Last updated October 2026
Building one outdoor floodlit padel court in the UK costs about £71,000 ex VAT and fees on the LTA’s 2025 figures, and four courts about £268,000. Adding a canopy takes one court to about £166,000. Clubs, councils, schools and homeowners all start from these figures, then the ground, the power supply and the planning move the final price. We quote the court, the base and the planning together after a survey of your site.
Half of the cost of a padel court is underground: the LTA’s base line is £35,000 of the £71,000 for one court.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Courts | Courts with lights | Ring beam, base, ducting and drainage | Outdoor court total | Canopy foundation and drainage | Canopy with 3m rain screen | Canopy total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £36,000 | £35,000 | £71,000 | £20,000 | £75,000 | £95,000 |
| 2 | £70,000 | £78,000 | £148,000 | £30,000 | £140,000 | £170,000 |
| 3 | £100,000 | £110,000 | £210,000 | £43,000 | £205,000 | £248,000 |
| 4 | £128,000 | £140,000 | £268,000 | £56,000 | £260,000 | £316,000 |
Source: LTA Padel Court Construction Guidance Note (2025). These are typical figures, labelled indicative by the LTA. What you pay depends on your site; we confirm it after a survey.
How much does a padel court cost to build in the UK?
A padel court costs about £71,000 to build outdoors with floodlights, ex VAT and fees, on the LTA’s 2025 figures. Across whole projects, LTA Padel puts the range at £60,000 to £270,000, “depending on factors such as the number of courts, lighting, drainage, and site preparation”.
Construction data firm Barbour ABI arrives at the same answer independently: “an average padel court costs around £71,000 to construct”. When two unrelated sources land on the same number, it is a sound starting point for a budget.
The per-court cost falls as you build more. One court costs about £71,000; four cost about £268,000, which works out at £67,000 each.
Why do online prices range from £30,000 to £270,000?
Because some figures are for the court kit alone and others are for a whole finished project. A kit price of £30,000 and a project price of £270,000 are both correct; they describe different things.
Three things explain most of the spread:
- Kit or all-in. UK Padel Guide prices an economy court at £30,000 to £40,000 installed, but that assumes a ready base.
- The base. MyBuilder’s price guide allows £5,000 to £10,000 for foundation preparation. The LTA’s base line for one court is £35,000. The LTA figure includes the ring beam, ducting and drainage, which is why we price from it.
- Number of courts and covers. The top of LTA Padel’s range sits close to the LTA’s £268,000 total for four outdoor courts. Canopies come on top of that.
When you compare quotes, line them up against the LTA table above. A quote far below it is usually missing the base, the lights or the planning.
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 big a share of the budget is the base?
About half. The LTA puts the ring beam, base, ducting and drainage at about £35,000 of the £71,000 for one court, rising to £140,000 for four. UK Padel Guide gives a lower band of £15,000 to £30,000 per court, with about £15,000 achievable on level, free-draining ground.
The ground decides where you land. UK Padel Guide lists the typical extras:
| Site condition | Typical extra cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sloping or soft ground | £5,000 to £15,000 | UK Padel Guide, Oct 2026 |
| Poor drainage | £3,000 to £8,000 | UK Padel Guide, Oct 2026 |
| Lifting existing tarmac | £2,000 to £5,000 | UK Padel Guide, Oct 2026 |
| Concrete pump | £500 to £1,200 a day | UK Padel Guide, Oct 2026 |
Our padel court groundworks page explains what goes into the base and why a ring beam is needed.
How much does a canopy add?
A canopy adds about £95,000 for one court and £316,000 for four, on the LTA’s figures, including its own foundations and drainage. That makes a single covered court about £166,000 in total, which is our sum of the LTA’s court and canopy lines.
Canopies always need planning permission and may need building control approval. They have also been refused: Barnet refused one Green Belt scheme for its extensive fencing and canopies, then approved a revised version once the canopies were removed. Prices, heights and planning are covered on our padel court canopy cost page.
How much more do indoor courts cost?
Expect the courts alone to cost £40,000 to £70,000 each indoors, before any spend on the building, according to UK Padel Guide. The same guide says indoor projects run 50 to 100% above outdoor ones once the building envelope is included.
