October 2004
1. INTRODUCTION:
1.1 Space within Northampton is at a premium and is subject to many demands for its use (recreational, residential, retail, wholesale, industrial etc.). This strategy makes the case for protection of open space for formal recreational use, namely sports use. Sports use of open space requires adequate provision of playing pitches and ancillary facilities (changing, showering, and toilet facilities) suitable for the sports being played.
1.2 The analysis on which this strategy is based involves the supply and demand of pitch space for the four main pitch sports played formally within the town: Association Football; Rugby Football; Cricket; and Hockey (hockey is a slightly unusual case as it is no longer played competitively on grass, but requires a specially constructed artificial turf pitch [ATP]).
1.3 The provision and/or loss of playing pitches can be a contentious issue for sport in this country and the current Government has identified, within “A Sporting Future for All: The Government’s Plan for Sport”, that the rate at which playing pitches are being lost to development needs to be greatly reduced. An important tool in achieving this aim is for each local authority to complete a playing pitch audit and develop a local playing fields strategy. This is reinforced within Planning Policy Guidance note PPG17, which states, “to ensure effective planning for open space, sport and recreation it is essential that the needs of local communities are known. Local authorities should undertake robust assessments of the existing and future needs of their communities for open space, sports and recreational facilities”.
1.4 Provision of recreational facilities, in this instance playing pitches, is also important in the context on the Northampton Community Strategy. In particular, it helps to address issues supporting the following key themes within the strategy:
(a) Promoting Community Safety (eg. providing formal open space on which diversionary activity of a sporting nature can take place) (b) Improving the Environment (eg. encouraging a more attractive local environment through provision of green spaces) (c) Promoting Good Health, Housing and Social Well-being (eg. providing space where people can partake in formal or informal physical activity which is proven beneficial to both physical health and mental well-being; also people living near green open space experience a greater feeling of well-being than others who do not have that luxury) (d) Providing Quality Education and Learning Throughout Life (eg. pitches provide venues for coach education /training activity, allowing both coaches and participants to develop their skills) (e) Strengthening the Economic Base (pitches provide a “place of work” for individuals with coaching qualifications to earn a living; also, a town with a plenty of recreational opportunities for workers is likely to be a more attractive base to employers)
2 (f) Promoting Leisure and Cultural Opportunities (the Playing Pitch Strategy will assist in providing improved recreational, sport and cultural opportunities for children and young people; as well as helping protect and enhance community and recreational facilities and parks) (g) Engaging with Communities (by ensuring an adequate supply of playing pitches across the town on which community sports clubs and organisations can develop their activities)
1.5 A number of factors therefore have determined that Northampton should adopt a Playing Pitch Strategy:
• Compliance with Central Government guidance as detailed in paragraph 1.3 • Timescales fit well in terms of influencing policy within the new Local Plan which is currently under review • Realisation that a strategic case based on need must be put forward to assist in the protection of open space from development • Recognition that any bid for external funding for enhancement of existing or provision of new pitches and facilities is unlikely to be successful unless the need is strategically identified
1.6 It is envisaged that production of the strategy will achieve 5 key aims for the Council:
(a) It will provide valuable local information on distribution and demand for pitches across the town that currently does not exist. (b) It will help identify priority areas for development of new, or enhancement of existing facilities that will assist in making bids for external funding. (c) It will help protect important local open space from development (specifically in areas where supply of pitches is poor). (d) It will assist the Council in developing associated strategies, and also will inform the development of policy within the Local Plan. (e) It will help ensure that new developments make appropriate provision for playing pitches
1.7 It is very important to note at this point that provision of formal pitch space for use by sport should not be the only factor in determining the importance of an open space. Playing pitches are perhaps only played on formally for one or two games per week (perhaps a total of 2 – 4 hours of use). At other times (particularly in public open space) they are used for informal recreation (walking, cycling, jogging, picnics, reading, relaxing, etc.), they provide a habitat for wildlife, and also add to the amenity value of an area (and as such are very important in terms of factors affecting the population’s “well-being”). Therefore this strategy cannot be used as the sole determinant for the provision of open space within Northampton, it only purports to make the case for formal sports use of that space.
3 1.8 PPG17 outlines in detail the Governments planning objectives with reference to provision of open space, and pays particular attention to the role that this plays in relation to enhancing people’s quality of life. With specific reference to the provision of playing pitches within public open space, the following statements are made:
• Promotion of Social Inclusion and Community Cohesion – well planned and maintained open spaces and good quality sports and recreational facilities can play a major part in improving people’s sense of well-being in the place they live. As a focal point for community activities, they can bring together members of deprived communities and provide opportunities for people for social interaction.
• Health and Well-being – open spaces, sports and recreational facilities have a vital role to play in promoting healthy living and preventing illness, and in the social development of children of all ages through play, sporting activities and interaction with others.
1.9 Due to Government concern over the loss of playing fields, Sport England became a statutory consultee on proposals for development which affect playing fields under Statutory Instrument 1817 of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Amendment) Order 1996. This was re-enforced by Circular 12/98 which stipulates that where Sport England has objected to a planning application and where the local authority is minded to grant planning permission, on land owned by a local authority or used by an educational establishment, the application must be referred to the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.
1.10 The policy is as follows: ‘The English Sports Council will oppose the granting of planning permission for any development which would lead to the loss of, or would prejudice the use of, a playing field, or any part thereof, or land last used as a playing field, or land allocated in an adopted or draft deposit local plan, unless, in the judgement of the English Sports Council, one of the specific circumstances applies. The specific circumstances are:
• E1 A carefully quantified and documented assessment of current and future needs has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the English Sports Council that there is an excess of playing field provision in the catchment, and the site has no special significance to the interests of sport.
• E2 The proposed development is ancillary to the principal use of the site as a playing field or playing fields, and does not affect the quantity or quality of pitches or adversely affect their use.
• E3 The proposed development affects only land incapable of forming, or forming part of, a playing pitch, and does not result in: the loss of, or inability to make use of, any playing pitch (including the maintenance of adequate safety margins); a reduction in the size of the playing area of any playing pitch; the loss of any other sports/ancillary facilities on the site. 4
• E4 The playing field or playing fields which would be lost as a result of the proposed development would be replaced by a playing field or playing fields of an equivalent or better quality, in a suitable location and subject to equivalent or better management arrangements, prior to the commencement of development.
• E5 The proposed development is for an indoor or outdoor sports facility, the provision of which would be of sufficient benefit to the development of sport as to outweigh the detriment caused by the loss of the playing field or playing fields.’
1.11 National policy with regard to sports use of open space, therefore, is basically to adopt an initial stance objecting to the loss of any playing fields.
THE CURRENT PICTURE
2.1 This section outlines the current situation in England with regards to playing pitch and outdoor sports provision. The following aspects are discussed:
• national trends in playing pitch and outdoor sports provision • current trends in pitch sport and outdoor sports participation • the local context
Playing pitch provision in England – An update A lack of reliable data
2.2 There are no reliable national estimates of the total recreational land resource or the playing pitch component within it, although various local studies show a wide variation in levels of provision.
2.3 The Playing Pitch Strategy states that football accounts for about half of all adult size provision with cricket a quarter and rugby and hockey sharing the balance. This reflects the relative popularity of these four sports.
2.4 In terms of ownership, around 40% of adult size pitches are in local authority control (leisure services and town or parish councils), 30% in education authority control and 30% in private/ voluntary sports clubs control.
2.5 The Register of Recreational Land was undertaken in the early 1990s. However, the data collected has not been updated, and therefore is becoming increasingly unreliable. Despite this, the statistics tend to reflect the most recent pitch audit – the Register of English Football Facilities (REFF) – which was commissioned by the Football Foundation and the Football Association in 2001 and completed in February 2002. The information collected went ‘live’ on the REFF website (www.reff.org.uk) in November 2002. Research revealed that there are 35,044 grass football pitches in England (21,640 adult, 8,418 junior, 4,986 mini).
5 2.6 Sport England have recently launched (July 2004) the Active Places website (www.activeplaces.com). This website contains information about all sports facilities in England (of certain types). As part of this work PMP are in the process of carrying out a full audit of all the playing pitches in England that will eventually be held within the system. By April 2005 this website will complement the REFF site in containing information not just about football pitches but all other types of pitches. Local Authorities will be able to download information about the pitches in their area.
A lack of monitoring
2.7 With the exception of REFF, and until Active Places is complete, there are at present no reliable data sources concerning the numbers of pitches in England. Coupled with this is the fact that there is no national system for monitoring change.
2.8 The exact number of pitches being lost to development or neglect is unknown and remains a contentious issue. The DCMS has established a Playing Fields Monitoring Group, which is tasked with publishing some definitive data.
2.9 Since 1996, Sport England has been a statutory consultee on all proposals for developments that affect playing fields, land that has been used as playing fields at any time in the last five years and which remains undeveloped, and land that is identified for use as a playing field in a development plan.
2.10 Sport England must be notified by the local planning authority when a relevant planning application is received. Data stored by Sport England on statutory consultations since 1999 reveals the increasing pressure on pitches throughout the country (Table 2.1 below)
Table 2.1 Statutory consultations with Sport England
Region Number of consultations received % Difference +/- 1999-2000 2000-2001 South East 144 198 38% West Midlands 107 174 63% North West 95 132 39% Yorkshire 102 99 -3% East 38 93 145% East Midlands 32 75 134% South West 56 43 -23% London 32 37 16% North 40 36 -10% England 646 887 37%
6 2.11 As shown in Table 2.1, Sport England was consulted on 37% more planning applications in 2001 than the previous year. In Northamptonshire as a whole, the NPFA states that there are 11 playing fields under threat from development (www.npfa.co.uk).
2.12 During March 2004, The DCMS released statistics indicating that development on playing fields was set to bring in around £268m worth of planned investment in sports facilities. During 2002 – 2003, 807 planning applications were approved, at least 472 of which were likely to lead to improved sporting facilities such as Astroturf pitches, multi sports centres, swimming pools, changing facilities or replacement playing fields.
2.13 The DCMS commended these improvements, highlighting that the development of playing pitches does not always have a negative impact. Sport England continue to safeguard pitches as well as helping to enhance sporting facilities by only giving approval for alterations where there are increased benefits for sporting facilities.
