Sport, Recreation and Leisure Facilities

Sport, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Proposals for residential development will support an increase in or enhancement to sport, recreation and leisure facilities to meet the needs of its residents. The specific local needs for sports and leisure will be assessed on a case-by-case basis depending on the type of development, the location of the site in relation to existing facilities and the capacity of existing facilities. Evidence of this will be available within the Playing Pitch Strategy, and Built Facilities Strategy. A. Existing Facilities Development proposals that would result in the loss of sport and leisure, will be resisted unless: 1. An alternative can be provided that is at least equivalent in terms of size, quality, accessibility, usefulness and attractiveness, and a management plan is submitted to ensure the future viability of the provision, or 2. An assessment has been undertaken which has clearly shown the facility, to be surplus to requirements; or 3. The proposal is of sufficient benefit to clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use 4. It does not make a valuable contribution to the amenity and character of the area. Proposals for the extension or redevelopment of existing, sports, recreation and leisure facilities to expand and/or diversify the existing use will be supported as will improvements to the quality and/or accessibility of existing provision. B. Provision of New Facilities New facilities will: 1. Be delivered in accordance with the relevant standards of the sporting facility being delivered to ensure longevity and prolonged use. 2. Be accessible to all users with public transport and active travel links to existing and/or new settlements. 3. Ensure climate adaptation and mitigation measures are in line with policies set out in Chapter 6 and incorporate green and blue infrastructure in line with policy ID.13 C. Major Development Major development will be expected to contribute towards the provision of Sport and Leisure facilities (both indoor and outdoor provision) to ensure there are sufficient accessible and adequate facilities to meet the needs of the population. Where developments are of a suitable scale, provision will be made on site. Where provision cannot be made on site financial contributions towards off-site provision or improving the quality, quantity and/or accessibility of existing facilities will be required. The contribution will be calculated using Sport England’s Playing Pitch and Sport Facility Calculators, which estimates the demand that may be generated by a new development and its additional population. Policy ID.17 ~ Development Management Considerations The latest Playing Pitch Strategy and Built Facilities Strategy acts as the evidence to inform decision making relating to the provision and protection of sporting facilities within South Warwickshire. Sport England has developed tools for determining the impact of new development on the demand for sports facilities. These should be used to guide the investment required in facilities from new development. The calculators provide an estimation of the number and type of new pitches and built facilities that would be required to meet the demand generated by the new development. It also presents an estimate of the associated costs for providing these new facilities. Where the calculators do not create demand for a whole pitch/facility, which is often the case for smaller sized developments, it is recommended a contribution to increasing the capacity/ quality of an existing site is made to meet the demand generated from the development. Policy Justification 3.6.2 Open spaces and sport and recreation facilities offer multifunctional benefits. They have a positive impact on people’s quality of life, particularly in terms of their health and wellbeing. Paragraph 103 of the NPPF outlines the importance of good access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity for the health and wellbeing of communities. Paragraph 103 also stresses the importance of robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for sport and recreation facilities as well as the opportunities for new provision. 3.6.3 The aim of this policy is to ensure there are adequate sporting facilities to meet the needs of the area, and to ensure that development proposals contribute to meeting this need. The policy is also designed to provide strong protection for valuable open space, sport and recreation facilities; where proposed development would result in their loss, the policy will require appropriate compensation measures. Paragraph 104 of the NPPF makes clear that existing sport and recreational buildings and land should not be built on unless certain exceptions apply. Should the site be considered surplus to requirements the site should not simply be assessed based on the existing or previ