PLAYING PITCH STRATEGY: NEEDS ASSESSMENT SOUTH HAMS AND WEST DEVON FINAL REPORT JANUARY 2015 Neil Allen Associates Registered Office: 20 Brook Road, Lymm, Cheshire, WA13 9AH A limited company, registered in England and Wales no. 6165280 Contents Page 1 Introduction 1 2 Context 8 3 Football 27 4 Cricket 97 5 Rugby 135 6 Hockey and AGPs 159 7A Key Findings & Issues by Pitch Sport 181 7B Key Findings & Issues by Sub Area 194 Appendices 208 1 Facilities Planning Model for South Hams 208 2 Programming of AGPs in South Hams and West Devon 213 3 Possible Provision/Locations of AGPs in Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon 217 1. Introduction 1.1 South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council commissioned naa to undertake a joint Playing Pitch Assessment and Strategy for their two authorities in June 2014. This process was to be linked with, and follow on from, the Playing Pitch Strategy Assessment which naa was currently producing for Plymouth City Council. It has been regarded as essential that both strategies address cross boundary issues and displaced demand between the different authorities. 1.2 South Hams and West Devon Councils are committed to producing a new Playing Pitch Strategy in order to ascertain the current availability of all sports pitches and related facilities across both areas and the requirements for the future. The quality of playing pitches and the level of community access will also be assessed. Once identified, these factors will enable both Councils to identify and plan improvements as well as prioritise any investment. This information will also be used to inform development within each area through the local planning process. 1.3 For South Hams, the PPS will replace the previous one which has only expired recently. This was part of the Devon County Council commission for the ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme. 1.4 For West Devon, the PPS will replace outdated plans going back to the 2003 Playing Pitch Strategy and the 2007 Open Space, Sport and Recreation Study. In the interim period, a Tavistock Playing Pitch Assessment was undertaken in September 2013 by belap (Bennett Leisure & Planning Ltd) and this has been incorporated into the main West Devon PPS. Vision and key objectives 1.5 These are linked to both Councils’ current strategic development plan – ‘Connect Strategy’ - which presents 4 key priorities and delivery plans. In particular the ‘Community Life Delivery Plan’ highlights healthy and active communities and the role and work of the Active South Hams and West Devon Partnership Network. 1.6 Also the new emerging ‘Our Plan’ for both Councils includes key themes such as; • ensuring adequate access to recreation and open spaces; • enabling healthy and active lifestyles; and • improving the overall health, wellbeing and resilience of our communities. 1.7 The Vision is: ‘For South Hams and West Devon to have an appropriate range of grass and artificial playing pitches to meet current and projected future need, which are capable of enabling greater participation and better standards of play in the pitch sports and which are able to be maintained to a high standard and are sustainable in the long term.‘ 1.8 Key aims are: • to protect and improve existing playing pitches and address the shortfall in quantity and quality; Sout South Hams and West Devon Playing Pitch Strategy: Needs Assessment1 • to identify areas in need of new or improved ancillary facilities; and • to help direct investment to where improvements can have the greatest impact. 1.9 Key objectives are to: • provide a robust evidence base that can be used by both Councils and its partners / stakeholders to inform a wide range of projects; • gather all available supply and demand data from a range of sources for all sports covered by this Playing Pitch Strategy; • assess the quality of all sites and pitches across both areas; • engage with Sport England and relevant NGBs throughout the production of this strategy in addition to other key partners such as SH and WD Natural Environment and Recreation Team, the Planning Unit, Town / Parish Councils, local Colleges / Academies and local key community organisations such as Tone Leisure / South Hams and Okehampton Community Recreation Association (OCRA); • compile a comprehensive database of the location and quality of all playing pitches; • assess whether there is sufficient pitch capacity to accommodate all elements of current and future demand; • identify the nature and location of any overuse, unmet demand and spare capacity for play across all pitch types and sports; • highlight the key issues around pitch provision and participation that need to be addressed; • establish clear, prioritised, specific and achievable site-specific recommendations and actions to address the key issues around pitch provision and participation; • ensure the strategy is kept robust and up to date; • provide a robust evidence base to inform each Council’s Local Plan and support the development of planning policy in relation to sports pitch provision and quality standards; and • the strategy will identify the main characteristics of the current supply and demand in South Hams / West Devon in order to underpin which sites are protected and enhanced and where new pitch provision is identified. 