2.14 The regional breakdown of new facilities provided is shown below in table 2.2.
Table 2.2– The Regional Breakdown of New Facilities
2001 – 2002 2002 – 2003 Number of Number of Planned new Planned Region new facilities Investment facilities investment East 28 £18,423,000 44 £29,599,000 East Midlands 50 £22,387,000 41 £26,286,000 London 34 £31,387,000 50 £33,218,200 North East 83 £40,823,000 59 £23,374,000 North West 41 £35,170,000 55 30,440,000 South East 60 £24,990,000 50 £31,250,000 South West 15 £6,840,000 44 £29,759,000 West Midlands 69 £38,775,000 78 £42,703,000 Yorkshire 67 £55,538,000 68 £21,925,000
2.15 The loss of playing pitches remains a problematic political issue for the government. Sport England and the CCPR have demonstrated their commitment to enhancing playing pitch provision by commissioning a review and updating of the 1991 Playing Pitch Strategy. The new document Towards a Level Playing Field: A manual for the production of a Playing Pitch Strategy has been produced by PMP and was published in February 2003. This document has formed the basis of the playing pitch analysis in this report. Therefore the results of this study may differ from previous studies that utilised the outdated methodologies.
Demographic analysis 2.16 In analysing the need and demand for any new playing pitches or outdoor sports facilities it is important to assess the size and composition of the local leisure market and the impact it will have upon facility usage. An analysis of the population in the Borough, using the new 2001 census figures for 2001 is shown in Table 2.3 overleaf
7 Table 2.3 Demographic profile of Northampton Borough
Population The resident population, according to the 2001 Census is 194,458 with a population density of 24 persons per hectare. The proportion of males to females is 49% to 51%. Age structure According to the 2001 Census, 20% of the resident population is under 16 years of age (as is the average for England and Wales), 61.3% is between 16 and 59 (compared to 59% in England and Wales) and 18.7% is aged 60 and over (compared to 21% in England and Wales). Ethnic background The ethnic structure of the population is predominantly white – 91.6% compared to a national average (England) of 90.9%. Economic activity The proportion of residents in full time employment is 65.5% compared to 60.6% in England and Wales. 3.1% of the local population is unemployed, compared to the national figure of 3.4% 10.96% of the population is retired compared to 13.6% of the population of England and Wales. Mobility 25.22% of the Borough of Northampton households do not own a car, which is slightly less than the national average of 26.8%. Health The percentage of people who stated they had a long- term illness, health problem or disability which limited daily activities or work was 15.9%, which is lower than the national average for England and Wales (18.2%)
2.17 The relevance of these characteristics is explored in Table 2.4 below
Table 2.4 Demographic Summary
Demographic Indicator Relevance to the Borough’s playing pitches and outdoor sports facilities Population of 194,458, population Relatively large potential user base, spread over a density of 24 persons per hectare small area. Access issues are likely to be less of a consideration than they may be for other areas. Average proportion of young Young people from the ages of 16-29 typically have people, above average proportion high participation rates in a number of sports. The of older people, and below demographic analysis indicates that the Borough of average proportion of retired Northampton has a slightly younger-than-average people population. Participation in sport may therefore be higher than nationally. Below average level of car This indicates that the population is less mobile ownership than average and thus facilities are not as easily accessible to a large proportion of the population.
2.18 The 2001 census figures have been used in the updated playing pitch methodology calculations. These are outlined below in Table 2.5.
8 Table 2.5 Updated Calculations
2001 Future Population Census Population 2021 Partnership Area 1 25,729 31,744 Partnership Area 2 33,426 41,235 Partnership Area 3 24,195 29,852 Partnership Area 4 25,362 31,291 Partnership Area 5 26,495 32,688 Partnership Area 6 25,566 31,543 Partnership Area 7 17,432 21,513 Partnership area 8 16,253 20,061
2.19 The population projections have been provided by Northampton Borough Council planning officers and are based upon population growth rates for Northampton as forecast in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Planning Study. The Study provides the basis for the planned strategic growth of Northampton through to 2021. For the purpose of this Strategy, it has been assumed that there will be a uniform rate of growth across all partnership areas, although it is likely that Partnership Areas One, Four and Six will have a higher percentage increase than other areas. This assumption is not considered to impair the outcomes of the Strategy. Although growth will occur at variable rates within each partnership area, demand for playing pitches as a result of population growth will inevitably have impact throughout the town.
2.20 NORTHAMPTON Taking all the national issues into account, there is now a need for the development and adoption of a Playing Pitch Strategy for Northampton. Additionally the information that this strategy provides is necessary to support the Local Plan in its role of protecting existing areas of open space from development, and requiring new areas of open space on new developments. Conclusions reached within this document will underpin and inform policies and proposals in the revised plan.
2.21 Another key local planning issue is the outcome of the Northampton Schools Review. The local schools changed in 2004 from a 3-tier to a 2- tier system which has resulted in a number of surplus school sites across the town. At the beginning of the 2004/5 season 2 junior clubs lost their home grounds at former middle schools sites and the Borough Council Outdoor Environment department was asked by the Northampton Youth Alliance to provide 16 additional junior pitches. It is therefore important to determine whether the supply of playing pitches within the town meets future demand as secured community use of a number of secondary school sites could certainly contribute to helping reduce any projected deficit. The County Council has developed a Community use (Sports) of School Playing Fields Strategy which is currently ( November 2004) being incorporated into the PFI contract During the consultation period following the adoption of the PPS this new county strategy will be incorporated into the Boroughs PPS.
9 2.22 The outcome of the review will also provide additional recreational facilities (such as STP’s at Secondary Schools; some Multi-use Games Areas at Primary Schools; plus some improved indoor facilities) and if these are made available to the community, they would represent additional facilities to those currently available. Northampton Borough Council will take into account these additional facilities when considering proposals for disposal of sites provided that community access is guaranteed in perpetuity. The views of Sport England will be sought when considering these issues.
2.23 The development of this strategy has not taken place in isolation, but is closely linked to the development of a Countywide Playing Pitch Strategy, the two documents in fact being interdependent. 2.24 The analysis for the County was broken down to give overall pitch provision surpluses/shortfalls for each District/Borough as a whole, and key issues and priorities for each District/Borough were highlighted.
2.25 In April 2002, NSport commissioned PMP Consultancy (PMP) to produce a county wide playing pitch strategy. The final strategy was delivered in September 2002. In addition to the countywide strategy, Northampton Borough Council (the Council) required additional analysis to investigate the distribution of pitches throughout the Borough. In order to produce a more detailed analysis specific to Northampton, it was decided to conduct a further “sub-area analysis” down to the Area Partnership level and Northampton Borough Council commissioned PMP to carry out this additional work in January 2002 and this has since been updated in September 2004 to take into account the 2001 census This new sub-area analysis sub-divided the Borough down into 8 areas to give a more detailed view of the distribution of the supply and demand of sports pitches across the town, enabling identification of particular areas that would need special consideration.
METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING SUPPLY AND DEMAND
3.1 This section outlines the methodology we have used for assessing the supply and demand of playing pitches and outdoor sports facilities. The methodology for assessing playing pitches and outdoor sports is different. As demonstrated below, over the past 80 years, there has been evolution of the most effective method of assessing playing pitch provision culminating in the Sport England PPM used for this strategy. Playing pitches
Previous approaches to identifying the need for pitches 3.2 The first attempt to establish a standard of provision for public open space and playing fields was made by the NPFA in 1925 and has been subsequently refined on a number of occasions. It is known as the Six Acre Standard and states that there should be a minimum of 2.4 hectares (or six acres) of ‘outdoor playing space’ (defined as playing pitches, greens, courts, parks, playgrounds, informal play space) per 1,000 of population.
3.3 However, it is an overly simplistic approach as it overlooks local considerations and is regarded as a broad statement of what the NPFA regards as the desirable area of land required for playing space. 10 The playing pitch methodology 3.4 Our process follows the methodology first prescribed in the Playing Pitch Strategy (1991) produced jointly by the (then) Sports Council, the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA), and the Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR). It builds in the changes to the methodology presented in the Towards a Level Playing Field: A manual for the production of a playing pitch strategy document.
3.5 ’Towards a Level Playing Field, A Manual for the Production of a Playing Pitch Strategy’ document launched in Spring 2003. This revised methodology was produced by PMP following widespread consultation on the 1991 methodology, in conjunction with a steering group comprising representatives from the Central Council of Physical Recreation, Local Government Association, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Loughborough University and Sport England.
3.6 The aim of the Playing Pitch Methodology is to determine the number of pitches required for each activity based on demand in an actual or predicted set of circumstances. The essential difference between the methodology and previous approaches based on standards is that, instead of using land area per head of population as the basic unit, it measures demand (at peak times) in terms of teams requiring pitches and then compares this with the pitches available, thus enabling a tangible measure of the adequacy of existing supply.
3.7 The particular advantage of this methodology is that it is related precisely to the local situation and the very task of collating and analysing the information highlights problems and issues from which policy options and solutions can be explored.
3.8 In line with this methodology, this strategy only applies the PPM to pitch provision for football, rugby union, hockey and cricket.
3.9 All data for this updated report was supplied by Northampton Borough Council. The data has been entered into an excel workbook containing detailed playing pitch methodology calculators which will be provided to the Council, enabling further updates in future years
The revised 2001 methodology incorporates: • a more holistic view of pitch provision as one element of open space • the concept of ‘team equivalents’ and ‘match equivalents’ to reflect the requirements of the small-sided games • the refinement of team generation rates • the revised definition of a pitch • the refined quantitative audits of pitches by the use of multiplication factors for: • availability / accessibility • quality (to include the importance of ancillary provision at pitch sites as well as pitches themselves) • carrying capacity
3.10 This report therefore updates the findings of the County strategy through the use of:
11 • census figures and population projections based on the 2001 census • Up to date team statistics • Updated pitch listings.
12 Background to Northampton Borough Playing Pitch Provision
3.11 The countywide playing pitch strategy, produced by PMP in 2002, followed the Playing Pitch Methodology prescribed by Sport England, the National Playing Fields Association and the Central Council for Physical Recreation highlighted the following results for Northampton:
• a shortfall of 20.3 junior football pitches • a surplus of 28.7 adult football pitches • a surplus of 10.2 cricket pitches • a shortfall of 2.3 rugby pitches • a shortfall of 5.5 synthetic turf pitches (if teams did not have to travel outside of Borough to play home matches).
3.12 Although the above calculations gave a broad indication of pitch provision in the borough, the data needed to be disaggregated into smaller geographical areas to highlight the exact areas of the borough where a deficit of pitches exists. Wards are the smallest unit for which any realistic data can be produced, however, for pitch sports there is an accepted need for players to travel to games. Therefore, a ward analysis, although useful in terms of highlighting areas of shortfall/ surplus, tends to exaggerate the situation by not taking account of cross-boundary issues.
3.13 Therefore in the absence of any guidance from Sport England, the NPFA and the CCPR with regards to catchment areas for playing pitches, a basic amalgamation of parishes has been undertaken to highlight the areas of the borough with a current shortfall/ surplus.
