SOUTH NORFOLK COUNCIL PPG17 Open Spaces Indoor Sports and Community Recreation Assessment A Final Report By Strategic Leisure Limited September 2007 CONTENTS Page SECTION I - Introduction 01 SECTION II - Methodology 07 SECTION IIa Identifying Local Need 12 SECTION III - Auditing Local Provision 24 SECTION IV - Set Provision Standards 76 SECTION V - Apply Provision Standards 84 SECTION VI - Draft Policies 98 SECTION VII - Generic Recommendations 106 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 - Site Audit Proforma APPENDIX 1a - Play Area Assessment Proforma APPENDIX 2 - Door to Door Survey Results APPENDIX 2b - Young People Survey Results APPENDIX 3 - Site Assessment Results APPENDIX 4 - Sports Pitches APPENDIX 4 a - All Sports Pitches Assessed APPENDIX 4 b - Sports Pitch Proforma APPENDIX 5 - Play Areas APPENDIX 6 - Allotments Assessments APPENDIX 7 - open Space Provision Standards Calculations SECTION I – INTRODUCTION Introduction 1.1 Strategic Leisure Limited (SLL) was appointed in September 2005 to undertake an assessment of open space, sport and recreation facilities (PPG 171 compliant) to identify local needs for provision, and opportunities for enhancement, development or replacement of current facilities. Scope of the Study 1.2 The study adheres to the guidance detailed in “Assessing Needs and Opportunities: A Companion Guide to PPG17” which details guidance on undertaking local assessments of open space, sport and recreation provision. The study has, where possible, included an audit of all existing indoor and outdoor open space, sport and recreational facilities in terms of: • Quantity • Quality • Accessibility NB. Not all facilities especially those in the private sector or managed by Parish Councils being readily available or willing to participate in the audit of quality or accessibility. 1.3 The study has also given consideration to the following factors: • Different uses of facilities • Classification and differing typologies of provision • The scale and availability of resources for maintenance / management • English Natures “Natural Accessible Greenspace Standards” 1.4 The study undertaken has included: • Consideration of the likely needs up to 2010 • A review of existing open space, leisure and recreation policies contained within the adopted South Norfolk Local Plan March 2003. • A range of consultation exercises to ascertain the views of the local community, key interest groups and wider stakeholders • Consideration to all appropriate facilities within South Norfolk including provision by the local authority (including education), private and voluntary sectors • An assessment of playing pitch provision using the methodology detailed in “Toward a Level Playing Field: A Guide to the Production of Playing Pitch Strategies” (Sport England, 2002) • Recommendations for local standards of provision with regard to quantity, quality and accessibility for inclusion within the developing Local Development Framework The Vision 1.5 It is important that a vision is adopted to reflect the aspirations for open space, sport and recreation in meeting South Norfolk Council’s corporate objectives. An extension of the vision detailed in the Council’s Community strategy (2003) has been adopted: ‘Working together to create an area that provides quality, value for money, cultural and leisure opportunities that improve the life and well being of residents and visitors’. Overview of South Norfolk 1.6 South Norfolk covers an area of 350 square miles and is a predominantly rural character. 65 per cent of the population live in one of five market towns or on the fringes of Norwich and 35 per cent live in smaller rural settlements. 1 PPG17 – Planning Policy Guidance Note 17 South Norfolk DC Final Report September 2007 1 SECTION I – INTRODUCTION 1.7 South Norfolk is a “green” Council: providing a cleaner greener area is one of the key objectives of the Council’s Community Strategy with recycling, greener transportation policies and sustainable development as key drivers for the Council acting at the local level to contribute to the wider environmental agenda. Open countryside, attractive scenery, riverside walks and historic trails all feature within the local landscape. 1.8 It is also important to consider the demographic make up of South Norfolk, as key demographic and socio-economic characteristics are known to influence demand characteristics. For example certain age-groups are known to register higher participation rates in a number of sport and leisure activities; deprived communities often experience issues relating to access to services and opportunities; cultural backgrounds may result in some passive and active recreation pursuits being favoured over others; car ownership levels can impact on the range of facilities that can be accessed. A brief review of the key demographics for the area show that: 1.9 Overall population; South Norfolk has a population of 110,714 of which 49% are male and 51% female according to 2001 Census Data (Office of National Statistics). 