MyBuilder’s guide puts an indoor court at £60,000 to £80,000. The building is the variable: an existing warehouse with 8m of clear height costs far less to adapt than a new structure. Real schemes show the scale. Nottingham’s 11-court Swing centre at Riverside Business Park is reported at £4m. Our indoor padel court cost page covers buildings, heights and change of use.
Which court type costs what?
Installed courts run from about £30,000 for economy grade to £70,000 for outdoor panoramic, with panoramic £10,000 to £20,000 above semi-panoramic at the top and bottom of UK Padel Guide’s bands. The guide’s installed prices per court are:
| Court type | Installed price per court |
|---|---|
| Economy or club grade | £30,000 to £40,000 |
| Semi-panoramic | £35,000 to £50,000 |
| Panoramic, outdoor | £45,000 to £70,000 |
| Single standalone panoramic | £55,000 to £80,000 |
Ordering four panoramic courts at once cuts 10 to 15% off each, by the guide’s estimate. Economy courts use thinner glazing and are not LTA-recommended for tournaments. See panoramic padel court for the glass options.
How much are floodlights?
LED floodlights to the LTA’s specification typically cost £6,000 to £12,000 per court, according to UK Padel Guide. That splits into:
- floodlights: £3,500 to £5,000
- columns and cabling: £1,500 to £3,000
- commissioning and photometric report: £1,000 to £2,000
If the site has a single-phase supply, upgrading it can add £4,000 to £15,000 across the whole site. Lights also bring planning conditions, such as hours and lights off when courts are empty; padel court lighting explains them.
What do planning, noise and lighting reports cost?
We price planning, noise and lighting work for each site after a first look, because the reports a council needs depend on how close homes are and what the site is. UK Padel Guide puts council pre-application advice at £300 to £1,500.
Most installers leave this cost out altogether: the LTA notes planning is “excluded from most contractors’ quotations”. The LTA expects noise and light surveys where homes are within 50m, so on most club, school and garden sites both reports are needed. A refusal costs more than the reports. In Harrogate, two courts were built, stopped by an enforcement notice, then refused again in April 2026. What councils ask for is on our padel court planning permission page.
What does a multi-court venue cost?
A four-court outdoor club costs about £268,000 for courts, lights and base on the LTA’s figures, or about £584,000 with canopies over all four. The canopy figure is our sum of two LTA lines.
UK Padel Guide builds a fuller budget for a four-court venue on existing hardstanding:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Court kit | £220,000 |
| Groundworks | £72,000 |
| Lighting and electrics | £42,000 |
| Planning, fees and contingency | £18,000 |
| Fencing, signage, booking software and basic clubhouse | £25,000 |
| Total | about £377,000 |
The guide’s general range for a four-court venue all in is £250,000 to £450,000. Public schemes sit in the same bracket: Barbour ABI tracks a four-court project at School Lane, Bamber Bridge at £500,000, and Hounslow Council approved £950,000 in January 2026 for six courts across two leisure centres. Our padel club business plan guide sets these costs against income, and padel complex construction covers how a club build runs.
What does it cost to run and maintain a court each year?
Set aside at least £1,500 per court each year, which is the sinking fund the LTA recommends for the surface, lamps and columns. LED lights cost about £1 an hour per court to run, the LTA says.
| Running cost | Typical figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sinking fund (surface, lamps, columns) | £1,500 per court per year | LTA |
| LED running cost | about £1 per hour per court | LTA |
| Aftercare contract | £800 to £1,500 per court per year | UK Padel Guide |
| Routine surface maintenance | £500 to £1,000 per court per year | UK Padel Guide |
| Glass sinking fund | £1,500 per court per year | UK Padel Guide |
| Glass panel replacement | £400 to £800 per panel | UK Padel Guide |
| Turf replacement | £1,200 to £5,000 per court, by turf type | UK Padel Guide |
The LTA expects a resurface roughly every five years, depending on use. MyBuilder and Padel Market quote lower annual maintenance of £400 to £500, which suits a lightly used private court more than a busy club. Turf types and lifespans are on our padel court surface page.