3.14 The borough has therefore been sub-divided into its eight Partnership Areas:
• partnership area 1: Castle, St Crispin, Abington • partnership area 2: Thorplands, Lumbertubs, Ectonbrook, Billing • partnership area 3: Boughton Green, St David, Kingsthorpe • partnership area 4: Delapre, Spencer, St James • partnership area 5: Eastfield, Headland, Weston • partnership area 6: West Hunsbury, East Hunsbury, Nene Valley • partnership area 7: Parklands, Kingsley • partnership area 8: New Duston, Old Duston.
The findings from the sub-area analysis are presented in the next section.
Pitch supply and demand
3.15 The following section outlines the playing pitch provision within Northampton Borough in 2004, using the updated PPM.
3.16 Overall, the auditing identified 129 playing pitches in Northampton Borough with secured community use. They comprise:
• 71 adult football pitches (used by 16 year olds and over) • 12 junior football pitches (used by 10 - 16 year olds) • 5 mini soccer pitches (used by under 10 year olds) • 27 cricket pitches (used by all ages) 13 • 12 adult rugby pitches (used all ages) • 2 synthetic hockey pitches (used by all ages)
3.17 As shown in Figure 5.1 below, Area 7 has the most playing pitches (39), followed by Area 4 (22) and Area 3 (20). Area 8 has the least (2), both located at Errington Park.
3.18 In addition, it is thought that many schools offer use of their facilities on an informal basis. In line with the Playing Pitch Methodology, these have been excluded from calculations.
Figure 3.1 Community pitch breakdown in Northampton
25
20
Nr of adult football pitches 15 Nr of junior football pitches Nr of mini football pitches Nr of cricket pitches Nr of adult rugby pitches Nr of pitches 10 Nr of artificial hockey pitches
5
0 Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Area 5 Area 6 Area 7 Area 8
2 The total area of pitches (hectares) of each type within Northampton Borough is illustrated in table 3.1 below:
NPFA Pitch Area of Assumed Number of Sport Areas pitches area pitches (hectares) (hectares) Senior Football 0.82-0.9 0.86 71 61.06 Junior Football 0.4-0.6 0.50 12 6.00 Mini-soccer 0.22 0.22 5 1.10 Cricket 1.4-1.6 1.50 27 40.50 Adult Rugby 1.26 1.26 12 15.12 Junior Rugby 0.8 0.80 0 0.00 Hockey 0.6 0.60 2 1.20 Total 129 124.98
14 3 There is a total of 124.98 hectares of playing pitches within the borough, almost half of which is dedicated to adult football provision. 68% of all pitches within Northampton Borough are football pitches, 55% of which are adult football pitches.
4 The ownership of pitches within Northampton Borough is illustrated in table 5.2 below.
Table 3.2 – Ownership of Pitches league pitches league pitches ugby union pitches ugby union pitches Nr of junior r Nr of adult football pitches Nr of junior football pitches Nr of mini football pitches Nr of cricket pitches Nr of adult r Nr of adult rugby Nr of adult grass hockey pitches Nr of artificial hockey pitches Ownership Nr of junior rugby Local Authority5812520100010 LEA 0000000010 Other Education3000200000 Parish Council 4002000000 Voluntary Sector5003800000 Private/Corporate1002100000 Total 71125271200020
5 Northampton Borough Council is the main provider of pitches within the borough, supported primarily by Parish Council’s and the voluntary sector.
6 334 teams were identified as playing on pitches within Northampton Borough. These comprise:
• 279 football teams • 33 cricket teams • 57 rugby teams • 15 hockey teams (a large number of additional teams are based in the Borough but travel to neighbouring local authorities to play ‘home’ matches due to a lack of appropriate local facilities).
7 The breakdown of teams by Partnership Area is illustrated in Figure 3.3 below.
15 Figure 3.3 Team breakdown in Northampton by partnership area
80 70
60 50 Football Cricket 40 Rugby 30 Hockey
Number of teams 20 10 0 12345678 Sub-area
8 As shown, Sub-area 3 has the highest number of teams (78) playing sport within its boundaries, closely followed by Area 7 (72). Areas 3 and 6 are the only areas to cater for all four-pitch sports.
9 The breakdown of teams between sports is highlighted in Table 3.4 below
Fooball Rugby Union Cricket Hockey
Seniors Junior Seniors JuniorSeniors Junior Seniors Junior Partnership Area No of No of No of No of No of No of No of No of teams teams teams teams teams teams teams teams
Partnership Area 1 11 3 7 18 5 4 0 0 Partnership Area 2 25 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 Partnership Area 3 27 26 6 0 2 1 4 2 Partnership Area 4 20 4 0 0 3 0 0 0 Partnership Area 5 13 11 6 11 6 4 0 0 Partnership Area 6 7 12 3 6 2 0 3 4 Partnership Area 7 41 15 0 0 3 0 2 0 Partnership area 8 2 7 0 0 1 2 0 0
16 4. The Playing Pitch Methodology: partnership area analysis
The Playing Pitch Methodology (PPM) comprises eight stages (see flow-chart below ) Stages 1 to 6 involve numerical calculations, whilst Stages 7 and 8 develop issues and solutions. The methodology is employed to analyse the adequacy of current provision and to assess possible future situations, in order that latent and future demand (identified through Team Generation Rates), and problems with quality, use and capacity of existing pitches can be taken
Stage 1: Identify team/team equivalents
Stage 2: Calculate home games per team per week
Stage 3: Assess total home games per week
Stage 4: Establish temporal demand for games
Stage 5: Defining pitches used/required on each day
Stage 6: Establishing pitches available
Stage 7: Assessing the findings
Stage 8: Finding solutions
4.1 The findings of the County Strategy relevant to Northampton Borough are attached as Appendix A; unfortunately the large size of the County strategy means that it is not feasible to attach it in its entirety, although a copy can be viewed on request.
4.2 Please note: Only pitches that have secured community use are included within the analysis. Therefore privately owned pitches and/or school pitches that do not have a formal community use agreement are not included. Subsequently, the majority of pitches referred to within the document are those public pitches provided by Northampton Borough Council along with those owned by community sports clubs.
17 4.3 Collation of the data used in the analysis has come from a number of sources. Identification of pitches was undertaken by the Council’s Community Services Strategic Development Unit in conjunction with the Outdoor Environment Section. Identification of teams playing within the Borough was undertaken by the Sports Development Section and PMP consultants in conjunction with local leagues and sports governing bodies (who also assisted in identifying some pitches). Information on quality of changing facilities came from direct consultation with sports users and the Outdoor Environment Section. Further consultation has taken place with Northamptonshire County Council regarding the potential impact of the Schools Review on provision of playing pitches, and also to identify whether opportunities exist to arrange formal community use of school playing fields. Detailed analysis of the findings has taken place in consultation with the Outdoor Environment Section and the Planning, Transportation and Regeneration Division.
5. RESULTS
5.1 Key findings of both the County Strategy (relevant to Northampton) and the updated 2004 Borough Sub-Area Analysis are as follows:
5.2 County Strategy Findings:
5.2.1 Total pitch surplus/shortfall figures are the same as those listed below in the Borough Sub-Area Analysis findings.
Key priority recommendations for Northampton within the County Strategy are:
1. Refurbishment/development of changing facilities at Borough Council owned sites (specific mention given to the Racecourse, Parklands, Kings Heath, Southfields, Ecton Brook, Rectory Farm, Victoria Park and Kingsthorpe Rec)
2. Provision of ATP’s for hockey (predominantly) and football (an overall lack of pitch space, plus the pitch at Kingsthorpe Community College is in poor condition, and the pitch at Kings Heath suffers from poor ancillary facilities and security is often an issue)
3. Cricket pitch improvement work to take place at the former Ryelands Middle School site (home to Ryelands OB CC)
Points 2. and 3 are likely to be overcome through the current schools review, therefore the key issue remains that of no, or poor, changing facilities at public pitches within the town.
5.2.2 In support of these findings is an internal report produced for Northampton Borough Council’s Outdoor Environment Section (“Parks Changing Rooms Refurbishment – Initial Evaluation Report”, Strategic Resources Directorate, Jan 2003). The report looked at the state of existing changing facilities and its conclusions match with the consultation comments received through production of the County Playing Pitch Strategy.
18
5.2.3 A full list of sites, recommended works and estimated costs is supplied in Appendix C. In summary, 5 sites are identified as most urgently requiring development, and these are: the Racecourse, Parklands, Kings Heath, Abington Park and Acre Lane.
5.2.4 In general therefore, the key issues arising from the County Strategy appear to be a lack of, or poor standard changing facilities. When this is cross-referenced with the Borough Council’s own investigations, it would suggest the following priority:
• Addressing the issue of poor standard changing facilities at i. The Racecourse, ii. Parklands, iii. Kings Heath.
A bid to the Football Foundation is due to be submitted by January 2005 together with capital monies of £550,000 from the Borough Council for new changing facilities at the Racecourse.
5.3 Borough Sub-Area Analysis Findings:
5.3.1 Using the 2001 census figures the sub-area analysis specifically looks at the supply of, and demand for, playing pitches regularly available for community use, and provides a breakdown for each of the eight Area Partnerships across the Borough (a map detailing the Area Partnership Boundaries can be seen in Appendix D).
5.3.2 Broken down by Area Partnership, the figures read as follows:
+Table 5.4 – Playing Pitch Methodology
Summary 2003 Shortfall of adult football Shortfall of junior football Shortfall of Mini-soccer Shortfall of cricket Shortfall of adult rugby Shortfall of junior rugby Total pitches Partnership Area 1 0.7 -1.4 -1.6 0.6 -1.5 -9.0 -12.2 Partnership Area 2 8.5 -1.9 -0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.8 Partnership Area 3 5.9 -11.4 -4.0 1.4 -1.0 0.0 -9.0 Partnership Area 4 0.0 4.1 3.0 2.2 3.0 0.0 12.3 Partnership Area 5 1.1 -3.2 -5.2 1.3 -2.0 -5.5 -13.5 Partnership Area 6 1.9 -5.7 -3.2 3.4 1.5 -3.0 -5.1 Partnership Area 7 8.7 -5.1 -2.4 12.2 1.0 0.0 14.3 Partnership area 8 0.4 -2.3 19-1.2 -0.3 0.0 0.0 -3.4 TOTAL 27.2 -27.0 -15.4 20.8 1.0 -17.5 -10.8 5.4.1 The key issues arising from this analysis are:
• there is a total undersupply of pitches (10.8), generated primarily through large undersupplies of junior and mini football and junior rugby pitches
• there is an oversupply of adult football pitches, concentrated primarily in area partnerships two and three and seven. The largest facility in the borough, the Racecourse, is located within area seven
• all areas of the borough have a shortfall of junior football with the exception of area four, where there is a surplus equivalent to 4.1 pitches. The overall shortfall equates to 27 pitches. In addition, there is shortfall of mini football pitches totalling 15.4 pitches. This assumes that all mini teams play on mini pitches
• the analysis indicates that there are undersupplies of both adult and junior rugby union. Although the surplus of adult pitches is small (1), there is a significant shortfall of junior pitches. This is primarily as a result of the large numbers of mini teams, who are currently using junior pitches
• that the provision of cricket pitches appears more than adequate, with surpluses of almost 21 pitches.