1.10 A steering group comprising officers from planning policy, development management, estates management and countryside from each authority and representatives from Leisure, Active Devon, Sport England, Devon FA, the FA, the ECB, the RFU and England Hockey was established in June 2014. See below. South H South Hams and West Devon Playing Pitch Strategy: Needs Assessment2 Name Position/Representing Ross Kennerley West Devon Borough Council Jon Parkinson South Hams District Council Phil Baker South Hams District Council Gary Parsons Sport England Jill Borrow Active Devon (til September 2014) Lee Rider Football Association Chris French Devon Football Association Tim Nicholls England Cricket Board Matt Theedom Devon Cricket Board John Bendle Rugby Football Union Barbara Reynolds England Hockey Stuart Lord OCRA John Coates South Hams Local Sports Council Daniel Janota Dartmoor National Park Authority 1st meeting of PPS Working 29 th May 2014 To principally consider Step Group 1, and progress with Steps 2 & 3 (Stage B) Meeting with Officers 17 th September 2014 To principally consider Steps 2 & 3 (Stage B)and progress with Step 4 (Stage C) September 2014 Check & Challenge of Steps 2 and 3 by NGBs 2nd meeting of PPS Working 4th November 2014 To principally consider Steps Group 4, 5 & 6 (Stage C) and progress towards Step 7 (Stage D) Period of Working Group 28 th November – 11th Sent to Working Party on Consultation for Draft December 2014 28 th November, in advance Playing Pitch Strategy of meeting on 11 th December 2015 Meeting of FAOfficers and 6th January 2015 To review Action Guide and South Hams/West Devon report back on Officers amendments to Strategy draft following meeting mid December Consultation on PPS Draft February/March 2015 Consultation Draft of Strategy Strategy – will form part of Supplementary Guidance for Local Plan South H South Hams and West Devon Playing Pitch Strategy: Needs Assessment3 1.11 The new PPS will look 17 years forward and link in with South Hams and West Devon ‘Our Plan’ which details future planning requirements until 2031. Once complete, the PPS will be reviewed annually by way of consultation with the steering group. An in depth review and audit will take place every 3-5 years. 1.12 This document is the evidence based assessment report and is set out as follows; • Section 1 – Introduction, • Section 2 - Strategic Context, Population and Participation • Section 3 – Football • Section 4 – Cricket • Section 5 – Rugby • Section 6– Hockey and AGPs • Section 7 - Key Findings and Issues by Sub Area The Playing Pitch Methodology 1.13 This section summarises the methodology that has been used in the development of the assessment and strategy. The assessment has been produced in line with guidance by Sport England (Playing Pitch Guidance, An approach to Developing and Delivering a Playing Pitch Strategy) 2013. 1.14 Figure 1 summarises the ten stages of this methodology. South H South Hams and West Devon Playing Pitch Strategy: Needs Assessment4 Figure 1: Developing and Delivering a Playing Pitch Strategy – The 10 Step Approach 10. Keep the 1. Prepare & tailor the strategy robust approach 9. Apply & 2. Gather deliver the supply strategy information Developing and Delivering a Playing Pitch Strategy 8. Write & 3. Gather adopt the The 10 Step Approach demand strategy information 7. Develop the 4. Understand the recommendations situation at & action plan individual sites 6. Identify the 5. Develop the key findings current & future & issues pictures of provision 1.15 Stage 1 is concerned with agreeing the brief and setting up the Steering Group. 1.16 With regard to Steps 2 and 3, the salient points are: Stage 2: Steps 2 and 3 – Gather Supply and Demand Information and Views 1.17 The data collection process on the supply side included a full audit of pitches across South Hams and West Devon. For each site, the following information was collected; • Site name, location, ownership and management type • Number and type of pitches • Accessibility of pitches to the community South H South Hams and West Devon Playing Pitch Strategy: Needs Assessment5 • Overall quality of pitches and ancillary facilities (including maintenance regimes) • Level of protection and security of tenure • Views of users and providers. 1.18 To evaluate the demand for playing pitches in South Hams and Wes Devon, the following information was collated; • Number of sports clubs and teams and their match and training requirements • Casual and other demand • Educational demand • Displaced demand (i.e. teams wishing to play within their home authority but unable to) • Latent demand • Future demand (including club and team aspirations for development as well as National Governing Body priorities and targets) • User views and experiences, including trends and changes in demand.