With the rapid rise of padel across the UK, agricultural landowners are finding innovative ways to generate income – including converting redundant barns into high-demand sports facilities, reports Cathy Hawker in the Financial Times, with insight from Harry Gladwin.
Many farmers are facing sustained pressure on margins, as our Partner and Head of the Cotswolds Harry Gladwin highlights in the Financial Times. Repurposing underused buildings – whether for padel courts or other commercial uses – offers a practical way to create supplementary income while preserving the integrity of rural estates.
Examples such as Padel X at Todenham Manor Farm near Moreton-in-Marsh, Punk Padel at Grammarsham Farm near Basingstoke and The Padel Farm York are leading the way.
“Most farmers would prefer to focus purely on farming but margins have been compressed for some time,” Harry says in the report. “For estates with redundant or underused buildings, repurposing them for alternative uses — whether that’s padel courts, car storage, cafés or gyms — can provide meaningful supplementary income without materially changing the character of the holding.”
Read the full article here.