Carrying capacity
5.4.2 The 1991 playing pitch methodology assumed that all pitches are of sufficient standard to sustain two games per week. It is however acknowledged that this may not always be the case. The new playing pitch methodology, Towards A Level Playing Field, suggests that the quality of a pitch should be taken into account. In addition to running the playing pitch methodology based on the actual number of pitches available, we have recalculated the methodology taking into account the perceived quality of the pitches.
5.4.3 The number of community matches a grass pitch can sustain is a function of the needs of users and quality of the pitch. For example a school pitch may be able to accommodate one game each weekend, while a comparable Council pitch is able to support two. It is therefore important to take into consideration the quality of the pitches.
5.4.4 There is no formula for calculating the carrying capacity of pitches, as it is dependent on a wide range of factors such as weather conditions, age/weight of users, quality of players etc. Through an analysis of usage patterns and local knowledge from Council officers we have reached indicative conclusions on carrying capacity using these methods to provide a more realistic assessment of shortfalls and surpluses within Northampton Borough.
5.4.5 In calculating the carrying capacity of a pitch, the following should be considered:
20 • what proportion of games are cancelled on the pitch due to poor pitch condition? • is the condition of the pitch declining over the season? • what is the maintenance regime for the pitch at present? • could the capacity of the pitch be improved by enhanced maintenance? • to what extent are pitches required to accommodate training activity?
5.4.6In addition, it is important to take into account the importance of rest and recovery of pitches in order to maintain the quality and to prevent the longer-term deterioration of the pitches as a result of constant use, particularly on the larger sites. Reductions of capacity will therefore be applied in order to allow a degree of rest and the transfer of teams.
5.4.7The audit was therefore revised, taking into account the above issues and the overall quality of the pitches. The weighting system used is outlined in Table 5.5. The standard PPM assumes that pitches are able to take 2 games per week. If in reality, it is only one able to carry one, it is considered to be only half a pitch – able to take one game per week
Table 5.5 Carrying Capacity for each type of pitch
Carrying Capacity Multiplication Factor Three matches (or more) per week 1.5 Two matches 1.0 One match per week 0.5 One match or less per fortnight 0.25
5.5.1Synthetic hockey pitches are not affected by the conditions discussed above and have therefore been excluded. Grass hockey pitches are now no longer used for competitive senior matches and have therefore also been excluded.
5.5.2Pitches within Northampton Borough are considered on the whole to be able to support two games per week throughout the season; indeed pitches at Victoria Park are usually booked out more frequently than this.
5.5.3It was suggested that there are no cricket or rugby pitches which are unable to sustain at minimum two games per week.
5.5.4The following football pitches have had there carrying capacity reduced to 0.75 (3 matches a fortnight)
• Wootton Brook • Lingswood Park • Dallington Park • Racecourse.
5.5.5The findings from the PPM taking into account carrying capacity for 2004 are shown overleaf in table 5.6.
21 Table 5.6 Summary of peak day results (2004) - numbers = shortfall
Summary 2003 Shortfall of adult football Shortfall of junior football Shortfall of Mini-soccer Shortfall of cricket Shortfall of adult rugby Shortfall of junior rugby Total pitches Partnership Area 1 0.7 -1.4 -1.6 0.6 -1.5 -9.0 -12.2 Partnership Area 2 6.3 -1.9 -0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.6 Partnership Area 3 5.9 -11.4 -4.0 1.4 -1.0 0.0 -9.0 Partnership Area 4 -1.0 4.1 3.0 2.2 3.0 0.0 11.3 Partnership Area 5 1.1 -3.2 -5.2 1.3 -2.0 -5.5 -13.5 Partnership Area 6 1.7 -5.7 -3.2 3.4 1.5 -3.0 -5.3 Partnership Area 7 0.7 -5.1 -2.4 12.2 1.0 0.0 6.3 Partnership area 8 0.4 -2.3 -1.2 -0.3 0.0 0.0 -3.4 Total 15.7 -27.0 -15.4 20.8 1.0 -17.5 -22.3
5.6.1 The key issues from above include:
• partnership areas two and three show a large excess of adult football pitches whilst the excesses in areas one, five, six and eight are relatively minor. Partnership area four has a shortfall of 1.0 pitches on peak days • it should be noted, however, that the level of provision in partnership area seven is wholly due to the closure of nine adult pitches at the “racecourse” site. When re-opened for the 2005-06 season there, sub area 7 will show an oversupply of over five pitches • conversely there is a shortfall of junior football pitches in all partnership areas except area four. The most profound shortfall is in partnership area three where an undersupply of over 11 pitches is seen. • mini-soccer pitches follow the same pattern as junior football pitches. There is an oversupply in sub area four, with all other areas showing shortfalls. The overall shortfalls are not as substantial as junior pitches though as the overall shortfall is 15 pitches, compared to almost 28 junior football pitches. • a much healthier situation is seen in cricket. Overall there is an oversupply of 7.8 pitches with only sub area eight showing a shortfall, overall. • demand currently meets supply for adult rugby in the area although there are notable deficiencies in sub areas 1, 3 & 5. However the excesses in other sub areas balance out provision • junior rugby shows a very different picture from adult rugby with an overall shortfall of 17.5 pitches. No areas show a surplus and the main deficiencies are made up from sub areas from one, five and six
22 • hockey provision shows an overall shortfall of 2.5 pitches made up of shortfalls in sub areas three, six and seven. It must be noted that the shortfall would be greatly increased if the teams currently playing outside the Borough (but residing within Northampton) were to play inside the Borough. • overall, only three areas (2, 4 and 7) have a surplus of pitches. All other areas show large shortfalls in overall pitch provision ranging from 3.6 pitches in sub area eight to 11.3 in sub area five.
Team Generation Rates
5.6.2Team Generation Rates (TGRs) indicate how many people in a specified age group are required to generate one team. TGRs are derived by dividing the appropriate population age band for the relevant sport (eg for adult football it is the 16-45 age group) by the number of teams playing that sport. Calculating TGRs enables fair comparison to be made between different areas where similar studies have been undertaken.
5.6.3TGRs can be calculated for each of the individual disciplines, eg adult men’s football, adult women’s football, mini-soccer. Once these TGRs have been calculated, they can be brought together to form one TGR for each sport
5.6.4 The new PPM, ‘Towards A Level Playing Field’ requires TGRs to be calculated for different age groups and different sub divisions. Male and female sport is therefore considered separately. Calculations (based on initial 2001 census figures which do not break the age groups down into exact figures) for Northampton Borough Council are shown in Table 5.7 below. For the purposes of TGR calculations, where age groups splits do not exactly match those required, the distribution of people throughout the age groups has been assumed to be even.
5.6.5The following examples help clarify what TGRs mean:
1:100 Î high TGR Î relatively low latent (unmet) demand 1: 1000 Î low TGR Î relatively high latent (unmet) demand
5.6.6Sport England request that all team generation rates calculated using the new methodology are forwarded to them, enabling the compilation of national databases and comparisons between authorities.
5.6.7The TGRs for each sport in the Borough of Northampton are shown in Tables 5.7 to 5.10 below, compared to the national average based on Sport England database of Playing Pitch Strategy information.
23 Table 5.7 Football Team Generation Rates
Age group TGR National Average Senior male 1:296 1:435 Senior female 1:14,691 1:18759 Junior male 1:103 1:179 Junior female 1:1,148 1:3949 Mini-soccer 1:198 1:1438
5.7.1These figures are only a guide and do not specify the sport or refer to local conditions. For example, the national popularity of football will mean that it will almost always have the lowest TGR. Equally, hockey usually has the highest. Therefore, it is more useful to compare the Borough of Northampton TGRs with other areas and with the average figures.
5.7.2From our previous work we have found that football TGRs range from 1:118 in Mid-Devon to 1:636 in Waltham Forest. This means that the Borough of Northampton has a relatively low latent demand for football. The TGR for Northampton is also high when compared with current averages on the Sport England database. This is to be expected due to the large number of pitches available in the Borough and the relative strength of football.
Table 5.8 Cricket Team Generation Rates
Age group TGR National Average Senior male 1:2,335 1:1333 Senior female n/a 1:72518 Junior male 1:812 1:1481 Junior female n/a 1:15926 Overall national average 1:3729 1:2373
5.8.1For cricket, the TGRs have ranged from 1:212 in West Devon to 1:9,450 in Newham. The majority of TGR’s for cricket are below 1:1,000, making the Borough of Northampton’s TGR of 1:3,729 a lot higher than average. This is also higher than the average total TGR on the Sport England database. This would indicate that there is relatively high latent demand for cricket in the area.
24 Table 5.9 Rugby Union Team Generation Rates
Age group TGR National Average Senior male 1:1,811 1:10,315 Senior female 1:41,461 1:43,770 Junior male 1:454 1:1.864 Junior female n/a 1:19.529 Overall national average 1:2577 1:2794 Mini-rugby 1:1,618
6 For rugby union, TGRs have ranged from 1:495 in Mid-Devon to 1:6,615 in Newham. The Borough of Northampton’s TGR of 1:2,577 is considerably higher than average (1:1,498). This indicates there is high latent demand for rugby in the area.
Table 5.10 Hockey Team Generation Rates
Age group TGR National Average Senior male 1:10,586 1:5077 Senior female 1:8,815 1:38,816 Junior male 1:2,142 1:1248 Junior female 1:2,229 1:5077 Overall Northampton 1:6,635 1:2567 Borough
5.10.1 For hockey, TGRs have ranged from 1:881 in Bath and North East Somerset to 1:9,890 in Rochdale. The Borough of Northampton’s TGR is 1:6,635 and is towards the top end of TGR’s, which suggests there is relatively high latent demand. Indeed, the TGR for Northampton is in excess of the national average.
5.10.2 These results suggest that the Borough of Northampton has a low latent demand for football but there is higher latent demand for cricket, rugby union and hockey.
