Infrastructure

Sport England is a statutory consultee in the planning process. Our role seeks to protect playing field land and existing sports facilities as well as provide opportunities to create new sports provision and improvements to existing provision in the right places to meet current and future generations needs.

It will be important that consideration is given to the provision of sport and recreation provision as key social and community infrastructure. This will ensure that the existing and new communities have access to a range of high quality sport and recreation provision which enables the existing and new population to lead healthy and active lifestyles.

Sport England notes and welcomes the fact that the council has in recent years undertaken a Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) to assess their current and future needs for outdoor sport/pitches. Sport England is aware that the PPS is 4 years old and the council is actively considering undertaking a refresh and update of the study. Sport England is supportive of this intention subject to agreeing the scope and terms of the update/refresh.

Further, Sport England in conjunction with Public Health England (as it was) have co-produced our Active Design Guidance which establishes a set of principles for planning and designing places and spaces which encourages communities to lead healthy and active lifestyles. Sport England strongly commends the guidance which can be found here: https://www.sportengland.org/guidance-and-support/facilities-and-planning/design-and-cost-guidance/active-design.