With PWA’s involvement in array of sports-led developments, Dan Hughes, planning director at PWA Planning, explores how applicants can evidence the community benefits of new sports facilities as part of a planning application.
PWA has worked on a variety of sports developments, from new stadiums and training ground facilities to new MUGA pitches for schools and local communities.
Often the critical starting point is demonstrating a need for the facility being proposed, particularly if some form of sporting facility is being lost.
What’s the planning policy for community sports pitches and facilities?
National planning policy allows the loss of existing facilities in the following set of circumstances:
- An assessment has been undertaken which has clearly shown the open space, buildings, or land to be surplus to requirements; or
- The loss resulting from the proposed development would be replaced by equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality in a suitable location; or
- The development is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the benefits of which clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.
Local authorities are required to complete Playing Pitch Strategies on a regular basis, and these often form the basis of demonstrating compliance with the above circumstances. Part C requires the benefits of the proposed development, particularly from a community perspective to be considered in the planning balance.
In this respect, sporting clubs wanting to develop new sports facilities are often required to prove how the new facilities will offer wider community benefits in addition to the commercial and operational benefits they will offer the club.
This is particularly the case where a proposed development is replacing existing sports pitches or facilities, the loss of which might require consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and statutory consultees*.
Having gained significant experience in advising sporting clubs and developers on planning applications for new sports facilities, below I share some guidance on getting it right.
Conduct a Sporting Need Assessment
A sporting need assessment can help applicants to prove a demand or deficiency in current sports facilities in a particular area.
Local authority strategies, such as playing pitch strategies, and other publicly available data on participation, facility use, and participation waiting lists may be used to support your application.
We have conducted sporting need assessments for a number of applicants which has also helped proposals become aligned with planning policy. These documents often involved input from other specialists, who advise on specific requirements as needed.
Engage with the local community
It’s possible to evidence the wider community benefits of your proposed scheme by gathering support and identifying local need directly from local residents and stakeholders.
For example, this could be done through public consultation events and online surveys. It may be possible to collaborate with other local clubs, schools, youth groups, and community organisations who may be willing to provide letters of support for your scheme.
Often when proposals are thought through by sports clubs, a lot of this ground work has already been undertaken by the applicant, and it can often be the case of documenting the evidence in the correct way to support a successful planning application, rather than starting consultation with sports clubs and the community from scratch.
Not only can the feedback be used to show how it influenced the design of your proposed facilities, it can help you start a conversation around proposed usage terms with local clubs and groups, for example for sporting sessions, fitness classes, youth groups and community meetings.
Quantify the societal impact of your sports facilities
Quantifying the social, health, economic, and environmental benefits of your proposed development can strengthen your case. For example, will your sporting facilities lead to better physical and mental health outcomes?
Will they help to reduce anti-social behaviour and foster better community cohesion? Will the development create jobs and increase local spending? How will the proposed scheme lead to biodiversity gain or other environmental improvements?
Showing how you intend to monitor and evaluate this impact when the facilities become operational can help to assure planning authorities of your intention to provide long-term value and accountability.
Align with planning policy
Early engagement with local stakeholders like planning authorities, schools and health bodies, can help to demonstrate your proposed scheme’s alignment with local priorities and needs.
As planning experts with strong experience in the sports and leisure sector, we can advise you on demonstrating the need for your proposed scheme. We can also ensure it aligns with national and local planning objectives, for example complying with National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), local plans and neighbourhood plans.
The sporting need is only one part of the planning consideration of gaining a planning consent for a sports-led development. PWA are familiar with the other technical requirements, working alongside specialists also familiar with the requirements and technical specifics that such developments pose.
If you require more information on demonstrating the community benefits of a sports and leisure development, or in taking forward a planning application, please contact our team on 01772 369 669.
*The government has recently confirmed proposals to remove Sport England as a statutory consultee on development schemes affecting the use or potential loss of playing fields and sporting facilities.