25 Projections for 2021 5.10.2 By applying TGRs to the population projections for 2021, we can project the theoretical number of teams that would be generated over the next few years. This can then be applied to the PPM model to forecast the future shortfall of pitches, assuming that no new pitches are built in the interim and that TGRs remain the same. This model only includes pitches with official community use. Population growth
5.10.3 The population in Northampton is predicted to increase significantly in future years, by over 23% between 2001 and 2021 (194,458 to 239,927).
5.10.4 The results from this analysis are shown in Table 5.11 (overleaf). It should be noted that pitches from the racecourse site, which has currently been closed as a result of damage to pitch surfaces, are included in this prediction. All future calculations take into account the existing carrying capacity of pitches.
5.10.5 In addition in line with the revised playing pitch methodology, Towards A Level Playing Field, the potential impact of sports development programmes is considered.
5.10.6 Consultation with Council officers indicated that current sports development programmes and participation trends both nationally and within Northampton were likely to result in the following increases:
• girls football – 20% • junior football – 10% • rugby – 15%.
These figures have been incorporated into the playing pitch methodology.
5.10.7 Growth in participation in cricket is thought to be minimal, particularly as the sport has experienced a decline in participation in recent years. It has therefore been assumed that participation in cricket will remain constant and increase only in line with the increasing population. Similarly, there has been no increase in adult football participation in recent seasons, hence it has been assumed that demand will remain constant (stimulated by a growth in junior football, ensuring that more young players continue from junior football through to adult participation. This potential increase has therefore been taken into account in playing pitch methodology calculations for 2021.
26 Table 5.11 Summary of predicted peak day results (2021)
Summary 2012 Shortfall of adult football Shortfall of junior football Shortfall of Mini-soccer Shortfall of cricket Shortfall of adult rugby Shortfall of junior rugby Total pitches Partnership Area 1 -2.0 -1.6 -2.4 -1.9 -3.0 -12.8 -23.6 Partnership Area 2 0.2 -2.2 -1.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 -3.2 Partnership Area 3 -0.7 -13.1 -5.9 0.7 -2.3 0.0 -21.2 Partnership Area 4 -5.9 3.8 3.0 1.7 3.0 0.0 5.7 Partnership Area 5 -2.1 -4.0 -7.7 -1.3 -3.3 -7.8 -26.1 Partnership Area 6 -0.1 -6.5 -4.7 3.1 0.9 -4.3 -11.6 Partnership Area 7 -1.3 -6.1 -4.5 11.7 1.0 0.0 0.8 Partnership area 8 -0.1 -2.8 -1.8 -1.3 0.0 0.0 -6.0 TOTAL -11.8 -32.5 -25.2 12.7 -3.6 -24.8 -85.2
In addition in line with the key results of this are: • by 2021, only one sub area will not be showing a shortfall in adult football pitches. Significant shortfalls will be seen in sub areas 4 and 7 with an overall shortfall of 11.8 pitches • the areas of shortfall of junior football, mini soccer and junior rugby pitches will all become more acute, growing to 32, 25 and 25 respectively. Only one sub area 4, will show an oversupply of mini soccer and junior football pitches and the junior rugby deficiencies will all be based in sub areas 1, 5 and 6. • the oversupply of cricket pitches will decrease to 12.7 pitches so that by 2021 it will be almost 13 pitches • in order not to have an undersupply of adult rugby pitches, between 3 and 4 new pitches will need to be provided within the Borough by 2021. In addition, there will be a requirement for an additional 24 junior rugby pitches. Although most rugby is played on private ground some clubs are already using school sites to cope with the large number of youngsters who wish to play because they do not have adequate place within their club grounds. • in total the overall shortfall in pitches will rise from 22.3 in 2004 to 85.2 in 2021. This is a result of the increasing population and the predicted growth in participation.
5.11.1 We have summarised the situation for each Partnership Area (using projected populations) by totalling the shortfall or surplus of pitches (for all pitches) both in 2004 and 2021 and ranking from greatest shortfall to greatest surplus.
27 Table 5.12 Partnership Areas graded by largest shortfall in pitch provision
Rank Partnership 2004 Partnership 2021 Area Shortfall/ Area Shortfall/ Surplus Surplus 1st seven -12.2 five -26.1 2nd five 3.6 one -23.6 3rd one -10.0 three -21.2 4th three 12.3 six -11.6 5th six -13.5 eight -6.0 6th eight -6.8 two -3.2 7th two -17.7 seven 0.8 8th four -3.4 four 5.7
6. CONCLUSION AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS:
6.1 In conclusion, the information obtained from the consultation process, production of both the County Playing Pitch Strategy and the Borough Sub-Area Analysis, and the Parks Changing Rooms Refurbishment Initial Evaluation Report, identify the following issues that need addressing:
6.1.1 There will be a deficit of playing pitches in Northampton regularly and formally accessible by the community by 2021.
6.1.2 There is currently an imbalance in the geographical spread of accessible playing pitches across Northampton, with the following areas particularly poorly served:
• Partnership Area 1 (Castle, St.Crispin, Abington) nb. This area does border Area 7, which has the largest surplus of pitch space (the Racecourse), which will help to offset the deficit. • Partnership area 3(St Davids, Boughton Green, Kingsthorpe) • Partnership area 5( Eastfield, Headlands, Weston)
6.1.3 Hockey is particularly poorly served with only two ATP’s available for regular community use within Northampton (and 59 teams wishing to play in the town), one of which is of poor standard, and the other lacking in suitable ancillary facilities.
6.1.4 A number of pitch sites suffer from having no or poor changing facilities, the priorities for improvement being identified as the Racecourse, Parklands and Kings Heath.
6.2 Given the above, Northampton Borough Council is proposing to adopt the following actions:
28 PPR1 Northampton Borough Council will oppose the loss of any playing pitches, or any open space capable of being used as a playing pitch, unless one or more of the specific circumstances laid down by Sport England (see paragraph 1.10) are met.
PPR2 In order to help address the future proposed deficit and improve access to playing pitches in areas of the Borough that are currently undersupplied, Northampton Borough Council will actively seek to secure, or negotiate formal community access to, existing playing pitches currently not formally accessible (eg. on school and private sites).
PPR3 Northampton Borough Council will work closely with Northamptonshire County Council and local Hockey Clubs to ensure that the new STPs proposed for all Secondary Schools within Northampton will by formal agreement, be regularly accessible to the community and reasonably priced.
PPR4 Northampton Borough Council will seek to refurbish existing, and develop new changing facilities to meet the needs of users of public playing pitches and to cater for future sports development opportunities. Sites to be dealt with as a priority are: iv. The Racecourse, v. Parklands, vi. Kings Heath.
PPR5 A healthy supply of playing pitches regularly accessible to the community should be aimed for and maintained at all times in order to: i. reduce wear and tear and therefore maintain pitch quality ii. accommodate play at peak periods iii. prevent prolonged damage during periods of excessively poor weather
If the quality of pitches is improved, hence increasing the carry capacity, fewer games are likely to be cancelled hence the overall pitch supply is more likely to meet the needs of the teams.
PPR6 New developments will be required to provide sufficient playing pitch space in order to meet the demand that it creates, or where this is inappropriate or impossible to achieve, to contribute towards enhancing the quality of existing facilities (including requirements such as the refurbishment/new build of changing facilities, parking, floodlighting, etc., as well as pitch quality). This will usually be secured through a section 106 agreement.
29 PPR7 Where appropriate, playing pitches at surplus school sites under the Northampton Schools Review should remain as playing fields to help reduce the projected Borough-wide pitch deficit. Northampton Borough Council will only agree to the loss of pitches to development where the proposal includes guaranteed community access to other sites in the Borough, at convenient times and affordable rates*, which will ensure that there is no current or projected (during the period covered by the strategy) local or borough wide deficit in provision. This recommendation should be considered alongside PPR 6 with respect to section 106 agreements for new provision of pitches on development areas.
(*affordable to mean a price similar to the national average as published yearly by CIPFA)
6.3 The policy actions in the seven recommendations above apply across the whole Borough. It is also necessary to look specifically at each Area Partnership to highlight specific issues and opportunities as follows:
AREA 1 A current and proposed shortfall of pitches exists in this area (particularly for football and rugby – cricket needs can be met by the pitches at the Racecourse) that cannot be easily met “cross boundary” in other areas. There is also potential for infill development which is likely to increase demand further. The site of the former Cliftonville Middle School (at present being used by Northampton School for Boys until July 2006) could provide an opportunity to utilise the three pitches on that site for community use (and where multiple pitches exist on one site it is more economically feasible to provide ancillary facilities than if single pitches are spread across a number of sites).
PPR8 Given the current deficit in Partnership Area 1, the lack of suitable open space to develop new pitches, and the management benefits of a multiple pitch site, any redevelopment scheme for the ex- Cliftonville Middle School site will be required to provide for three adult sized playing pitches for community use, together with changing facilities and parking area, either on that site or elsewhere within the locality.
AREA 2 There is a projected deficit of junior and mini-football pitches in this Partnership area. The area contains 3 schools which have closed - Goldings Middle, Ecton Brook and Blackthorn. The development of these sites would reduce the ability for the deficit in this area to be remedied. Hockey requirements can be met by proposed ATP’s at nearby Secondary schools, and some of the deficit could be addressed by the surplus in Area 7. Under the schools review Ecton Brook Primary School is now located in the former Ecton Brook Middle School. This has resulted in surplus pitch space. This presents an opportunity to remedy the projected deficiency in this area. Provision here would be particularly beneficial as it adjoins existing pitches maintained by the Borough Council, and therefore there would be management benefits in further provision here.
30 PPR9 In order to reduce the projected deficit in Area 2 we will look to increase formal agreements for community access to school sites in this area. Land at Ecton Brook Primary school could be re- assigned to accommodate an adult sized pitch which is available for community use.
AREA 3: A large undersupply of junior football and mini-soccer pitches is the major issue in this area. Immediate thought should be given by the Council to re-designating a number of adult pitches (as there is a surplus of almost six adult football pitches) into junior football and mini-soccer pitches. Hockey requirements are likely to be met by proposed upgrade of the ATP at Kingsthorpe Community College. Consideration should be given to any disposal of allotment sites is this area as potential pitch sites.
