How to open a padel club
Opening a padel club runs through six stages: validate demand, secure a site and planning permission, set up the company and tax, build and certify the venue, sort licences and compliance, then launch. The rules differ by country, so pick yours below.
Every legal and tax step links to its source. Checked 29 October 2026. This is a planning guide, not legal advice: confirm the details with your council, planning consultant and accountant.
Opening a padel club in the UK
Written for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own planning and licensing systems; the main differences are listed after the steps.
Validate
Size the local market
Count the courts already within a 15–20 minute drive, how busy they are at peak, and what they charge. A catchment with busy evening courts and few venues is the case for building; a catchment where existing clubs sit half empty is the case against.
Padel Club Planner · Drop a pin on a site to see the clubs, courts, occupancy and population in its drive-time catchment.Check what is already planned nearby
Courts with planning permission but not yet open are competition you cannot see on a booking app. Look for approved and pending applications around your shortlist before you commit to a site.
Planning Applications tracker · Every UK padel planning application, with court counts, decisions and the agents behind them.Build the business plan and raise funding
Model build cost, rent, staffing and court-hire revenue at realistic occupancy. Use measured figures from comparable clubs rather than supplier brochures, and stress-test the plan at off-peak occupancy.
Padel court cost · LTA-published build costs per court and what UK courts actually take in bookings.
Site & planning
Check the site’s use class
Indoor sport sits in Class E(d) in England, and outdoor sport in Class F2(c). Turning an industrial or warehouse unit (B2 or B8) into a padel club is a material change of use and needs full planning permission. A unit that is already in Class E, such as former retail, can usually change to E(d) without it, unless a planning condition on the unit removes that flexibility.
- Use Classes Order 1987 (as amended 2020)
- Class E(d) indoor sport
- Class F2(c) outdoor sport
Sources: SI 2020/757 reg. 13 (Class E) · Planning Portal: use classes
Get pre-application advice and the technical reports
Noise is the most common reason padel schemes are refused or given restricted hours, because the ball strike is an impulsive sound that carries. Commission a noise impact assessment early, plus a lighting assessment for outdoor floodlights and transport and parking information. Pre-application advice from the council tells you what it will expect.
- Noise impact assessment
- Lighting assessment
- Transport statement
Submit the planning application
Apply to the local planning authority under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. If permission is refused or not decided in time, you can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.
- Town and Country Planning Act 1990
- Local planning authority
- Planning Inspectorate (appeals)
8 weeks to decide, or 13 weeks for major development (16 with an environmental impact assessment).
Company & tax
Set up the company and register for VAT
Incorporate at Companies House and register for VAT with HMRC. Court hire by a commercial operator is standard-rated at 20%. The VAT exemptions for sport apply only to non-profit “eligible bodies” and to narrow cases such as a single let over 24 hours or a series of 10+ sessions to a school or club, so price your courts VAT-inclusive.
- Companies House
- HMRC VAT registration
- VAT Notice 701/45 (sport)
Sources: GOV.UK: set up a limited company · HMRC: letting sports facilities (VATLP19200) · VAT Notice 701/45: sport
Build
Get Building Regulations approval and build
Building Regulations approval is a separate regime from planning. It covers structure, fire safety (Approved Document B) and access (Approved Document M), and is signed off by local authority or registered building control. Order the courts and fit-out in parallel so they are ready when the building is.
- Building Regulations 2010
- Approved Document B (fire)
- Approved Document M (access)
Licences & compliance
Fire risk assessment and insurance
The “responsible person” for the premises must carry out and keep a written fire risk assessment. Employers’ liability insurance is compulsory once you employ staff. Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement but you will not run a venue without it.
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
- Employers’ liability insurance
Sources: GOV.UK: fire safety in the workplace · GOV.UK: employers’ liability insurance
Premises licence, if you will sell alcohol
A bar or café serving alcohol needs a premises licence from the council, naming a designated premises supervisor who holds a personal licence. Apply in good time: there is a public consultation period.
