Last updated October 2026
Most new courts and pitches need planning permission, and so do new fences over 2 metres and new or replacement floodlights. In England a court or pitch application costs £298 for each 0.1 hectare of site, capped at £2,578, while homeowners pay £262 or £528, and councils have 8 weeks to decide most applications. Where a project touches a playing field, the council must also consult Sport England.
Use the table to see where your project sits, then read the section for it below.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Project | Usually needs permission? | The rule it turns on | Application fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| New MUGA with fencing and floodlights | Yes | New fences over 2 m, and new outdoor sports lighting, need permission; Sport England is consulted if it sits on playing field land | £298 per 0.1 ha of site (a 782 m2 MUGA alone is under 0.1 ha) |
| New 3G pitch on a grass field | Yes | Sport England is a statutory consultee where a playing pitch of 0.2 ha or more is affected | £298 per 0.1 ha, up to £2,578 |
| New tennis court at a club | Yes | The LTA’s planning note lists a new court, a change of playing surface or colour, new fencing and new or replacement lighting | £298 per 0.1 ha |
| Tennis court in a private garden | Often | Any fence over 2 m (1 m next to a road or footpath) and any lighting need permission | £262 or £528 householder fee, depending on the works |
| Floodlights on an existing court or pitch | Yes | The LTA lists new or replacement lighting, including swapping metal halide for LED | Depends on the works |
| Resurfacing with the same surface and colour | Check | The LTA lists changing the surface or its colour; like-for-like is not covered | None if no permission is needed |
| Paving more than 5 m2 of a house’s front garden with a surface that does not drain | Yes | Government guidance on front gardens, in force since 1 October 2008 | Householder fee |
Fees: Planning Portal schedule for England, effective 1 April 2025. Decision period: 8 weeks for most applications, 13 weeks for major development (gov.uk).
Does a MUGA need planning permission?
In most cases, yes, because a typical MUGA brings two things that sit outside permitted development: a fence and floodlights. Permitted development stops at 2 metres for a fence or wall, or 1 metre next to a road or footpath, so a taller ball-stop fence needs permission. The LTA’s planning note lists new or replacement outdoor sports lighting as needing permission too.
If the MUGA goes on part of a school or park field, check whether that field holds a marked pitch. Sport England defines a playing field as the whole of a site with at least one playing pitch of 0.2 hectares or more, including run-off, and councils must consult it on development affecting that land. The MUGA itself can be far smaller than that: Sport England’s costed example is 782 m2.
Costs for the build itself, with Sport England’s £190,000 benchmark, are on our MUGA pitch page.
Do you need planning permission for a 3G pitch?
Yes, in practice. A new 3G pitch replaces grass on a playing field, which brings Sport England in as a statutory consultee, and most come with fencing and floodlights that need permission in their own right. The council has to take Sport England’s view into account; Sport England says it will work with the council and the applicant where it objects.
The fee is worked out on the application site. A junior pitch of 61 x 43 m covers about 0.26 hectares, so the pitch area alone sits in the £894 band (three units of £298); a senior pitch of 106 x 70 m covers about 0.74 hectares, or £2,384. The site you apply for is usually larger than the playing surface, so check the fee against your drawing. Build costs are on 3G football pitch construction.
Do I need planning permission to build a tennis court in my garden?
Often, yes, and it turns on the fence and the lights. Under permitted development a garden fence can be up to 2 metres high, or 1 metre beside a road or footpath, so a court enclosed by a taller fence needs permission. The LTA’s planning note lists new courts and new or replacement lighting as needing permission.
Householder application fees in England are £262 or £528, depending on the works. If you believe the court falls within permitted development, a lawful development certificate gives you that in writing for half the full application fee, which is worth having before you sell the house. Garden court costs are covered for homeowners and on tennis court construction.
Do floodlights need planning permission?
