Plumpton Racecourse plans five-court padel facility for approval

Lewes District Council’s planning committee is set to decide whether Plumpton Racecourse can add an enclosed five-court padel facility to its sporting offer. The application, listed as LW/26/0028, is due before councillors on Wednesday, 5 August 2026.

The scheme would sit on part of the East Sussex racecourse currently used as a driver training centre. Planning material describes it as a change of use of the existing driver training school into a sports centre for padel courts and associated facilities, a move that would fold one fast-growing racket sport into a site already shaped by sport and leisure rather than create a stand-alone club from scratch.

That setting matters. Plumpton Racecourse is a jump-racing venue, so the proposal builds on land that already has a sporting identity, parking patterns and visitor access in place. For operators, that can sharpen the business case for padel: five courts is enough to support coaching blocks, social sessions, leagues and repeat bookings, while an enclosed design can help address the planning issues most often attached to new padel sites, especially noise and lighting.

Local scrutiny has not been limited to the courts themselves. Minutes from Plumpton Parish Council show traffic impacts were queried, with concern raised about a potential increase of up to 600 users. That kind of figure goes to the heart of whether the site can absorb extra footfall without putting strain on access routes, parking or neighbouring uses.

The Plumpton proposal also reflects a broader shift in how padel is spreading across Britain. The strongest demand is no longer confined to purpose-built clubs in major cities. Instead, the sport is increasingly being inserted into multi-use leisure estates, racecourses and other venues that can convert existing land into a revenue-generating sports asset. An enclosed five-court set-up at Plumpton would fit that pattern, giving the racecourse a new year-round use while expanding the South East’s padel map if approved.