Opening a Padel or Pickleball Centre in Melbourne: The Planning Permit Guide
Courts are booked out weeks ahead. Landlords are lining up to sign you for ten years. And council hasn't said yes yet.
Sign the wrong lease and you'll pay rent on courts nobody is allowed to play on.
Pickleball and padel are two of the fastest-growing sports in the country, and operators across Melbourne are grabbing warehouses to fit them in. Seven to ten year leases. Six-figure fit-outs. Deals done in a fortnight.
Here's what the agent won't tell you at the inspection: a warehouse lease gives you the keys. It doesn't give you permission. Council does that. And council says no more often than you'd think.
We spent more than 10 years inside Melbourne councils deciding applications exactly like yours. We've watched operators sign first and ask questions later. This guide is so you don't.
The short answer: If you're turning a warehouse or shop into a padel or pickleball centre anywhere in Melbourne, you'll almost certainly need a planning permit, even with zero building work. A straightforward application takes around 3 to 3½ months. Whether you get one comes down to three things: where the building is, how much noise reaches the neighbours, and where your players park. Check all three before you sign anything.
What is a planning permit, and why do I need one?
It's council's permission to run your kind of business at that address. Your lease doesn't cover it.
Every property in Victoria has rules about what it can be used for. Most warehouses are set up for storing goods or light industry. A sports venue is a different beast: more people, more cars, more noise, longer hours. Planners call this a change of use, and it's why you need a permit even if you don't touch a single wall.
Most first-time operators think "council approval" is one thing. It's three, and you may need all of them:
From council. Can you run this business at this address?
From a building surveyor. Is the building safe for the public? Fire, exits, toilets, access.
From Liquor Control Victoria, only if you sell alcohol. No planning permit needed for liquor since July 2025.
How does the process work, and how long does it take?
You apply, council assesses, neighbours may get a say, council decides. Allow 3 to 3½ months for a straightforward application.
- Check the site before you sign. This is the cheapest moment to find a problem, and the only moment you still have leverage over the landlord.
- Apply to council. Plans plus a clear picture of how the venue runs: courts, hours, parking, noise.
- Council asks questions. Anything missing or vague triggers a request for more information. The clock effectively stops until you answer.
- Neighbours may be told. Council often notifies nearby owners and occupiers. If they object, add weeks.
- Council decides. Approved with conditions, or refused. Either side can take it to VCAT, the state planning tribunal, which adds months more.
That 3 to 3½ month figure assumes a complete application and no fight. The number one cause of delay we saw inside council? Applications that left out the basics about how the venue would actually operate.
The four things that kill court venue applications
1. Council wants that warehouse for industry, not sport
The sheds big enough for courts are mostly in industrial estates. Councils are under pressure to protect that land for factories, trades and logistics. Some Melbourne councils have flatly refused gyms and recreation businesses in industrial estates for exactly this reason (we cover the gym side in our guide to opening a gym in Frankston). Same building type, different estate, completely different answer.
2. Padel is loud, and the neighbours will hear it
Padel isn't tennis. Every shot is a sharp crack off the racket, then another off the glass. Overseas, councils have slashed hours, ordered noise barriers and refused padel courts outright after complaints. A solid building deep in an industrial estate? Manageable. A tin shed with houses over the back fence? That's a fight. Pickleball's "pock" carries too.
3. Parking collapses at changeover
Your busiest moment isn't when every court is full. It's the ten minutes when the next group has arrived and the last group hasn't left. Eight courts, four players each: 32 people playing, up to 64 cars in the car park. If the estate is full of tradies' utes until 5:30pm and your after-work sessions start at 5:30, council will see it before you do.
4. The hours you apply for are the hours you're stuck with
Opening hours usually get locked into the permit. Apply for 9pm and you close at 9pm, even when the late league becomes your best seller. Changing it means going back to council. Apply for the business you want in three years, not the one you open with.
Already eyeing a site? Get it checked before you sign. Written answer in 48 hours, $347 fixed.
Get a Pulse CheckWhat happens if I just open without a permit?
Council can shut you down.
It goes like this. A neighbour complains about noise or parking. Council checks its records and finds no permit. You get a letter telling you to stop operating or apply. And if that application fails, you're left holding a lease, a fit-out and a venue you can't legally open. "Just open and see" is the most expensive gamble in this industry.