Does VAT apply?
Yes. Every figure on this page is ex VAT, and gov.uk lists the standard rate at 20%, which applies to most goods and services. VAT appears as a separate line on your quote.
Whether you can recover it depends on your organisation, so check with your accountant. On the LTA’s one-court figure of £71,000, 20% VAT adds £14,200. Fees are also outside the LTA figures, which is why we list planning and professional costs separately.
How do I get an exact price?
Send us your site postcode, the number of courts and whether you want them outdoor, covered or indoor. We review the site, draw a layout and give you a written quote that covers the court, the base, the lights and the planning.
To speed it up, include photos of the ground, where the nearest homes are, the power supply if you know it, and your target opening date. We then confirm your price after a site survey.
What’s included
- Site survey and court layout
- Base, ring beam, ducting and drainage
- Court supply and installation with turf and floodlights
- Canopy, where chosen
- Pre-application advice and the planning application, with noise and lighting assessments from our consultants
- A written, itemised quote with VAT shown separately
What’s not included
- Council planning fees
- A clubhouse, signage or a booking system, which we price only on request
- Electricity network upgrades beyond the site boundary
- Any guarantee of planning approval
Illustrative examples
Built only from the LTA figures on this page. Not real customers or sites.
- One covered court: £71,000 for the floodlit court and base plus £95,000 for the canopy comes to about £166,000 ex VAT and fees.
- Three outdoor courts: the LTA puts courts with lights at £100,000 and the base at £110,000, about £210,000 in total. Covering all three adds about £248,000.
Who does the work
Padel Court Build is a SustainPlan Ltd service. Our planning consultants, sustainability assessors, groundworks teams and installers price their parts together, so one quote covers every line on this page.
Often needed alongside
- Padel court installation: choosing the court and installer
- Padel court canopy cost: covering courts for year-round play
- Indoor padel court cost: building and warehouse schemes
- Padel court funding: LTA loans for not-for-profit clubs
- Padel guides: the business plan and funding guides side by side
- Padel court construction: how a build runs from start to finish
FAQs
Is £71,000 enough for one court?
It is the LTA’s indicative figure for a floodlit outdoor court and base on a straightforward site, ex VAT and fees. Slopes, poor drainage or a power upgrade add to it.
Why is the base so expensive?
It carries the court frame and glass, it has to drain freely and it has to stay level within 6mm under a 3m straight edge. The ring beam and drainage make up most of the cost.
Does a garden court cost less?
A single court for private use can sit at the lower end of the court bands, but the base and planning are still needed; our garden padel court page has home court figures.
Can a club spread the cost?
Not-for-profit clubs can apply for the LTA Facility Loan Scheme at 5% fixed interest. Phasing also helps: build the courts first and add canopies later.
Do prices change by region?
The LTA publishes one set of national figures. Your price reflects your site, its access and the reports your council asks for.
Will a padel court pay for itself?
That depends on how often it is booked. UK Padel Guide’s unaudited model suggests a busy four-court club can recover its build cost inside two years, and a venue in a crowded market in four or five. We quote the build, not the returns; see our padel club business plan guide.
Sources
- LTA, Padel Court Construction Guidance Note 2025 (cost table, sinking fund, LED running cost, resurfacing, 50m trigger), checked 17 Oct 2026
- LTA Padel, Padel construction, installation and costs in Great Britain (£60,000 to £270,000), checked 17 Oct 2026
- UK Padel Guide, Padel court construction cost UK, 13 Oct 2026 (court types, groundworks, lighting, four-court budget, running costs, pre-app, payback model)
- MyBuilder, Padel court installation price guide, updated 21 Aug 2026
- Padel Market, Padel court cost UK, 14 Jul 2026
- Barbour ABI, Padel court construction: why it’s booming, what it costs (average £71,000; Bamber Bridge)
- Hounslow Council news, 20 Jan 2026; Place Midlands (Nottingham Swing); Freeths, 26 May 2026 (Barnet); The Stray Ferret, 28 Apr 2026 (Harrogate)
- gov.uk, VAT rates (standard rate 20%), checked 17 Oct 2026