The Express Tribune has reported on calls for a ban on unapproved property. Whatever happens with that proposal, the direction is clear: buyers, banks and regulators are paying more attention to whether a scheme is properly approved and whether what is advertised actually exists. For developers, this changes how an amenities list should be built. It is no longer only a brochure feature. It is part of a planned, approved, deliverable scheme, and a buyer's lawyer can check it.
This is the amenities list we give developers at Funventure, ranked by how much each item earns for its cost. The cost figures are typical PKR ranges for 2026 and move with imports, exchange rates, site conditions and specification. They are planning numbers, not quotes.
First, make amenities part of the approved plan
Before choosing what to build, decide where it goes. Amenity plots, parks and open spaces should be marked in the layout plan approved by the relevant authority, whether that is the development authority, the provincial housing scheme rules or the scheme's own regulator, as in DHA. Changing a plot's use after buyers have purchased around it is slow, contested and bad for trust.
- Reserve amenity land early, and clustered. Sports facilities that share parking, lighting, washrooms and a café cost less to build and earn more.
- Keep noisy, floodlit facilities (padel, futsal, karting) away from the quietest residential edges.
- Confirm that your marketing material matches the approved plan. Do not advertise a facility you have no approved land for.
Large schemes such as DHA and Bahria Town have long used clubs, sports facilities and landscaped parks as part of their pitch. The lesson for smaller private schemes is that buyers recognise a planned community from the amenities that are actually built and used. Renders alone do not do that.
The ranked amenities list
1. Landscaped park with a jogging and walking track
Cost: roughly PKR 20–80 million per acre, depending on irrigation, trees, lighting and paving. Land: 1–5 acres, spread across the scheme. Impact: this is the cheapest way to make the project look finished and lived-in. Plots facing a maintained park usually sell faster and at a premium. Phase: 1. Build it before the sales push, not after.
2. Certified children's play area
Cost: PKR 4–15 million for 500–1,000 sq m with safety surfacing, shade and quality equipment. Land: 500–1,000 sq m per cluster. Impact: families make the buying decision, and a safe, shaded playground is what they look for on a site visit. Insist on impact-rated surfacing and equipment that meets recognised safety standards. Cheap painted steel fades and fails within a season. Phase: 1.
3. Multi-sport ground (futsal, basketball, cricket nets)
Cost: PKR 6–15 million per ground with synthetic turf, fencing and lighting. Land: about 600–1,000 sq m per futsal-size ground. Impact: constant evening use, and it can be run on a booking-fee model by an operator or the society. Phase: 1 or early 2.
4. Padel courts
Cost: roughly PKR 8–18 million per court installed, covering civil base, imported glass and structure, turf, lighting and fencing. Roofing, if added, costs extra. Land: about 250–300 sq m per court including circulation, so a four-court block needs roughly 1,200 sq m. Impact: this is the best direct revenue per square metre on the list. Peak-hour bookings in major cities have commonly been in the PKR 3,000–8,000 per court-hour range, but your catchment decides what is realistic, so model it conservatively. It is also a strong marketing symbol for a modern scheme. Phase: 1 for two to four courts, with space reserved for expansion. See our guide to padel court construction in Pakistan for specification detail.
5. Community clubhouse with gym, pool and function space
Cost: PKR 150–500 million and up, depending on size and finish. Land: 1–3 acres. Impact: this is the anchor of the community and it supports membership income, but it carries real operating costs. A clubhouse that opens half-finished or is badly run hurts the brand more than having none. Phase: 2, triggered by sales and possession milestones. Build the civil shell and swimming pool to a realistic standard, and fit out in stages.
6. Family entertainment centre or trampoline park
Cost: PKR 40–150 million for roughly 8,000–20,000 sq ft, depending on trampolines, soft play, arcade and café. Impact: it drives repeat footfall for the scheme's commercial area and raises rents and occupancy for adjacent retail. Best leased or run through a revenue-share with an experienced operator. Phase: 2, inside the commercial or town-centre zone.