A story we see too often
An operator finds a 2,400 sqm shed in a Melbourne industrial estate. High ceilings, room for six pickleball courts, two padel courts and a café. The landlord is keen and wants a seven-year lease signed within a fortnight.
The operator signs. Then the problems surface. Houses 120 metres behind the estate. A shared car park with 28 spaces, mostly taken until 5:30pm. And a council with a track record of refusing recreation uses in that exact estate.
Every one of those was visible in a two-day check. Found before signing, the operator could have made the lease conditional on a permit, or walked. Found after, they're paying rent on a building they can't open.
A composite of common scenarios. Details are illustrative.
Before you sign: your checklist
- Never sign an unconditional lease. Make it depend on getting a planning permit, and allow at least 3 to 3½ months, plus a buffer.
- Ask the landlord for any existing planning permits on the building. Old permits can restrict what the site can be used for.
- Look over the back fence. How close are the nearest houses, schools or childcare centres?
- Visit the car park at 6pm on a weeknight and 9am on a Saturday. Not just at the inspection.
- Write down how you'll actually run it: courts, session times, opening hours, café, events, kids' programs.
- Budget for building upgrades. Fire safety, exits, toilets and accessibility often need work in a former warehouse.
- Get the site checked by a commercial town planner before you commit a dollar.
About Eland Town Planning
Eland Town Planning is a Melbourne town planning consultancy that works only on commercial and industrial uses. Based in Melbourne's south-east, we work with business owners and landlords across Greater Melbourne on change of use applications, planning permits, council requests for further information, and pre-lease site checks.
Our principal planner is a registered member of the Planning Institute of Australia and spent more than 10 years inside Melbourne councils, assessing the same kinds of applications we now prepare. That means we know what council will ask before council asks it.
All services are fixed fee. No hourly billing, no surprises.
Building a court in your backyard? We're not the right fit. We don't take on residential projects, including private courts at homes. Your local council is the place to start.
Know before you sign
Send us the address and what you're planning. Within 48 hours you'll get a written Pulse Check: can it work, what council will focus on, the red flags, and what to negotiate into your lease. Anywhere in Melbourne. $347, fixed fee.
Get a Pulse Check Or call 0468 360 624Frequently asked questions
Do I need a planning permit to open a padel or pickleball centre in Melbourne?
Almost always, yes. Turning a warehouse or shop into courts changes what the building is used for, and in most industrial and commercial areas that needs a planning permit, even with no building work.
How long does a planning permit take for a padel or pickleball centre?
A straightforward application typically takes around 3 to 3½ months. It takes longer if council asks for more information or neighbours object, so make your lease conditional on the permit.
Can I put padel or pickleball courts in an industrial warehouse?
You can usually apply, but approval isn't guaranteed. Councils try to protect industrial land, and some Melbourne councils have refused recreation businesses in industrial estates. It depends on the site.
How does the planning permit process work for a court venue?
You apply to council with plans and operating details. Council may ask for more information and may notify neighbours, who can object. Council then grants or refuses the permit, and the decision can be reviewed at VCAT.
What can stop a padel or pickleball centre getting a planning permit?
Council protecting industrial land, noise reaching nearby houses, not enough parking at session changeover, and incomplete applications.
What happens if I open a court venue without a planning permit?
Council can take enforcement action, including ordering you to stop operating, leaving you with rent and fit-out costs on a venue you can't run.
Do I need a planning permit to sell alcohol at a padel or pickleball centre?
No. Since 1 July 2025, no planning permit is needed to sell alcohol in Victoria. You still need a liquor licence from Liquor Control Victoria, and council still needs to approve the venue itself.
Who can help me get a planning permit for a padel or pickleball centre in Melbourne?
Eland Town Planning works only on commercial and industrial uses, including padel, pickleball and other indoor sports venues, across Greater Melbourne. Our principal planner spent 10+ years inside Melbourne councils, and our fixed-fee Pulse Check assesses your site in writing within 48 hours.
Does Eland Town Planning help with backyard courts?
No. We work only with commercial and industrial businesses and don't take on residential projects.
General information about planning in Victoria as at October 2026, not advice about a specific site. Rules vary by council and property, and timeframes are typical, not guaranteed. Eland Town Planning · 0468 360 624 · info@elandtownplanning.com.au
