How much space do you need for padel?

A standard padel court has an internal playing area of 20m × 10m — 200m². Current LTA/SAPCA guidance uses these dimensions for both singles and doubles play in the UK.

20m long by 10m wide internally, enclosed by glass rebound walls and mesh fencing that is generally around 4m high at the ends. Guidance identifies a minimum clear height of 6m over the playing area, with 8m recommended for new facilities.

More than 200m². The playing area is 200m², but a working court also needs its structure and foundations, access to the court doors, circulation around it, drainage, lighting and maintenance access. As a planning starting point, allow meaningfully more than the court itself and confirm it against your specific site.

Think in three layers: the 20m × 10m playing area, the court development footprint (structure, spacing, access and circulation) and the full development site (parking, welfare buildings, drainage, landscaping and fire access).

An acre is roughly 4,047m², which is 20 playing areas on paper. In practice a realistic single-storey outdoor scheme on an acre is far fewer once access, spacing, parking and buildings are included — the shape of the acre matters as much as the area.

Mathematically five playing areas. Realistically, a compact site of that size is usually looking at a smaller court count plus circulation, with limited room for parking or a building unless those sit elsewhere on the wider site.

2,000 ÷ 200 = 10 on paper. A workable scheme on a regular 50m × 40m plot is typically fewer courts, and the answer changes completely if you also need parking, a clubhouse or a separate service access.

Two courts side by side need their combined footprint plus separation between them, a shared access route and circulation at each end. Use the calculator above for an indicative figure for your own dimensions.

A 2 × 2 arrangement is efficient because courts share circulation routes. Beyond the courts themselves you should be planning for a central walkway, lighting columns, drainage runs and somewhere for players to gather.

Six courts usually reads as a 3 × 2 arrangement and starts to behave like a club rather than an amenity: welfare facilities, reception, parking and a viewing area become part of the space requirement.

There is no single universal figure. Spacing should reflect player circulation, maintenance and emergency access, accessibility and how the facility is operated. The SAPCA Code of Practice asks developers to consider layout and spacing for safe access, movement and Equality Act compliance.

Enough to open and use the court access points safely, to move around the court, to maintain the structure and glass, and to run drainage and lighting. The right figure depends on the configuration, not on a fixed rule of thumb.

Yes — most multi-court venues share boundaries between court structures. What matters is that circulation, access and maintenance routes are designed in rather than squeezed out.

It is often physically possible, but it is a planning question first. Change of use, access, parking, lighting and noise all typically need to be addressed. Take site-specific planning advice before committing.

Sometimes. The building needs adequate clear internal height, a column-free span, a floor and foundations that can take the court structure, plus a viable fire strategy, ventilation, welfare and planning use.

Warehouses are often good candidates because spans are wide and heights are generous. Check clear height under the lowest obstruction, column positions, floor condition, escape routes and parking provision.

Guidance identifies a minimum clear height of 6m over the playing area, with 8m recommended for new facilities. Measure to the lowest obstruction — lighting, services and roof structure — not to the ridge.

In most cases some form of consent is involved, particularly where there is a change of use, floodlighting, fencing height or new access. Treat it as a site-specific question rather than assuming permitted development.

Outdoor courts do. Surface water has to go somewhere, and the drainage strategy is usually one of the biggest cost and buildability variables on a padel project.

If you want to operate in UK evenings — which is where most of the revenue sits — yes. Lighting brings its own considerations: columns, power supply, light spill and planning.

Existing tennis, golf, rugby and football clubs are frequently strong padel sites because access, parking and welfare already exist. The constraint is usually which part of the land can be given up and how it affects existing provision.

That is a commercial question as much as a spatial one: catchment, utilisation, staffing and operating model all matter. Fitting more courts on a plan does not automatically make a better business.

Start with the dimensions and shape of the usable area, then look at access, levels, drainage, services, neighbours and planning. If you want a second opinion, send us the site for a free initial desktop assessment.