7. Adventure park: ropes course, zipline, climbing wall
Cost: PKR 10–60 million depending on scale. Land: 0.5–3 acres, with trees or terrain features helping. Impact: a weekend destination that brings outside visitors to see the scheme. It requires certified equipment, trained staff and regular inspection, so insist on documented safety compliance from your contractor. Phase: 2–3.
8. Go-kart track
Cost: PKR 30–120 million including track surfacing, barriers, karts, pit area and timing. Land: 0.5–2 acres. Impact: strong income per visitor, but noisy, so it needs distance from homes. Phase: 3, or earlier if you have a commercial corridor with buffer land.
9. Water park or lake-front attraction
Cost: from roughly PKR 300 million upwards. Land: 5–15 acres. Impact: a city-level destination that can redefine a scheme, but it demands heavy capital, water treatment and seasonal planning. Phase: 3, and only for large, well-funded masterplans.
A phasing plan that protects cash
- Phase 1 (pre-launch to first sales): park and track, playground, one multi-sport ground, two to four padel courts. A package of this kind typically costs PKR 60–200 million. Padel and playground installations can take 8–14 weeks once approvals and imported materials are in hand.
- Phase 2 (as sales and possession build): clubhouse, FEC or trampoline park, more padel courts, a smaller adventure zone. Time it to occupancy, not to a calendar.
- Phase 3 (maturity): go-karting, large adventure parks, a water park or lake-front, sold to the market as destinations.
Revenue and resale: what to promise and what not to
We do not quote a fixed price uplift from amenities, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What we do see is faster sell-through on plots near finished facilities, better resale confidence, and extra income when facilities are run well. Treat recreation as three things: a sales tool, a retail footfall driver and, for some assets, a business with its own accounts. Decide for each facility whether the society owns it, leases it, or shares revenue with an operator. Include maintenance and replacement budgets (turf, glass, surfacing, ride inspections) in your model. Untended amenities are the quickest way to lose buyer goodwill.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Advertising amenities that are not in the approved layout.
- Spreading small facilities everywhere instead of building a few well-run clusters.
- Choosing the cheapest imported system with no local spares or service plan.
- Putting noisy facilities beside residential plots.
- Skipping a handover plan: who operates, who pays for electricity, who maintains?
Plan it with a builder who delivers it
Funventure has designed, built, imported and installed leisure infrastructure across Pakistan since 2003. We can look at your approved layout, recommend what to build in each phase, and give you a costed plan you can take to your board or your buyers. Book a free site assessment or call with our team and we will map your land, budget and sales timeline to a practical amenities plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What amenities should every housing society in Pakistan have?
At minimum: landscaped parks with a jogging track, a certified children's play area, a multi-sport ground, and a clubhouse plan. Padel courts are now the fastest-moving add-on for new schemes. Funventure designs and builds all of these as a phased package.
How much does it cost to add leisure amenities to a housing scheme?
A credible launch-phase package (park, playground, multi-sport ground and two to four padel courts) typically falls between PKR 60 million and PKR 200 million, depending on scale, imports and landscaping. A full clubhouse or family entertainment centre adds PKR 150 million and upwards. Funventure can price your layout after a site assessment.
Which amenity gives developers the best return?
Parks and walking tracks give the broadest appeal for the least cost, and padel courts give the best direct operating revenue per square metre. Together they usually form the strongest launch-phase pair. Funventure typically recommends starting with these two.
Do leisure amenities need to be in the approved layout plan?
Yes. Amenity and open-space allocations should be shown in the layout plan approved by the relevant authority (the development authority, or the scheme's own regulator, such as DHA's). Buyers and their lawyers increasingly check this. Funventure plans amenity zones with this in mind, so what you market is what you are approved to build.
When in the project should amenities be built?
Build the visible, low-cost amenities before or at launch, add revenue-generating facilities as plots sell and possession begins, and keep destination attractions for later phases. Building everything on day one ties up capital, while building nothing weakens sales. Funventure helps developers set this sequence.