 12 dB quieter than the open side. A canopy changes how sound escapes, so it is modelled in the noise impact assessment like any other part of the design, and the result goes to the council.
Can the LTA loan help pay for a canopy?
It can help clubs that qualify, because the LTA Facility Loan Scheme prioritises covered courts. It charges 5% fixed interest and is open to properly constituted not-for-profit bodies with security of tenure, not to individuals or companies limited by shares. The UK Government has also committed £3 million in 2026/27 for covered padel and tennis facilities, likely funding three projects (LTA, May 2026).
The LTA asks for at least three quotes on loan-funded projects. Our quote sets out the canopy, court and planning as separate lines to fit that.
What’s included
- Canopy design to LTA heights and design life
- Planning application, with noise and lighting assessments from our consultants, and building control where it applies
- Canopy foundations and drainage
- Supply and erection of the canopy, with side screens where specified
- Lighting under the canopy, if required
- Coordination with the court build so both run to one programme
What’s not included
- Retractable roof systems: ask us about them
- Building control fees, shown in your quote where they apply
- Changes to the court base if an existing court cannot take canopy loads, priced after survey
Illustrative example
Built only from the LTA table above. It is not a real club.
A club with two outdoor courts wants year-round play. The LTA 2025 canopy total for two courts is about £170,000, including £30,000 of foundations and drainage. Building two new covered courts from scratch would be about £318,000 on the same figures. The club asks our planning team to run a pre-app first because the site is near homes, and applies with a noise impact assessment and a lighting plan.
Who does the work
Padel Court Build is a SustainPlan Ltd service. From site check to handover our planning consultants, canopy designers and installers treat the court and the roof as one job.
Often needed alongside
- Indoor padel centre: when a building beats a canopy
- Padel court funding: the LTA loan and covered court priority
- Padel court cost: canopy against open court prices
- Padel court noise assessment: how a canopy is modelled
FAQs
Can a canopy be added to an existing padel court?
Often, yes. It needs planning permission, its own foundations and a check that the space around the court suits the frame.
What does “3 metre rain screen” mean in the LTA price?
A screen around the lower sides of the canopy that keeps driving rain off the court. It is included in the LTA’s canopy line.
Does a canopy count as a building for building control?
The LTA says fully enclosed structures need building control and canopies may, depending on the design. We confirm which applies to yours.
How long does a canopy take to build?
We give a programme with your quote once planning and the design are settled. Planning comes first in every case.
Can lights be fitted under a canopy?
Yes, if you want evening play. Henfield’s canopy has 8 LED floodlights at about 6 metres.
Will a canopy be refused in the Green Belt?
It is a real risk. Barnet and Cambridge both refused canopies or domes there, so we test the options at pre-app.
Sources
- LTA Padel Court Construction Guidance Note 2025: canopy costs, heights, design life, building control, sinking fund (checked 17 Oct 2026)
- LTA Padel Court Data Sheet: clear height (checked 17 Oct 2026)
- LTA Facility Loan Scheme page (checked 17 Oct 2026); LTA Padel news, 15 May 2026
- Freeths LLP, 26 May 2026
- Horsham DC report DC/23/1177; Brighton and Hove news 2023; Plota record for Tonbridge and Malling; Sunderland Echo, 28 Sept 2026; Willen Lake news, 24 June 2026; Watford Council news, 10 Nov 2025; The Scotsman, 24 July 2025; Cambridge City Council news, 4 March 2026
- The Padel Paper, 11 Sept 2025 (MW Acoustics research)