A new indoor padel venue is set to land in Woking, bringing one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports into an aircraft hangar at Fairoaks Airport.

The development will see an underused hangar converted into a dedicated indoor padel facility, creating six courts within the existing structure. Work is expected to begin within the next few weeks, with the venue aiming to open in early April.

The project is being led by entrepreneur Dylan Shawyer, whose company Padel Tree has expanded rapidly since launching in 2023. The Fair Oaks site will become the company’s fifth venue, adding to a growing portfolio that includes courts built in unconventional locations such as a multi-storey car park in Wimbledon and on a floating pontoon on the Thames Embankment.

Padel – a racket sport combining elements of tennis and squash – has exploded in popularity across the UK in recent years, but provision locally has struggled to keep up. Shawyer says the Woking and Chobham area is currently underserved, despite strong demand.

“This is a really out-of-the-box location,” he said. “Padel needs space, and the hangar gives us exactly that. It’s different, interesting and allows us to create something genuinely unique for players.”

The main hangar will accommodate six indoor courts, making full use of its generous clear height and open-span structure. A defining feature of the space will be the large south-facing sliding aircraft doors, which will be retained to bring daylight and long views across the former runway into the courts hall, while remaining closed to public access.

An adjoining single-storey brick building will be refurbished to house changing rooms, toilets, a café, storage and staff facilities. Social and spectator seating will be distributed throughout the venue, encouraging the site to function as both a sporting facility and a social destination.

Shawyer’s early success came from repurposing surplus padel courts from Sweden, where a post-pandemic construction boom led to thousands being built in a short space of time.

“Sweden became oversaturated very quickly,” he explained. “We spotted an opportunity to reuse that infrastructure where demand is much higher, like here in the UK.”

The site sits close to the McLaren Technology Centre and benefits from strong road links, supporting both local players and visitors from further afield.

“With demand growing so fast, we’ve moved quickly,” Shawyer added. “We’re excited to bring something new to the area and give people more opportunities to play.”