- Licensing Act 2003
- Premises licence
- Designated premises supervisor
Sources: GOV.UK: premises licence
Budget for business rates
The Valuation Office Agency sets the rateable value and the council sends the bill. Small Business Rate Relief removes the bill for a single property with a rateable value of £12,000 or less, but a multi-court venue is often valued above that, so budget for rates from day one.
- Business rates
- Valuation Office Agency
- Small Business Rate Relief
Sources: GOV.UK: Small Business Rate Relief
Launch
Choose a booking platform and set prices
Pick the booking platform your local players already use, and set peak and off-peak prices against the clubs you will compete with, not against national averages.
Booking platform comparison · Which platforms UK clubs use, and how clubs on each perform.Open, then track occupancy against your plan
Watch occupancy by hour from the first week. Off-peak gaps are where pricing and programming (coaching, leagues, socials) earn their keep.
Club reports · Benchmark your club’s occupancy, prices and revenue against every club near you.
Elsewhere in the UK
Scotland
Sports facilities are in Class 11 (assembly and leisure) of the Scottish use classes order. You need a building warrant before work starts, and a change of use can require one on its own. Alcohol licensing is by the local Licensing Board under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.
Wales
Wales did not adopt Class E. Indoor sport stays in Class D2 of the 1987 order, so check change of use against the Welsh classes, not the English ones.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has its own use classes order (2015) and a court-based liquor licensing system. Take local advice on both.
Opening a padel club in Ireland
Planning permission, fire and access certificates are all handled by the local authority. Appeals go to An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Validate
Size the local market
Count the courts within a 15–20 minute drive, how busy they are at peak and what they charge.
Padel Club Planner · Drop a pin to see the clubs, courts and population in a site’s catchment.Check what is already planned nearby
Look for granted and pending padel applications around your shortlist. Granted permissions that have not been built yet are future competition.
Irish planning tracker · Every padel planning application we track in Ireland, with courts and decisions.Build the business plan and raise funding
Model build cost, rent, staffing and court-hire revenue at realistic occupancy, using measured figures from comparable Irish clubs.
Ireland market report · Occupancy, prices and booking value across every Irish club we track.
Site & planning
Check whether the change of use needs permission
Converting an industrial unit to indoor sport has been treated as a change of use needing planning permission, not exempted development. If you are unsure, ask the planning authority for a Section 5 declaration before you sign the lease.
- Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended)
- Section 5 declaration
Submit the planning application
Publish a newspaper notice and put up a site notice, then lodge the application with the local authority within two weeks. The public has five weeks to make submissions. Noise is handled through the assessment you submit and the conditions attached to the permission.
- Local authority planning department
- Newspaper and site notices
Decision within 8 weeks of receipt, or 4 weeks after you respond to a request for further information.
Allow for the appeal window
Anyone who made a submission can appeal the decision. An Coimisiún Pleanála replaced An Bord Pleanála on 18 June 2025, with the appeal procedure unchanged. Do not start work until the appeal period has passed.
- An Coimisiún Pleanála
4 weeks from the decision to appeal.
Sources: An Coimisiún Pleanála · Meath County Council: appeals
Company & tax
Form the company and register for tax
Register the company with the Companies Registration Office, register for tax and VAT with Revenue, and file the company’s beneficial owners with the Register of Beneficial Ownership.
- Companies Registration Office (CRO)
- Revenue
- Register of Beneficial Ownership
Sources: CRO
Charge VAT on court hire at 9%
Commercial sporting facilities, including court fees, are at Ireland’s second reduced VAT rate, currently 9%.
- Second reduced VAT rate (9%)
Build
Fire Safety Certificate, Disability Access Certificate and Commencement Notice
For commercial works you need a Fire Safety Certificate from the local authority’s building control before you lodge the Commencement Notice, and a Disability Access Certificate before the building opens. Both are applied for, and the Commencement Notice lodged, through the Building Control Management System (BCMS).
- Building Control Regulations
- Fire Safety Certificate
- Disability Access Certificate
- Commencement Notice (BCMS)
Sources: Kildare County Council: building control FAQs · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown: building control
Build the courts and fit out
Order courts, lighting and fit-out so they arrive as the building is ready. Covered courts cost roughly twice as much as uncovered ones.
