Leisure

Gyms, fitness studios and padel courts.

Gyms and padel courts are busiest early in the morning and in the evening. We assess parking at those times and show how it compares with the existing or neighbouring uses.

Main guide: Transport Statements for changes of use

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Fitness and racket sports have grown fast, often in industrial units and on club sites. The council will want to see that parking works when classes start and finish.

What the council focuses on

Parking at peak class times, overlap between sessions, cycle parking, the effect on neighbours of evening activity, and walking routes for members.

The evidence that answers it

Membership and class timetables, or booking data for courts.
Parking accumulation by hour.
Shared use of parking with neighbouring businesses.
Cycle parking and walking access.

Padel and racket courts

Courts are booked in fixed slots, so arrivals and departures overlap at changeover. We base the assessment on court numbers and session length.

What the application usually needs

A parking assessment for peak class and court times.
Membership, class or booking data.
Comparison with the existing or neighbouring uses.
Cycle parking and walking access.
A note on evening activity and floodlights.

A typical case

A typical case is four indoor padel courts in an industrial unit on a business park. The council asks whether parking will be enough at changeover between sessions. We use court numbers and session length to calculate the maximum players and spectators on site, add staff, and show that the unit’s spaces and nearby estate parking cover the peak in the evening, when other units are closed.

Technical points

Gyms peak early morning and early evening; boutique studios peak at class start times. Padel and racket courts operate in fixed booking slots, so arrivals for the next session overlap departures. TRICS has limited data for newer uses, so booking data from the operator is often the best evidence. Where the use goes into an industrial unit, see our indoor leisure page.

If highways raise concerns

Concerns usually relate to parking at peak times and evening activity near homes. Booking data, shared parking evidence and conditions on hours usually resolve them.

Where TRICS has little data for a new use such as padel, first-principles evidence from bookings is often accepted.

How we help

We prepare a proportionate transport statement and parking assessment.

The same questions arise in Scotland and Wales, where they are assessed against NPF4 and Scottish guidance or Planning Policy Wales and TAN 18 rather than the NPPF.

To get a quote, send us:

The site address or a location plan.
The number of courts or floor area, and class timetables.
The parking available on and around the site.
Any pre-application advice or highways comments you already have.

FAQ

Questions we get asked

Does a padel court need a Transport Statement?

Often a short parking assessment is enough. Larger centres may need a Transport Statement.

How much parking does a gym need?

It depends on membership and peak class sizes. We use the operator’s data.

Can a gym go into an industrial unit?

Often, subject to policy. Parking at peak times is usually the main transport issue.

How do you assess session changeovers?

By counting players leaving and arriving at the same time.

Will floodlit courts raise transport issues?

Mainly evening parking and activity near homes. We assess both.

Related guidance.

All insights

Guidance and sources

GOV.UK: National Planning Policy FrameworkEngland. National policy on transport in planning decisions.
GOV.UK: Travel Plans, Transport Assessments and StatementsEngland. Planning guidance on proportionate transport evidence.

Sources checked 8 November 2026. General information, not advice on a specific site.

Got a site in mind?

Send us the location and what is proposed. We will tell you what the council is likely to ask for, with a fixed fee.

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