1.  INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  1.1  Sport England is the country's leading strategic sports development agency, accountable to Parliament through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, (DCMS). Our mission is to foster a healthier, more successful nation through increased involvement in sport and active recreation.

  1.2  We are responsible for distributing c£200 million per year to sporting causes, the vast majority of which goes to community facilities.

  1.3  Our society is currently designed for ill-health. The provision of open space and recreational facilities in many areas is poor. We are aware that the Downing Street Strategy Unit report into sport, close to completion, is likely to conclude that physical inactivity costs the nation £2 billion each year. The Deputy Prime Minister's proposals for house building provide an opportunity to correct this and enable sport and recreation to make their undoubted contribution to society in policy areas such as health, education, quality of life, tackling crime and social inclusion.

  1.4  The planning system has an important role to play in ensuring that the importance of open space as well as sport and recreation facilities is reflected in new developments. If we are to encourage healthier lifestyles we need to design and build healthy communities. The alternative will be unsustainable new developments that do not reflect the sporting or recreational needs of their populations and therefore further bias our society towards inactivity. If this is the case, the Government's objectives for the health of our nation will not be met[5].

  1.5  Sport England welcomes the Committee on the ODPM's inquiry into planning for sustainable housing and communities. We look forward to using our experience of working across government as part of the Urban Green Spaces Taskforce,[6] and as advisors to ODPM on Planning Policy Guidance Note 17 (PPG17)[7], to contribute to this important area of policy debate. We also look forward to applying our experience as statutory consultee on development on playing fields.

2.  THE ROLE OF OPEN SPACE, SPORT AND RECREATION IN CREATING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

  2.1  The importance of well planned and designed open space, sport and recreation facilities and activities in contributing to sustainable communities, is well documented.

  2.2  In 1999 the Urban Task Force concluded that in order to achieve sustainable communities, higher priority must be given to the public realm. It recommended that urban local authorities should seek to create networks of accessible green space within towns[8]. The Government progressed this thinking in the subsequent Urban White Paper, which set out to stem the loss and decline of open spaces and to improve their quality[9].

  2.3  In May 2002 the Urban Green Spaces Taskforce, of which Sport England was a member, reported on the continued threat to green spaces, from development pressure and through lack of expertise and funding for their continued maintenance. The Taskforce stressed the value of green spaces in improving quality of life of communities and sought a more joined up, well funded approach to their development and management. The Government's response to the Taskforce report is currently awaited.

  2.4  Most recently, in July 2002 the Government set out the benefits of well designed open space, sport and recreation facilities in Planning Policy Guidance Note 17, following an Urban Affairs sub-committee inquiry into the issue. PPG17 states that: "open spaces, sport and recreation all underpin people's quality of life" and describes how these facilities can support urban renaissance and rural renewal; promote social inclusion and community cohesion, health and well being and sustainable development.

3.  CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES ON OUTDOOR AND INDOOR SPORTS AND RECREATION FACILITIES

  3.1  Sport and recreation facilities are currently under threat from development. The Government has recognised this and sought to strengthen their protection in the recently published PPG 17. However, increasing demands on local authorities to find more land for housing, especially within urban areas, is likely to further increase pressure on sport and recreation facilities, particularly playing fields. Although we welcome the revised PPG 17, it will only be effective if the importance of sport, recreation and open space is also reflected in housing policy.

"Over the last few decades a lot of open space within urban areas has been lost to encroaching development and too much of what is left has been neglected and poorly maintained"—Our towns and cities: the future (2000) p74

  3.2  The loss of playing fields has attained a high media profile, due to public concerns at the increasing number of public, private, community and school playing fields being sold for redevelopment, many for residential use. An independent study[10], recently commissioned by Sport England, has highlighted the need for further legislative changes, (for example, to protect smaller playing fields for junior games and to prevent land owners from circumventing the protection legislation by discontinuing site maintenance, boarding up sites and denying public access—[the five year rule].

  3.3  As a statutory consultee on planning applications involving the loss of playing fields[11], Sport England is working with Government Departments (ODPM, DfES, DCMS) to ensure that such legislation is put in place to adequately protect playing fields for use by future generations.

  3.4  Playing fields can play an important role in sustainable communities, both as a sporting facility and as an open space. It is essential that, in planning for new housing developments, the need to protect playing fields is recognised and they are not seen as a "soft target" for development.