PPR10 Look to secure formal community use of school sites in Area 3 and re-designate some adult pitches. Refer to the Allotment strategy recommendations nos. 7 and 22
AREA 4 This densely populated area has the largest projected deficit of adult pitches and no suitable land available to develop new pitches. The proposed ATP for Mereway Community College will assist in reduction of the deficit, as will securing community access to other school pitches in the area. There is a need to look at any surplus in adjoining areas to offset the deficit, as well as opportunities close by to open up other pitch space for community use (eg. British Timken site). Changing facilities in this area (particularly at Kings Heath) are also poor and need to be addressed. In the Allotment Strategy, recommendation 24 has identified Kings Heath as having surplus allotment land. This land could be re- designated for pitch use under recommendation 22.
PPR11 Ensure that a healthy surplus of pitches is maintained in other areas where applicable. Look to secure formal community use of school sites and protect and secure community access to currently unused sites, or sites which at present do not have community access, in adjoining areas in order to offset large deficit in Area 4. Improve changing facilities in particular at the Kings Heath site. There are four new pitches at Upton coming into use in 2006 and four more at the St Crispin hospital site in the next 5 years, both are in the adjoining Area 6.
AREA 5: The overall shortfall in area five is higher than any other. As well as the large undersupply of junior rugby pitches, there are also deficiencies in junior football, mini-soccer and adult rugby. As there is only an oversupply of one adult football pitch, there is little scope for the re-designation of pitches. If the Town Cricket League continues to diminish in number of teams, all their matches could be catered for at the Racecourse and the cricket pitches at Abington Park changed to football use
31 PPR12 Look to secure formal community use of sites currently inaccessible to the community in Area 5 to help address overall Borough deficit. Re-designate any surplus cricket pitches at Abington Park for football use.
AREA 6 Although there is a projected shortfall of junior pitches this is likely to be met from the future development at Upton and St Crispin’s. However, this area of the borough will see the greatest population growth and therefore there is a need to maintain and make accessible as many pitches as possible to help address deficits in other areas and cater for future growth.
PPR13Look to secure formal community use of sites currently inaccessible to the community in Area 6 to help address overall Borough deficit. Some of the new pitches at Upton need to be designated for junior use.
AREA 7 Shortfalls in adult pitches can be met by sub-standard pitches being brought back into use on the Racecourse, the largest multiple pitch site in the Borough (and the County). Being a large site in a centrally accessible location, any surplus here helps alleviate the large deficits in other areas of the town and must be maintained. The pitches will also be more heavily used when the new changing facilities are built. Changing is also an issue at the Parklands site, where further football development for juniors is limited by the current facilities. Community use of the new STP at Northampton School for girls will provide for extra usage.
PPR14 Maintain any surplus in Area 7 to address wider needs across the Borough and improve changing facilities at the Racecourse and Parklands.
AREA 8 This area does not at present have many pitches accessible to the community, and has a projected deficit of 6 pitches. There is potential to secure community use of existing school sites at Millway Primary School and the currently unused playing fields at the British Timken site to help address some of the deficit, with the remaining deficit being reduced by new pitches to be created by developers at St Crispins and Upton on land across the boundary into Area 6. The re-location of St Luke’s Primary School will provide for upgraded pitches on the new site. The new STP at Duston School will provide extra facilities.
PPR15 Prevent any increase in the deficit of pitches in Area 8 and look to reduce this deficit by securing formal community use of existing school sites. Any re-development of the present St Luke’s Primary School site should provide for playing pitches together with appropriate changing facilities being available both at the new school and at Duston School. The council should look to assist the developers of the former British Timken site to manage the community use of the retained pitches .
32 The 2004 Borough Allotment strategy recommendation no.12 for the disposal of surplus land states “any land identified as surplus to the allotment service requirements would then fall under the remit of the development plan, which would decide if it should be classified as public open space or made available for development.”
PPR16 That any decision on the disposal of allotment land surplus to requirement should in the first instance refer to this strategy to see if it can meet the pitch deficits within that particular area partnership.
It is recommended that the policy recommendations in 6.3 will be reviewed in light of any change in relevant legislation and no later than 5 years from the adoption of this strategy.
7. ACTION PLAN
7.1 In order to progress the above policy recommendations, the following actions are recommended over the initial 12 month period of the strategy. Progress should be reviewed towards the end of this period and a further action plan for the second year subsequently produced.
7.2 Action Plan 2004/5:
No. Action Policy By Who By When Reference 1. Work closely with Northamptonshire PPR2,3,7,8,9, NBC Officers Ongoing County Council Schools Review 10,15 NCC Officers Team to identify surplus school sites that could be used to address the projected playing pitch deficit 2. Work closely with Northamptonshire PPR2,3,7,8,9,10, NBC Officers Ongoing County Council and their appointed 15 NCC Officers PFI contractor to ensure secure, Local affordable access for the community leagues and to school playing pitches (including sports clubs ATPs) 3. Utilise existing capital budgets to PPR4,14 NBC Officers Outline secure external funding for the NFA project refurbishment of priority changing NTFITC bid by facilities Local October leagues and 2004 sports clubs Submit bid by Jan 2005 4. Establish a working group involving PPR1-15 Planning, 2005 all relevant NBC officers to regularly Outdoor review opportunities for utilising Environment, Section 106 funds to meet the Community strategy objectives Development and Participation 33
34
APPENDIX A Relevant extracts from the Northamptonshire County Playing Pitch Strategy*
APPENDIX B PMP suggestions on possible funding sources for new pitches
APPENDIX C - Relevant extracts from the “Parks Changing Rooms Refurbishment – Initial Evaluation Report”, Strategic Resources Directorate, Jan 2003*
APPENDIX D - Area Partnership Boundary Map
APPENDIX E - List of all sports teams playing in Northampton and their home grounds
*Complete documents available to view on request at Northampton Borough Council, Cliftonville House, Bedford Rd, Northampton, NN4 7NR.
35
Relevant extracts from the Northamptonshire County Playing Pitch Strategy i. Northamptonshire County Playing Pitch Strategy – Executive Summary ii. Northampton – Playing pitch issues and solutions iii. Mini-Soccer iv. Pitches/ facilities requiring investigation v. List of pitches included in survey
36
(i) Executive Summary i Northamptonshire Sport (NSport) commissioned PMP Consultancy to produce a County wide playing pitch strategy in April 2002. The Strategy has been developed in accordance with the methodology developed by Sport England in conjunction with the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA) and the Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR). ii The strategy will assist NSport plan for the future development of playing pitches through highlighting major areas of deficiency, problems and areas of opportunity. It contains an analysis of the current picture, summarises the research process and the playing pitch methodology (PPM), identifies key issues and recommends priorities for future development. iii The aim of the Playing Pitch Methodology is to determine the number of pitches required for each activity based on demand. The methodology used for this strategy is related precisely to the local situation. The strategy focuses on pitch provision for football, rugby union, hockey and cricket. iv Supply: there are 596 playing pitches in Northamptonshire with secured community use. These pitches have been identified through a combination of validating existing data, surveys to clubs and pitch providers, meetings and telephone consultation. They comprise:
• 293 adult football pitches • 73 junior football pitches • 23 mini soccer pitches • 143 cricket pitches • 53 rugby pitches • 12 synthetic turf hockey pitches. v The total area of these pitches is 581.2 hectares. 84% of these pitches are adult pitches (1 adult pitch per 1057 adults in the County). 46% of community pitches are operated by the seven District / Borough authorities in Northamptonshire. There are no LEA owned schools with secured dual use agreements. Quality of pitches is generally perceived to be poor, with particular problems of drainage and changing rooms. vi Demand: There are a total of 590 clubs and 1526 teams in the County across all sports. vii Analysis: An application of the PPM demonstrates (overleaf) the calculations undertaken to determine the overall surplus or deficit of pitches for the County.
37
Football1 Cricket5 Rugby5 Hockey5
STAGE ONE Adult teams 456 382 191 126 Identifying teams Junior teams 371 STAGE TWO Adult teams 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.7 Calculate home games per week Junior teams 0.5 STAGE THREE (S1x S2) Adult games 22 267 96 88 Assessing total home games per week Junior games 186 STAGE FOUR Saturday Adult games 30% 40% 50% 65% Junior games 5% Establish temporal demand for Sunday Adult games 60% 40% 50% 25% 2 pitches Junior games 95% Midweek Adult games 10% 20% 0% 10% Junior games 0% STAGE FIVE (S3 x S4) Saturday Adult games 68 107 47 57 Junior games 9 Defining pitches used each day Sunday Adult games 137 107 47 22 Junior games 176 Midweek Adult games 23 53 0 9 Junior teams 0 STAGE SIX Adult pitches 293 143 53 483 (12 STPs) Establishing grass pitches currently available3 Junior pitches 75 STAGE SEVEN (S6-S5) Saturday Adult pitches +224 +36 +5 -9 (-2.3 STPs) Junior pitches +65 Identifying shortfall (-) and surplus (+) Sunday Adult pitches +156 +36 +5 +26 (+6.5STPs) Junior pitches -101 Midweek Adult pitches +270 +89 +53 +39 (+9.8 Junior pitches +75 STPs)
viii When the PPM is applied at local authority level, further detail is revealed:
PPM Summary 2002 TOTAL SHORTFALL TOTAL SHORTFALL for of STPs Shortfall teams played hockey (if all base) home in their Shortfall/ surplus of adult of adult surplus Shortfall/ football pitches of junior surplus Shortfall/ football pitches Shortfall/ surplus of cricket pitches rugby of surplus Shortfall/ pitches Shortfall/ surplus of STPs for hockey Corby 9.2 -9.1 -3.0 1.3 1.0 -0.6 1.4
Daventry 27.7 5.2 7.2 6.0 -1.5 44.6 1.2
East Northamptonshire 9.9 -23.9 6.7 1.8 No data -5.6 -0.1
Kettering 11.8 -24.8 0.0 -1.5 -0.5 -15.0 -0.8 Northampton 28.7 -16.5 10.2 -2.3 0.0 20.2 -5.2 South Northamptonshire 45.3 -27.4 9.4 0.0 -2.3 25.1 0.9 Wellingborough 23.6 -4.7 5.4 0.0 -0.2 24.1 0.2 Total 156.2 -101.2 36.0 5.3 -2.3
38 ix The population of Northamptonshire is predicted to increase by 65,958 by 2016. As a result, more teams will be generated. By 2016, the PPM indicates:
PPM Summary 2016 TOTAL SHORTFALL TOTAL SHORTFALL for of STPs Shortfall teams played hockey (if all base) home in their Shortfall/ surplus of adult football pitches Shortfall/ surplus of junior football pitches Shortfall/ surplus of cricket pitches rugby of Shortfall/ surplus pitches Shortfall/ surplus of STPs for hockey Corby 5.3 -13.9 -5.0 -0.1 0.8 -12.8 1.3 Daventry 25.9 4.2 5.2 5.6 -1.7 39.2 1.1
East Northamptonshire 8.7 -28.2 5.1 1.2 No data -13.4 -0.1 Kettering 10.0 -28.2 -1.6 -2.0 -0.5 -22.3 -0.9 Northampton 23.6 -20.3 8.3 -3.9 0.0 7.7 -5.5 South Northamptonshire 43.2 -31.6 6.7 -1.0 -2.5 14.8 0.8 Wellingborough 19.6 -10.0 3.4 -1.1 -0.3 11.5 0.1 Total 136.3 -127.9 22.1 -1.3 -4.3
x The strategy indicates key issues and future priorities for the County. There is a need to protect existing provision, overcome identified deficiencies and enhance existing provision as follows:
(a) Protect existing provision: through negotiating secured community use agreements on the 50 education sites with pitches and through section 106 agreements.