1.10 The Office of National Statistics (ONS) profile of South Norfolk population shows that the distribution across key age groups is not in line with the average in England & Wales. Just over a fifth (22.8%) of the resident population was of retirement age in mid-2003. This is markedly higher than the percentage for England and Wales (18.5%). 1.11 The age structure is essentially a middle aged one. It is important to consider key differences in profile as some age groups have a higher propensity to participate in sport and active recreation than others (particularly young people). Key differences within South Norfolk are: • A lower percentage of people in the age groups 0-15, 16-19 and 20-44 years old than the average in England & Wales. • A higher percentage of middle aged (45 years) to retirement and retirement age and over, above the average for England and Wales • South Norfolk’s ethnic mix differs slightly from that of England and Wales as a whole due to the increased percentage of white individuals (98.9% compare to 91.31%). The area is home to very few black or black British people (0.1%) when compared with the England and Wales figure of 2.19%. 1.12 South Norfolk as a whole is one of the least deprived local authorities in the country. The position it achieves for ‘Rank of Average Score’ is 281, ‘Rank of Income Scale’ is 236 and ‘Rank of Employment Scale’ is 229. When it is considered that position 1 is reserved for the most deprived local authority and position 354 is for the least deprived, it is clear that South Norfolk is one of the more affluent areas of England 1.13 South Norfolk has seen a 16.7% population increase between 1982 and 2002, which is much greater than the 11.2% population growth seen in region as a whole. South Norfolk has a population density much lower than both the East of England region and England and Wales in general, with a population density of 124 people per square kilometre compared to 284 people for the East England and 380 people for England overall. The population of South Norfolk is likely to continue to increase at a similar rate of the next 15-20 years given the housing allocations for the Norwich area in the draft East of England Plan (East of England Regional Assembly). 1.14 Car ownership in South Norfolk is half the national average with 13.4% of households in South Norfolk having no car, compared to the national average of 26.8% Strategic Review & Policy Background National Policy 1.15 The need for improved use and management of open spaces particularly public parks in urban areas has seen increased commitment demonstrated in national regional and local government policy. The key documents summarised in Figure 1.1 below have provided the impetus for the development and preparation of this strategy. They include: South Norfolk DC Final Report September 2007 2 SECTION I – INTRODUCTION Figure 1.1 National, Regional and Local Strategic Context PLANNING GUIDANCE Objective Planning Policy Guidance Note Outlines the importance for local authorities to undertake robust assessments of the 17. local need for quality open spaces. In order to develop local standards which are based on local supply and demand for facilities. ‘Rethinking Open Space’ This was the first report to seek greater recognition from the planning system to the The Scottish Executive and UK cross cutting importance of open space and the emerging urban agenda.. The report Parliament (2001) identifies the need for the planning process to give greater priority to the enhancement of existing open space provision rather than requiring new sites from developers. “Living Places – Cleaner, Safer, Gives a commitment to develop a clearer national framework for urban parks and Greener”(Office of the Deputy greenspaces Prime Minister 2002) Urban Greenspaces Task Force Recognises that parks and open spaces have the potential to make a significant “Greenspaces, Better Places” contribution to urban regeneration by making places more liveable and sustainable whilst also enriching the quality of people’s lives and local communities Sport England -2003 “The These documents provide the national sporting context for this study. The Framework for Sport in importance of a range of facility provision is identified, encompassing formal sporting England” facilities, and an environment that facilitates informal active recreation. “Making England an Active and Successful Sporting Nation A Vision for 2020” Sport England 2002’Towards a A prescribed methodology for the assessment of playing pitch provision is detailed. Level Playing Field’ In addition to the assessment methodology, a number of policies to oppose the loss of playing fields are detailed. South Norfolk Local Plan The Local plan forms the basis for decisions on planning applications and provides adopted 2003 and additional the policies and proposal framework the Council believe will strike the right balance planning guidance on between the need to cater for development requirements across South Norfolk and ‘Recreational Open Space the need to protect and enhance the environmental qualities of the area.