  3.5  Other sport and recreational facilities have also been seen as easy targets for housing commitments. Sport England highlighted to government the practice of land owners seeking to demolish existing sports buildings and facilities on the expiration of club leases, with the aim of showing that there is no existing or potential use for sport on the site (the Thames Ditton case)[12]. As a result, the Government announced in September 2001 that it would be introducing legislation that would require the demolition of sports and recreation facilities to require planning permission and the introduction of this legislation is currently awaited.

  3.6  Sport England urges the Select Committee to pay full regard to the Government's commitment to protection of open space, sports and recreation facilities in its consideration of planning for sustainable housing and communities.

4.  ASSESSING LOCAL NEEDS FOR OPEN SPACE, SPORT AND RECREATION

  4.1  The need to plan for future housing needs, based on forecasts of population and demographic trends, regionally and locally, has long been accepted.

  4.2  If we are to create truly sustainable communities, it is equally important to plan for the transport, education, employment and cultural needs of existing and new residential communities, including sport and recreation needs. In particular, the significant growth areas for housing designated over the next 20 years must be assessed to ensure that they are adequately provided for in terms of new open space, sport and recreation facilities.

  4.3  PPG 17 states that "local authorities should undertake robust assessments of the existing and future needs of their local communities for open space, sports and recreational facilities". The accompanying Good Practice Guide Assessing Needs and Opportunities[13] gives examples as to how local authorities can carry out such assessments and use this information to help prioritise future investment. Sport England officers are able to offer advice and guidance in this area. For example, Sport England has been working with both Swindon and Milton Keynes, using our Facilities Planning Model (FPM)[14] to look at the sports hall and swimming pool requirements of the proposed expansion of these towns over the next 20 years. In Milton Keynes, working with Milton Keynes Borough Council and English Partnerships (EP), we have looked at various sites for new sports provision for the population in 2011. We are also working with EP in applying the FPM to other proposed new town expansions across the country. Sport England has also recently revised its guidance on undertaking local playing pitch strategies[15].

  4.4  It is vitally important that the sports and recreation needs of residential communities are accurately assessed. Under provision will lead to lack of affordable opportunity for residents to participate in sport and recreation activities, whilst over provision can result in financial and other difficulties in sustaining activities and facilities and their resultant decline.

5.  PLANNING AND DESIGNING SPORTS PROVISION AS PART OF NEW RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES

  5.1  Following the Urban Affairs sub-committee's recommendation, the new PPG17 advocates that in planning for open space, sport and recreation, local authorities should consider not just the quantity of provision, but also its quality and accessibility, which are equally vital in the creation of sustainable communities.

  5.2  Unfortunately, many new housing developments in recent years have provided inadequately for open space, sport and recreation. SLOAP (space left over after planning) is often put forward by developers for open space and recreation use. Such areas are often poorly located and designed, difficult to manage and maintain and of no practical use to residents. As a result they soon become eyesores, rather than community assets. Sport England is working with local authorities in South Hams and Ashford to ensure that the new settlements proposed in these areas are properly planned to avoid this.

  5.3  We urge the Select Committee to recommend that new open space, sports and recreation facilities are planned as part of new residential communities, rather than included as an afterthought. Sport England can provide advice and guidance on location of new facilities, (using the FPM and Playing Pitch Methodology for example) and on their detailed design (using our technical guidance notes).

  5.4  The Deputy Prime Minister is committed to increasing the density of development. As development densities increase in urban areas and on brownfield sites, it is sometimes necessary to consider changing the nature in which we provide for open space, sport and recreation. This may include provision of facilities that are capable of more intensive use than their traditional counterparts, for example, the use of floodlit synthetic turf pitches and multi use games areas, instead of grass pitches. Sport England is able to provide technical advice on the merits and suitability of different options for different sporting activities.

  5.5  Sustainable developments should encourage efficient use of land and built assets. Sport England encourages dual use of school sites, (for educational and community use), for sport, particularly through its NOF funded Space for Sports and the Arts programme (SSA). This approach works both in densely populated urban areas where land for sports halls and playing fields is in short supply, and in sparsely populated rural areas, where dual use facilities can be a focus for a whole range of local activities and where concentration of activities on one site can assist public transport access, through integration with local bus routes. Community use of school sites should therefore be encouraged in new residential developments.