Padel court cost · Delivered cost per court from LTA data, a useful guide for Irish budgets.
Licences & compliance
Alcohol: take licensing advice early
Ireland has no UK-style premises licence. Routes include a restaurant certificate, a special restaurant licence, or a club registration certificate for a genuine members’ club, all court-based. Get a licensing solicitor’s advice before you design the bar.
- Licensing Acts
- Special restaurant licence
- Club registration certificate
Budget for commercial rates
Rates are the property’s valuation (set by Tailte Éireann) multiplied by the council’s annual rate on valuation. The occupier pays.
- Commercial rates
- Tailte Éireann valuation
Launch
Choose a booking platform, insure, and open
Arrange public and employers’ liability cover, pick the booking platform local players use, and set prices against the clubs near you. Then track occupancy by hour from the first week.
Ireland market report · Which platforms Irish clubs use, and what they charge.
Opening a padel club in Germany
Building law is set by each Land, so timelines and some permits vary. Sport-noise limits are national, under the 18. BImSchV.
Validate
Size the local market
Count the courts within a 15–20 minute drive, how busy they are at peak and what they charge. Some German courts are at members-only clubs, so check who can actually book them.
Padel Club Planner · Drop a pin to see the clubs, courts and population in a site’s catchment.Check what is already planned nearby
Look for padel projects in planning or under construction around your shortlist.
German planning tracker · Padel planning projects we track across Germany, with courts and status.Build the business plan and raise funding
Model build cost, rent, staffing and court-hire revenue at realistic occupancy, using measured figures from comparable German clubs.
Germany market report · Occupancy, prices and booking value across every German club we track.
Site & planning
Check the zoning
Read the Bebauungsplan for the site, or §§ 34 and 35 BauGB where there is none. Facilities for sport are generally permissible in a Gewerbegebiet (commercial area), which is why warehouse conversions are common.
- Bebauungsplan
- §§ 34, 35 BauGB
- § 8 BauNVO (Gewerbegebiet)
Sources: § 8 BauNVO
Commission the noise report (Schallgutachten)
The Sportanlagenlärmschutzverordnung sets binding noise limits at nearby buildings by area type and time of day; in a commercial area, for example, 65 dB(A) by day and 50 dB(A) at night. Outdoor courts near housing live or die on this report.
- 18. BImSchV (Sportanlagenlärmschutzverordnung)
- Schallgutachten
Sources: § 2 18. BImSchV · Umweltbundesamt: sports noise
Submit the Bauantrag
Converting a hall to sport is a change of use that needs a Baugenehmigung under the Land’s building code (Landesbauordnung). The submission includes the fire-safety statement and the noise report.
- Landesbauordnung
- Bauantrag
- Baugenehmigung (Nutzungsänderung)
Set by each Land. Some, including Nordrhein-Westfalen and Baden-Württemberg, now treat a complete application in the simplified procedure as approved if the authority has not decided within a fixed period.
Company & tax
Form the company
A GmbH needs notarised articles of association, share capital of €25,000 with at least €12,500 paid in before registration, and entry in the Handelsregister, which is when the GmbH comes into existence.
- GmbHG
- Notary
- Handelsregister
Sources: § 5 GmbHG
Register the trade and the accident insurer
Register the business with the Gewerbeamt (Gewerbeanmeldung), which passes your details to the Finanzamt and the IHK. Register with the statutory accident insurer (Berufsgenossenschaft, for sport businesses the VBG) within one week of starting.
- § 14 GewO (Gewerbeanmeldung)
- § 192 SGB VII
- Berufsgenossenschaft (VBG)
Berufsgenossenschaft registration within 1 week.
Sources: § 14 GewO · Gründerplattform: Berufsgenossenschaft
VAT at 19% and Grundsteuer
Letting a court to players is a single taxable supply at the standard 19% VAT rate. The 7% rate applies only to non-profit (gemeinnützig) clubs. Grundsteuer is set by the municipality’s Hebesatz and, as a tenant, you usually pay it through the lease’s service charges.