(b) Overcome identified deficiencies: through retaining spare capacity and surplus pitches, and through the following specific measures in each authority:
• Corby: seek to address the shortfall in junior football and cricket pitches through developer contributions and grant aid. Improve quality of existing pitch stock
• Daventry: seek to address the shortfall in junior football pitches through developer contributions, dual-use agreements and grant aid. Undertake further work to establish the geographic spread of facilities and particular needs of rural areas and retain surplus pitches for rest and recovery
• East Northamptonshire: seek to address the shortfall in junior football pitches through developer contributions, dual-use agreements and grant aid. Undertake further work to establish the geographic spread of facilities and particular needs of rural areas, improve pitch quality, and identify a site for a new STP / new generation turf STP. Retain the surplus of pitches to allow for rest and recovery. 39
• Kettering: seek to address the shortfall in junior football and rugby pitches through developer contributions, dual-use agreements and grant aid. Identify a site for an additional STP / new generation STP and retain surplus grass pitches to allow for rest and recovery. Improve changing facilities at surplus pitches to relieve pressure on over used sites and ensure a more even spread of use. Retain the surplus of pitches to allow for rest and recovery.
• Northampton: seek to address the shortfall in junior football and rugby pitches through securing the British Timken site, developer contributions, dual-use agreements and grant aid. Improve the existing STPs and seek to establish a further STP / new generation STP. Retain the surplus of pitches to allow for rest and recovery
• South Northamptonshire: seek to address the shortfall in junior football pitches through remarking of adult pitches, developer contributions, dual-use agreements and grant aid. Retain the surplus of pitches to allow for rest and recovery
• Wellingborough: seek to address the shortfall in junior football pitches through developer contributions, dual-use agreements and grant aid. Start discussions with Sport England to agree the most appropriate cause of action for any remaining surplus pitches.
(c) Enhance existing provision: through continuously identifying sites for improvement, by consulting with local clubs and undertaking site visits.
(d) A process for setting priorities: The strategy recognises that sufficient financial resources will not be immediately available to meet all the identified needs. It outlines a process for setting priorities through:
1. Defining a long list of projects 2. Ensuring an even geographical spread and a proportionate spread across sports 3. Applying a set of criteria, based on strategic need, sports development, management and sustainability, and equity. 4. Scoring projects against this criteria and listing projects in priority order 5. Identifying appropriate funding sources.
Recommendations xi All partners should:
• strive to protect all existing areas of playing pitch land and open space • develop local facilities to meet local needs • seek to retain spare capacity • address the shortfall of junior football pitches through re-designation of adult pitches, negotiation with schools and development of changing and ancillary facilities • upgrade existing provision before seeking to develop new sites 40 xii NSport should:
• lead on the prioritisation of projects (as outlined above) to ensure the most suitable projects are given the opportunity to apply for funding • produce guidance in line with the Partnership’s approved Equity Policy and Sport England’s Lottery guidance to ensure fair access to playing pitches and ancillary facilities • work in partnership with all Local Authorities to advocate the inclusion of the priorities highlighted within the Playing Pitch strategy within each Local Plan xiii Local authorities should seek to address shortfalls as set out in paragraph x above.
41 (ii) Table 6.6 Northampton – Playing pitch issues and solutions
Issue Solution Current shortfall of 16.5 junior 1 The Council to look to secure the British Timken site (which was taken out of football pitches. Predicted to use for the community in 2001) for sports use. Securing access to this site increase to 20.3 by 2016. would allow for much of the shortfall be addressed (in an area of the Borough that is deprived and currently lacking in sports pitches)
2 To combat the remaining shortfall of junior football pitches, the Council should seek developer contributions via 106 agreements in the proposed housing areas eg Wootton Fields (already allocated), South West District and St Crispins Hospital (already allocated), Upton and Ladybridge (already allocated). 3 Dual-use agreement with schools (with suitable pitches and ancillary facilities) should be pursued (in conjunction with Northamptonshire County Council) to open up their pitches for community use for junior football and 4 mini-soccer.
Applications for grant aid to the Football Foundation in partnership with local clubs and the Northamptonshire FA for the acquisition of land for new pitches should also be considered.
(See also paras 6.13 – 6.15) Current surplus of 28.7 adult 5 The large surplus masks of reality in Northampton. The drainage of some football pitches. Predicted to pitches require attention and many sites lack changing facilities (see Table decrease to 23.6 by 2016. 6.10). This results in some sites not being used to full potential. Therefore, all surplus pitches should be retained to accommodate for latent demand to 2016 (5 new pitches), allow for rest and recovery and to accommodate girls/ women’s football which is currently growing rapidly in the Borough. Improvements should be made to the sites as listed in Table 6.10. Current surplus of 10.2 cricket 6 The surplus masks of reality in Northampton. In reality, many pitches are pitches. Predicted to decrease being under-used due to high costs (especially school sites) and to 8.3 by 2016. unfavourable locations. Many Council-owned pitches are being under-used and the reasons for this need to be explored. At this stage, taking these issues into account, all pitches should be retained to allow for future demand in 2016 (2 more pitches) and to allow for rest and recovery. Improvements should be made to the sites as listed in Table 6.10. Current shortfall of 2.3 rugby 7 To cater for unmet demand, three possible options should be explored: (a) pitches. Predicted to increase obtain formal community use agreements for use of suitable school pitches to 3.9 by 2016. (b) seek developer contributions and (c) apply for grant aid to external funding bodies (eg Sport England Lottery Fund, NOF Green Spaces etc). This should be undertaken in partnership with local rugby clubs and the East Midlands Constituent Body. 8 All existing pitches should be retained and improvements made to the sites listed in Table 6.10. Current supply equals demand 9 The two ATPs in Northampton that are available to the community are for hockey. sufficient to meet the needs of the 16 teams currently playing ‘home’ matches in with the local authority boundaries. However, a further 43 teams If all teams based in based in Northampton play ‘home’ matches in neighbouring authorities due Northampton are provided for to a lack of appropriate local facilities. If these teams are taken into account, within the Borough boundaries, Northampton would need to accommodate at least 22 more home games per a clear shortfall would be week. There is therefore a clear need for additional ATP’s in the Borough. evident (5.2 in 2002, The development of new pitches should therefore be considered, subject to increasing to 5.5 by 2016). the application of Sport England’s Facility Planning Model).
10 The two ATP sites are both in need of improvement. It is therefore recommended that improvements are made to the two pitches as listed in Table 6.10.
11 Provisions should be made for the maintenance and future replacement of these and any further new pitches.
42
(iii) Mini-soccer
6.13 With regards to mini-soccer, Northamptonshire FA have highlighted the need for new sites to be developed over the next few years as the Weetabix League, the Northamptonshire Youth Alliance and the Northampton League continue to expand. 6.14 It is recommended that at least one site (specifically designed for mini- soccer) is developed in each of the main towns in the County (Corby, Daventry, Kettering, Northampton, Rushden, Towcester, Wellingborough)
6.15 The priority site for development should be Northampton as the Northampton League have already identified a need for 12 new mini soccer pitches in the town.
43
(iv)
Table 6.10 Pitches/ facilities requiring investigation
Site Sport(s) Owned by Aspect needing attention played Northampton Racecourse Football, Northampton Changing Facilities and quality of cricket BC rugby pitch and rugby Kings Heath ATP Hockey Northampton Security, quality of ancillary facilities BC parking Kingsthorpe Hockey Local Quality of pitch – dangerous at Community College Education present STP Authority Southfields Football Northampton Development of changing facilities BC
Ecton Brook Football Northampton Development of changing facilities BC
Rectory Farm Football Northampton Development of changing facilities BC
Parklands Park Football Northampton Development of changing facilities BC
Victoria Park Football Northampton Development of changing facilities BC
Kingsthorpe Football Northampton Development of changing facilities Recreation Ground and BC cricket Ryelands OB CC, Cricket LEA Pitch improvement Ryelands Middle School (to be transferred to Duston Upper School as part of review)
44 (v)
Site Nr of adult Nr of Nr of mini Nr of Nr of Nr of Nr of Local Authority football junior football cricket adult junior artificial pitches football pitches pitches rugby rugby hockey pitches pitches pitches pitches
Collingtree Playing Field 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Northampton Great Billing Recreation Ground 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Hardingstone Recreation Ground 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Wootton Playing Fields 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 Northampton Boys Brigade Old Boys RFC 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Northampton Northampton Casuals RFC 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Northampton Northampton Saints Sports Club 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Northampton Northampton Spencer F C 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Northants Cc Sports Ground 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 Northampton Old Northamptonians, Billing Rd 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 Northampton Sileby Rangers F C 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton St Andrews Hospital 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 Northampton St Crispins, Duston 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Northampton Abington Park 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 Northampton Acre Lane Open Space 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Briar Hill Open Space 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Dallington Park 4 0 3 3 0 0 0 Northampton Eastfield Park 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Ecton Brook Open Space 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Errington Park 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Far Cotton Recreation Ground 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Kings Heath 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 Northampton Kingsthorpe Recreation Ground 5 1 0 2 0 0 0 Northampton Lings Wood 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Parklands Park 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 Northampton Racecourse 16 1 0 13 1 0 0 Northampton Rectory Farm Open Space 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Round Spinney 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Southfields Open Space 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Sixfields Stadium 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Victoria Park 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Kingsthorpe Community College 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Northampton Nene College (Park Campus) 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 Northampton 71 12 5 27 12 0 2
45
Funding sources 7.1 As it is likely that a large number of new pitches will be needed for Northampton, this section explains the most likely sources of funding.
Developer contributions/ Section 106s 7.2 It is a long-standing and accepted principle that new residential developments should include the provision of appropriate areas of public open space. It is now formally accepted that all such development should actually contribute to the provision of open space, including playing pitches, which are required to meet the needs generated by the development and prevent deficiencies and shortfalls being increased.
