Last updated October 2026
Around Oxford, whether a new court gets built often turns on the Green Belt rather than the budget. For a budget, four new courts average £150,000 to £200,000 on the LTA’s figures, depending on surface, while Sport England’s benchmark for a lit, fenced pair in macadam is £260,000 before VAT; the LTA gives no VAT basis. A garden court is priced from a survey of levels, drainage, access and the fencing you need. Send a plan and photos and Alex Winser arranges a visit.
Is my garden or club in the Oxford Green Belt?
If you are within a few miles of the city, quite possibly. The Oxford Green Belt covered 33,570 hectares at March 2025, down from 34,460 hectares in 2022-23. National policy allows facilities for outdoor sport in the Green Belt as long as they preserve openness. In practice a court laid at ground level with low fencing is the easier case, while tall fencing, a pavilion or floodlights are what planners weigh. We price fencing and lighting as separate lines so the quote can follow what consent allows, and our planning guide for courts and pitches explains the steps.
Which council do we apply to?
Oxford City Council inside the city; otherwise Cherwell, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire or the Vale of White Horse. Abingdon sits in the Vale and Wallingford in South Oxfordshire, so two clubs a few miles apart can face different local plans.
| Oxfordshire court job | Typical price, ex VAT | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New set of four, porous asphalt to acrylic clay | £150,000 to £200,000 | LTA |
| Two floodlit macadam courts with fencing | £260,000 | Sport England, Q4 2025 |
| Resurfacing a club or college court | £12,500 to £17,500 | LTA average |
How long would our courts be closed for a refurbishment?
About two months for a full job in good weather. Oxford City Council’s £100,000 renovation of the park courts at Hinksey Park and Botley Park was planned from late April to the end of June 2023, adding gate access and online booking. After reopening, adult bookings cost £7 and under-17s £4.50, which shows how a booking system can help fund future upkeep. A club planning its own refurbishment should aim for a spring start so the colour coats go on in dry, warm weather.
Should a South Oxfordshire club build a 3G pitch or more grass?
The district’s own strategy leans to 3G where demand is high. South Oxfordshire’s playing pitch strategy, adopted in November 2024, says that without new 3G between six and ten floodlit grass pitches would be needed for every full-size 3G pitch not built, and it looks for 3G capacity for Wallingford and Henley hockey clubs. A club near those towns has a documented case to put to funders; our artificial pitches page covers the build.
A school court can double as a MUGA: a macadam or polymeric court with multi-sport lines serves tennis, netball and five-a-side, and our MUGA page covers sizes and fencing.
Sources
- MHCLG, local authority Green Belt statistics 2024 to 2025, Oct 2025
- NPPF, protecting Green Belt land (paragraph 154), read Oct 2026
- Oxford City Council, park tennis courts set for renovation, 2023
- South Oxfordshire District Council, playing pitch strategy, adopted Nov 2024
- LTA, how much it costs to build or renovate a tennis court, read Oct 2026
- Sport England, Facility Cost Guidance Q4 2025, published Feb 2026
Resurface or rebuild?
Resurface where the base is sound. The survey checks for cracking, root heave and drainage, and the quote shows both routes. New builds are covered on our tennis court construction page.
How it works
- 01Send a plan and photosThe site, the surface and the date it must reopen.
- 02We check the groundLevels and where the water drains.
- 03Written quoteBuilt around your reopening date.
What should an Oxfordshire homeowner send?
A site plan with the court’s position, photos of the lawn and the access from the road, your district, and whether the plot is shown as Green Belt on the council’s policies map. Add the power supply if you want lights. With those, we can tell you early whether the scheme is likely to need planning permission and price fencing and lighting as options rather than fixed lines.
Who manages an Oxfordshire job?
For a Oxfordshire job we arrange a vetted local surfacing contractor, and we confirm who within 2 working days, or tell you if we can’t. Alex Winser stays your single contact from the first call to handover, and the written quote names who does the work before anything is booked.