- UStAE 4.12.11
- 19% Umsatzsteuer
- Grundsteuer (Hebesatz)
Sources: UStAE 4.12.11
Build
Fire safety and accessibility
Above 200 visitors the Land’s Versammlungsstättenverordnung applies, with a Brandschutzkonzept, a maximum visitor count and set escape routes. Accessibility (Barrierefreiheit) requirements come from the Landesbauordnung.
- Brandschutznachweis / Brandschutzkonzept
- Versammlungsstättenverordnung
- Barrierefreiheit
Sources: Baunetz Wissen: Versammlungsstätten
Build the courts and fit out
Order courts, lighting and fit-out to arrive as the building is ready.
Padel court cost · Delivered cost per court from LTA data, a useful benchmark for German budgets.
Licences & compliance
Gastronomy: check your Land’s rules
Serving alcohol is regulated by the Land. Some Länder still require a Gaststättenerlaubnis; others have replaced it with a notification at Gewerbeanmeldung. Ask the Gewerbeamt which applies to your site.
- Gaststättengesetz / Land law
- Gaststättenerlaubnis
Sources: DIHK: Gaststättengewerbe
Launch
Choose a booking platform, insure, and open
Arrange business liability cover (Betriebshaftpflicht), pick the booking platform local players use, and set prices against the clubs near you. Then track occupancy by hour from the first week.
Germany market report · Which platforms German clubs use, and what they charge.
How the three markets differ
| UK (England) | Ireland | Germany | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning decision | 8 weeks, 13 for major development | 8 weeks, then a 4-week appeal window | Set by each Land |
| Warehouse conversion | Full permission from B2/B8; free switch within Class E | Permission needed; Section 5 declaration for certainty | Sport generally allowed in a Gewerbegebiet; Baugenehmigung still needed |
| Noise rules | Noise assessment and planning conditions | Noise assessment and planning conditions | Binding limits in the 18. BImSchV |
| Fire and access | Building Regulations, then a fire risk assessment | Fire Safety and Disability Access Certificates | Brandschutz statement; VStättVO above 200 visitors |
| VAT on court hire | 20% | 9% | 19% |
| Alcohol | Council premises licence | Court-based certificates or licences | Permit or notification, by Land |
| Property tax | Business rates | Commercial rates | Grundsteuer, usually via the lease |
| Company setup | Online at Companies House | Online at the CRO | Notary, €25,000 capital, Gewerbeanmeldung |
Playskan Insights
Do the first three steps with real data
Measured occupancy, prices and booking value for every padel club, the planning pipeline, and a planner that scores any site’s catchment.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need planning permission to open an indoor padel club?
Usually, yes. In England, turning an industrial or warehouse unit (Class B2 or B8) into indoor sport (Class E(d)) is a material change of use that needs full planning permission; a unit already in Class E can usually switch without it. In Ireland a change of use from industrial generally needs permission, and in Germany a Baugenehmigung is needed for the change of use even where sport is allowed by the zoning.
How long does planning permission take for a padel club?
In England the council has 8 weeks to decide, or 13 weeks for major development. In Ireland the decision is due within 8 weeks, followed by a 4-week appeal window. In Germany the timeline is set by each Land. Allow extra time before submission for the noise and lighting reports.
What VAT applies to padel court hire?
For a commercial operator, court hire is standard-rated at 20% in the UK and 19% in Germany, and charged at the 9% reduced rate in Ireland. Exemptions and reduced rates for sport apply mainly to non-profit clubs.
Why are padel clubs refused planning permission?
Noise is the most common reason. The ball strike is an impulsive sound that carries, so outdoor courts near housing need a strong noise assessment, and permissions often come with limited opening hours. In Germany the 18. BImSchV sets binding noise limits at nearby buildings.
How much does it cost to build a padel court?
See the padel court cost page for delivered UK build costs per court, uncovered and covered, published by the LTA, and what courts take in bookings once open.