Yes. The LTA’s note lists both new and replacement outdoor sports lighting, and says permission is needed even to convert metal halide lamps to LED. Expect the council to want a lighting report. The LTA asks for lighting datapacks that meet the Institute of Lighting Professionals’ guidance on obtrusive light. Belfast City Council’s validation checklist, as one example, asks for the beam layout, the hours of use and a diagram of light spill with lux levels at nearby windows.
Does resurfacing a court or MUGA need planning permission?
It can, so check first. The LTA’s note lists “changing the playing surface/colour” as needing permission, which catches more resurfacing jobs than clubs expect: moving from green macadam to coloured acrylic, or from macadam to artificial grass, is a change of surface. Replacing a surface like for like is not covered by the note, so ask your council’s planning team in writing if you are unsure. See tennis court resurfacing cost and MUGA resurfacing for what the work costs.
How long does a planning decision take?
Councils in England have 8 weeks to decide most applications and 13 weeks for major development, unless you agree a longer period in writing. Once granted, permission normally lasts three years from the decision, so you do not need to build straight away.
Count back from the date the surface must be ready. A summer holiday install needs the decision, and any pre-start conditions such as a lighting design, cleared before the contractor orders materials. The reports the council asks for take time to prepare, so start them first.
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 will the council ask for with the application?
Plans, the fee, and reports that match what you are building. The LTA’s note lists noise assessments and, where floodlights are included, lighting datapacks. For padel courts it suggests sound attenuation where a home is within 30 metres.
One newer rule helps smaller projects in England. Applications made on or after 6 August 2026 are exempt from biodiversity net gain where the red line area is 0.2 hectares or less and no priority habitat is affected, which covers most MUGAs and single courts, though not most full-size pitches.
What does a planning application cost, all in?
The council fee is the fixed part; the reports and drawings are the rest. In England, from 1 April 2025:
- courts, pitches and other engineering work: £298 per 0.1 hectare of site, up to £2,578
- householder works: £528 for alterations to a house, £262 for works within or along the boundary
- a lawful development certificate for proposed works: half the full application fee
Report costs depend on how many are needed and how close the nearest homes are, so we price them as their own lines on your quote rather than guess here.
Does a padel court face the same planning test?
Yes, and noise is the issue councils weigh most: the LTA’s note lists installing padel courts as needing permission. Our sister brand covers padel court planning permission in full, with planning handled as part of the build.
Do the same rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
No. The fees, decision periods and permitted development limits on this page are England’s. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own planning systems, so check with your council before you rely on any figure here.
Who handles the application?
You can, or we can price it. Alex Winser arranges the survey and a quote in which the application, the fee and any reports appear as separate lines from the build, so you can see what planning adds and decide who does it.
FAQs
Do we need planning permission to replace a tennis court with a MUGA?
It does if the playing surface, its colour, the fencing or the lighting changes, because the LTA’s note lists all four.
Is a school’s playing field treated differently?
Yes. Where the field holds a pitch of 0.2 hectares or more, the council must consult Sport England on development affecting it.
How long does permission last?
Three years from the decision, unless the permission says otherwise.
Do you guarantee permission will be granted?
No. The council decides, and nobody can promise its decision.
Our other buyer guides cover funding, fall heights and choosing a surface.
Sources
- Planning Portal, Application fees England (Mid Sussex copy), 1 Apr 2025
- Planning Portal, Height restrictions for fences, gates and garden walls, read Oct 2026
- gov.uk, Determining a planning application, updated Apr 2026
- Sport England, Planning applications affecting playing fields, read Oct 2026
- LTA, Making a planning application, undated, read Oct 2026
- Belfast City Council, Validation checklist: lighting impact assessment, read Oct 2026
- Planning Portal, Changes to biodiversity net gain exemptions in 2026, 24 Jul 2026
- gov.uk, Guidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens, updated Feb 2026
- Sport England, Facility Cost Guidance Q4 2025, published Feb 2026
