Milton Keynes gets six new padel courts at Willen Lake
Milton Keynes is getting six new padel courts at Willen Lake, with UK PADEL set to bring four covered courts and two open-air courts to one of the city’s busiest leisure destinations later in 2026. The choice of site matters as much as the court count: instead of a secluded private club, the venue sits beside walking trails, watersports, cafés and open green space, putting padel in front of people already using the park.
The project sits behind planning application PLN/2025/0782, covering land south-east of Newlands Roundabout at Willen Lake South, Brickhill Street, Milton Keynes MK15 0DS. Milton Keynes City Council’s register described the scheme as a part-covered padel court centre with a storage hut or kiosk, fencing and associated landscaping. The application was received on 10 April 2025, validated on 2 July 2025 and carried a target decision date of 25 May 2026.
That setting is central to the business case. Willen Lake’s padel page says bookings will go through UK Padel, with pay-and-play access available up to six days in advance and members able to book up to 21 days ahead at reduced rates. UK PADEL is also offering early registrants an exclusive two-week booking window when the courts open, a clear sign it expects strong demand from players who want regular access without joining a traditional club.
The Milton Keynes site is being pitched for more than casual court hire. UK PADEL says the venue will include singles and doubles courts and daily social mix-in sessions led by coaches, a format designed to get newcomers onto court quickly and keep experienced players rotating through organised sessions. That approach fits a sport that a local June 2026 report said now has more than 400,000 players in the UK, with padel moving from niche racket sport to mainstream leisure habit.
Robert Wood said the partnership will introduce the sport in a way that is “open, welcoming and accessible,” while Nick Baker said UK PADEL is focused on “making padel accessible to all” and creating “a sense of community.” Those comments track the wider strategy behind the Willen Lake build: visibility, footfall and low-friction entry points for players who may never have walked into a private club. For Milton Keynes, the six courts add another active layer to an already busy public venue and push padel further into the city’s everyday leisure map.