6.  FUNDING NEW AND IMPROVED SPORTS PROVISION THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

  6.1  New developments place an additional strain on existing amenities, including sporting and recreational facilities. Planning agreements under s106 of the Town and Country Planning Act[16] enable local authorities to seek community benefits to offset the impact of new development, including housing development. These can cover various community benefits, including the open space, sport and recreation requirements attributable to new developments.

  6.2  Unfortunately, to date, open space, sport and recreation have often been low in the pecking order, when local authorities secure contributions from developers. Where contributions have been required, the Urban Green Spaces Task Force noted that often these have been in the form of initial capital outlay to develop a facility, rather than contributions to on-going maintenance, and this has resulted in additional strains on local authority leisure budgets and brought into question the sustainability of such facilities. Relatively few local authorities have negotiated planning agreements aimed at improving existing open space, sport and recreation facilities, (by securing investment in existing facilities off site, but within the catchment area of a proposed development). Similarly, few local authorities have negotiated commuted maintenance sums or endowments to ensure an ongoing revenue stream so that the quality of new facilities can be maintained.

  6.3  However, there are some examples of good practice by local authorities securing benefits for sport, open space and recreation through the development process. Where examples of good practice are evident, Sport England aims to spread these via its web site to inform other authorities and encourage shared learning.

  6.4  In 2001 Sport England published Providing for sport and recreation through new housing development. This guide is aimed at helping local authorities to secure benefits from the development process and, in doing so, to provide for the sporting needs of new communities. Associated with this, Sport England is commissioning a number of pilot projects. The first of these will assist South Hams District Council to develop an effective strategy for planning obligations from new housing in their district. The project will focus particularly on making proposals for a planning obligations framework for the rural areas of the district and on ensuring adequate sports provision within the planned new settlement at Sherford, near Plymouth (at least 2,500 new dwellings proposed by 2011). A further pilot project is currently being commissioned to look at Ashford in Kent.

  6.5  Sport England requests that the Select Committee endorses this approach and recognises the need for new housing development to take account of open space, sport and recreation requirements.

7.  PLANNING FOR SPORT AND RECREATION: DESIGNING A SAFER, HEALTHIER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE NATION

  7.1  Sport and recreation is an important part of our society.

People enjoy it:

  In the past four weeks, more than 20 million adults have participated in sport. It enhances the quality of life for millions of people, through the pleasure of playing, the joy of learning, and the entertainment of watching.

It's good for them.

  30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity at least five days each week can deliver significant health benefits such as reducing by half the likelihood of developing Coronary Heart Disease

For children.

  Evidence from OFSTED shows that schools which take sport seriously generate faster-than-average improvements in academic results.

For society.

  In 1999 the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee recognised that "exercise and participation in sport help to combat social exclusion".

And for the economy.

  More than 415,000 people are directly employed in the sports industry in the UK.

  7.2  Without adequate facilities, sport and recreation is unable to fulfil any of these roles. Planning for sustainable communities must involve planning for sport—both through the protection of existing facilities and the development of new ones.

  7.3  Sport England urges the Select Committee to recognise the importance of sport, recreation and open space when addressing planning guidance for sustainable housing and communities.

6   Green Spaces, Better Places: Final report of the Urban Green Spaces Taskforce: DTLR, May 2002. Back

7   Planning Policy Guidance Note 17 (PPG17): ODPM, July 2002. Back

8   Report of the Urban Taskforce: Towards an Urban Renaissance, 1999. Back

9   Urban White Paper: Our Towns and Cities, the Future, 2000. Back

10   Arup Economics & Planning (2002) Evaluation of Sport England's role as a statutory consultee (unpub). Back

11   SI 1817 Town & Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Amendment) Order 1996. Back

12   In the Thames Ditton case the landowners had refused to renew the tenancy to the tennis club with the aim of repossessing the site and redeveloping for residential purposes. Though the landowners eventually lost on a technicality in court, the case showed that planning permission is not generally required for the demolition of various sports buildings. Back

13   ODPM (2002) Assessing Needs and Opportunities: A companion guide to PPG 17. Back

14   Sport England (1998) The Facilities Planning Model: a planning tool for developing sports facilities. Back

15   Sport England, NPFA, CCPR (2002) Towards a Level Playing Field, A guide for the production of a Playing Pitch Strategy. Back

16   Town & Country Planning Act 1990. Back