LANCASTER PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORT STRATEGY STRATEGY & ACTION PLAN DECEMBER 2018 QUALITY, INTEGRITY, PROFESSIONALISM Knight, Kavanagh & Page Ltd Company No: 9145032 (England) MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS Registered Office: 1 -2 Frecheville Court, off Knowsley Street, Bury BL9 0UF T: 0161 764 7040 E: [email protected] www.kkp.co.uk LANCASTER PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORT STRATEGY STRATEGY & ACTION PLAN CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................. 1 PART 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 2 PART 2: VISION ............................................................................................................. 16 PART 3: AIMS ................................................................................................................ 17 PART 4: SPORT SPECIFIC ISSUES SCENARIOS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......... 18 PART 5: STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................... 47 PART 6: ACTION PLAN ................................................................................................. 64 PART 7: HOUSING GROWTH SCENARIOS ................................................................ 101 PART 8: DELIVER THE STRATEGY AND KEEP IT ROBUST AND UP TO DATE ....... 105 APPENDIX ONE: INCREASING FOOTBALL USE OF 3G PITCHES ........................... 109 APPENDIX TWO: SPORTING CONTEXT .................................................................... 113 APPENDIX THREE: FUNDING PLAN .......................................................................... 125 APPENDIX FOUR: GLOSSARY ................................................................................... 130 LANCASTER PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORT STRATEGY STRATEGY & ACTION PLAN ABBREVIATIONS 3G Third Generation (artificial turf) AGP Artificial Grass Pitch CFA County Football Association ECB England and Wales Cricket Board EH England Hockey ET England Touch FA Football Association FC Football club FE Further Education FF Football Foundation FIT Fields in Trust FPM Facilities Planning Model GIS Geographical Information Systems HE Higher Education KKP Knight, Kavanagh and Page LCC Lancaster City Council LCFA Lancashire County Football Association LCF Lancashire Cricket Foundation MES Match equivalent session NGB National Governing Body NPPF National Planning Policy Framework NTP Non-turf pitch PPOSS Playing Pitch & Outdoor Sports Strategy RFL Rugby Football League RFU Rugby Football Union RUFC Rugby union football club S106 Section 106 TGR Team generation rate WR World Rugby December 2018 Knight Kavanagh & Page 1 LANCASTER PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORT STRATEGY STRATEGY & ACTION PLAN PART 1: INTRODUCTION This is the Playing Pitch & Outdoor Sport Strategy (PPOSS) for Lancaster City Council (LCC) and its partners. Building upon the preceding Assessment Report it provides a clear, strategic framework for the maintenance and improvement of existing outdoor sports pitches and ancillary facilities between 2018 and 2031. This will align with the emerging Lancaster District Open Space Strategy, particularly in relation to playing fields. A Steering Group has led and will continue to lead the PPOSS to ensure the delivery and implementation of its recommendations and actions. It is made up of representatives from the Council, Sport England and National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs). The following types of pitch sports and outdoor sports facilities were agreed by the steering group for inclusion in the Assessment and Strategy. Pitch sports: Football pitches Rugby union pitches Rugby league pitches Cricket pitches Third generation artificial grass (3G) pitches Artificial grass pitches (including use for hockey) Lacrosse American football Gaelic sports (not played within Lancaster District) Ultimate (Frisbee) Pitch sports have been assessed using the guidance set out in Sport England’s Playing Pitch Strategy Guidance: An approach to developing and delivering a playing pitch strategy (2013). Outdoor sports: Outdoor bowling greens Outdoor tennis courts Athletics tracks Outdoor netball courts Outdoor sports have been assessed using Sport England’s Assessing Needs and Opportunities Guidance (2014). Non-pitch outdoor sports require a different methodology to assess demand and supply to that used for pitch sports. A Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sport Strategy will provide the evidence required to help protect playing fields and outdoor sports facilities to ensure sufficient land is available to meet existing and projected future pitch requirements. Planning policy and other relevant sport related corporate strategies must be based upon a robust evidence base in order to ensure planning, local policies and sport development criteria can be implemented efficiently and effectively. The strategy is capable of the following in Lancaster District: Providing a clear framework for all playing pitch providers, including the public, private and third sectors; Clearly addressing the needs of all identified sports within the local area, picking up particular local demand issues; Addressing issues of population growth, and or major growth/regeneration areas; December 2018 Knight Kavanagh & Page 2 LANCASTER PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORT STRATEGY STRATEGY & ACTION PLAN Addressing issues of cross boundary facility provision; Addressing issues of accessibility, quality and management with regard to facility provision; Standing up to scrutiny at a public inquiry as a robust study; Providing realistic aspirations which are implementable within the local authority’s budgetary position and procurement regime. The partner organisations have a vested interest in ensuring existing playing fields, pitches and ancillary facilities can be protected and enhanced. Many of the objectives and actions will need to be delivered and implemented by sports organisations and education establishments in addition to the Council. Strategy structure The Strategy has been developed as a result of the research and analysis of playing pitch and outdoor sport provision and usage within Lancaster District to provide: A vision for the future improvement and prioritisation of outdoor sports facilities. A number of aims to help deliver the recommendations and actions. A series of sport by sport recommendations which provide a strategic framework for sport led improvements to provision A range of sport by sport and local authority wide scenarios to help inform policy recommendations and prioritisation of actions. A series of strategic recommendations which provide a strategic framework for the improvement, maintenance, development and, as appropriate, rationalisation of provision. A prioritised area-by-area action plan to address key issues. The Strategy and Action Plan recommends a number of priority projects across Lancaster District which should be implemented over the Local Plan period. It provides a framework for improvement and, although resources may not currently be in place to implement it, potential partners and possible sources of external funding may come forward in the future (see Appendix Four: Funding Plan1). Monitoring and updating It is important to ensure there is regular annual monitoring and review of the actions identified in the Strategy. This monitoring should be led by the Council and supported by the Steering Group. As a guide, if no review and subsequent update has been carried out within three years of the PPOSS being signed off by the Steering Group, then Sport England and the NGBs would consider the PPOSS; and the information on which it is based, to be out of date. If the PPS is used as a ‘live’ document, and kept up to date, the time frame can be extended to five years. The PPOSS should be reviewed on an annual basis from the date it is formally signed off by the Steering Group. This will help to maintain the momentum and commitment built up when developing the PPOSS. Taking into account the time spent developing the PPS this should also help to ensure that the original supply and demand information is no more than two years old without being reviewed. Part 8 of this strategy report contains a suggested process for undertaking the update and monitoring. The Steering Group will need to agree the process prior to the adoption of this strategy. 1 Please note that Sport England funding streams will be subject to change throughout 2017/18 December 2018 Knight Kavanagh & Page 3 LANCASTER PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORT STRATEGY STRATEGY & ACTION PLAN Study area Lancaster District is bordered to the south east by Ribble Valley and to the south west by the Fylde Coast authority of Wyre. It forms part of the Lancashire County boundary with Yorkshire, bordering Craven to the East. To the north the District borders the more rural authority of South Lakeland, whilst to the w lies the West coast of England and the Irish Sea. The strategy covers the entire area of Lancaster District; however, the data gathered has been presented in such a way as to be further analysed by smaller Analysis Areas. There are also a number of sports teams from outside the specified area that use pitches within Lancaster District and sports teams from inside Lancaster District that use facilities outside of the area. This cross- boundary movement has been taken into consideration when producing this assessment report. Lancaster District has been divided into three analysis areas as follows (with resident population2):