7.3 It is important that the Council continues to have firm pitch protection policies in local plans, in which there are clear, unambiguous agreements under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act (1990) between planning authorities and house builders to ensure that playing pitches are provided by the developer as a basic element of community provision for new residential areas and that appropriate provision is made for future maintenance. Most playing pitch provision would be off-site (ideally provision should be forthcoming from the developers of every new house) and should be vested in an appropriate authority to secure it as public open space and prevent loss of facilities.
7.4 All local authorities that are involved in the housing development process are advised to refer to the Good Practice Guide: Providing for sport and recreation through new housing development (Sport England 2001, www.sportengland.org/new_housing.pdf). This guide for planners, sports development and leisure officers, developers and others involved in the housing development process gives advice on how sport and recreation provision can successfully be achieved in conjunction with new housing. Emphasis is given to:
• pursuing a strategic approach at local authority level • the need to link the corporate strategy and Best Value work of authorities with the process of negotiating new and refurbished sports facilities • joint working between sport and leisure professionals and land use planners within authorities • the provision of sound justification for what is sought from developers and other applicants for planning permission.
NB. Further guidance on the use of planning agreements to secure sport and recreation provision in new developments can be found in the Sport England publication ‘Planning obligations for sport and recreation: a guide for negotiation and action’.
46 Sources of capital funding 7.5 Areas for improvement identified in the site visits may require either capital or revenue expenditure (or both). There are several potential sources of financial aid. These include:
• Football Foundation • Sport England Lottery Fund • Rugby Football Foundation • New Opportunities Fund. Football Foundation 7.6 The Foundation is dedicated to revitalising the grass roots of the game, constructing modern football infrastructure creating facilities that are fit for the game in the 21st century. The maximum grant for a capital project is £1 million. Grants of this size will only be awarded in exceptional circumstances. The percentage level of support is variable, but in exceptional circumstances could reach 90%. It is expected that the maximum level of support available will soon decrease to 50%, putting an emphasis on other funding routes for matched funding.
7.7 It was announced at the end of September 2004 that funding for the Football Foundation was being extended, and a £45m package has been agreed. The Football Foundation will now cover more than just the traditional football related projects, expanding beyond football into multi – sport pitches and modern facilities with the aim of encouraging people to get hit and healthy by giving them the opportunity to play a number of sports.
7.8 (See http://www.footballfoundation.org.uk/ for more information)
Rugby Football Foundation In January 2003, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) announced the commencement of this fund. Community rugby clubs can apply for grants and/or interest-free loans to fund capital facility projects which contribute to the recruitment and retention of players. This funding is available to clubs participating at Level 5 or below
7.9 There are two different elements to the fund:
• Ground Match Grant Scheme: this provides easy-to-access grant funding for capital playing projects which contribute to the recruitment and retention of players. A list of projects that qualify for a grant will be sent to clubs on request as part of the application pack. All projects that qualify for a grant also qualify for the loan (see below)
At present, clubs can apply for between £1,500 and £5,000, which they must equally match (ie 50:50). Clubs may only apply for one grant per project.
47 • Interest-free loan schemes: The interest-free loan scheme provides loans to clubs to help finance capital projects which contribute to the recruitment and retention of players. The key features of the scheme are: - loans will be interest-free (though if a club defaults on a capital payment, the whole loan will be subject to interest until the outstanding amounts are paid) - the maximum loan available is £100,000 - the maximum loan period will be 15 years, including an initial two- year capital holiday - security will be required for the loan scheme in the form of either a charge over property or personal guarantees. - 7.10 Please note that clubs may apply for both a grant and a loan for the same project (providing that the appropriate conditions are met). A club could, therefore, apply for a maximum grant of £5,000 (providing it matches it with £5,000 of other funding) and a maximum loan of £100,000. Grants and loans will be awarded by the Trustees of the Rugby Football Foundation.
Information packs are available from the Secretary of the Rugby Football Foundation, Graham Hancock. He can be contacted on 020 8831 6538 or by e- mail ([email protected]) or at the Rugby Football Foundation, Rugby House, Rugby Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1DS
Big Lottery Fund (previously New Opportunities Fund) 7.11 Through the Playing Fields strand of the Big Lottery Fund, funding is available for the purchase or improvement of playing pitches (not clubhouses). There is no limit to the maximum grant that can be applied for, but the percentage level of support is typically no more than 65% (although it can be up to 95% in the most deprived wards.
7.12 This programme will run for four years. It started in May 2001, so is now well into its third year. However, the aim was to award the bulk of the funding in the first three years and to use the fourth year for monitoring, so the potential for securing funding from this is limited.
(See http://www.nof.org.uk/ for more information)
7.13 In addition to the above, it has recently been announced that £60 million is to made available from Government for local sports clubs, described by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport as the first step in an a range of programmes to enhance community clubs, the backbone of sport in England.
7.14 The £60 million has come from two sources: £20 million in the Chancellor’s April 2002 budget statement for the modernisation of community sports facilities; and a further £40 million through the Government’s comprehensive spending review.
48 7.15 Specific investment for grassroots facilities has been already identified across four sports (football, cricket, tennis and rugby union). Each of these will receive individual payments of £9.4 million. Other sports will be entitled to bid for specific projects from the remaining pot, which will be administered by Sport England. Hockey is included among these sports.
7.16 The funding, which will run over three years from April 2003 until March 2006, will be distributed to the national governing bodies, (NGBs). The NGBs will then identify projects for investment, which will go before a project board for consideration.
49
Relevant extracts from the “Parks Changing Rooms Refurbishment – Initial Evaluation Report”, Strategic Resources Directorate, Jan 2003
50 Parks Changing Rooms Refurbishment Report
1.00 Brief
This report is in response to a request from Richard Gold Principal Horticultural Officer for a list of recommended improvements plus estimated costs for the refurbishment of the parks changing rooms.
2.00 Summary
The report identifies where the Borough is now in relation to provision and condition of sports changing room facilities in the following parks.
Abington Park Acre Lane Dallington Park Far Cotton Recreation Ground Kings Heath Recreation Ground Kingsthorpe Recreation Ground Lings wood Park Amenity Parklands Devon Way Racecourse Victoria Park
The report considerers the changing rooms in relation to a benchmark standard currently provided at Lings wood Park. It is anticipated that this report will promote discussion and debate to determine the strategy for provision of sports changing room facilities within the Borough.
2.1 Limitations and scope of report.
The report is based on a desktop study of available information including condition survey data and from site visits.
It should be noted that a detailed feasibility study has not been undertaken for any of the sites. Full detailed feasibility studies will be required in order to establish potential planning implications and utility services provision etc. This work will need to be undertaken once the client is able to provide indications of the scope of the work required and will be developed to support the business case.
2.2 Findings and conclusions
Site visits identified 70% of current accommodation fall below the benchmark standard.
Outline budget costs for improvement / refurbishment works are indicated in Para 7.0. It should be noted that those costs are indicative only and will be the subject of a detailed feasibility study. Prior to such a study the client will need to identify the level of facility required at each site. In particular the number of changing rooms for each site that can be supported from a business case prospective.
51
For completeness the report includes a general view in regard to maintenance and cleaning
3.00 Introduction
Parks changing rooms are predominantly used by local football league teams.
The Borough has 10 principle sites where football is played with 45 marked out full size grass pitches, 5 junior and an “Astroturf” dry play area. Changing accommodation is provided at all sites.
Two sites currently use temporary “Portakabin” type changing accommodation.
The hub of local football appears to be The Racecourse, which houses 16 football pitches.
Saturday and Sunday league football is the main user of facilities. Occasionally rugby, hockey, American and Irish football make use of park facilities. Schools take advantage of some sites during the week.
At the height of the football season on Sundays in particular changing accommodation is required for 102 teams (1530 football players), 51 referees.
Eight permanent and two temporary changing room building facilities serve the local football community. Accommodation is of varying standards and maintained order.
4.00 Setting the Standard
Sports ground facilities and associated changing accommodation require regular maintenance, periodic refurbishment and modernisation if they are to meet today’s standards and new and extended facilities for the users.
Where existing facilities have fallen below standard or no longer meet customer requirements, the option to upgrade and modernise them need to be compared with the provision of a new build facility.
Design standard used within this report have been influenced by data obtained from Internet site info4local Gov. This data supports team facility separation. The Boroughs most recent built park changing rooms at Lingswood Park also influences standard setting. The quality and facility achieved at this park provides a benchmark, reflecting today’s standard, by which the rest of the Boroughs changing accommodation can and has been judged.
Team level separation allows for better and improved management control, letting economies, equal opportunities considerations and greater flexibility of use for multi-sports use rather than just footballers. It discourages internal vandalism, allows for in-changing room team briefings, improves levels of security of team and individual belongings.
52 This level of separation also allows for effective policing and recharging for damage, which in turn encourages teams to leave their changing space in the condition, they found it. Hygiene factors and general personal comfort conditions are enhanced providing a healthier and customer friendly environment for all.
It would be feasible on the larger sites for ‘home’ teams to pay for a licence and rent for a season a specific segregated unit of changing accommodation from the Borough creating a revenue stream opportunity. Teams would have their own identifiable lockable changing unit and a base for park training sessions or just to meet up to talk tactics.
5.00 Categories of accommodation
For ease of comparison, the Boroughs parks changing accommodation can be divided into the following categories:
A. Meets “today’s expected standard” of segregation and facility.
B. Generally meets “today’s expected standard” of segregation and facility.
C. Fails to meet “today’s expected standard” of segregation and or facility. Reconfiguration of internal space to achieve segregation is considered to be viable.
D. Fails to meet “today’s expected standard” of segregation and or facility. Replace with new build considered the economical solution
6.00 Standard of current accommodation
Based upon site visit information the Borough’s units of changing accommodation have been judged as follows: -
One unit of changing accommodation fits category A (Lingswood Park)
Two units fit category B (Dallington Park and Kingsthorpe Recreation Ground).
Two units fit category C ( Far Cotton Recreation Ground and Victoria Park).
Three units fit category D ( Abington Park, Acre Lane and The Racecourse).
It is assumed the two temporary buildings (Parklands Devon Way and Kings Heath Recreation Ground) will eventually be replaced with new build
53 7.00 Outline Budgets
Site Category Recommended Work Budget Cost £
Abington Park D New Build 6 teams segregation* 200,000
Acre Lane D New Build 10 teams segregation* 350,000
Dallington Park B ~ ~
Far Cotton Recreation Re-order internal arrangement to provide 6 Ground C teams segregation 150,000
King Heath Recreation Temporary Ground Building New Build 10 teams segregation * 350,000
Kingsthorpe Recreation Ground B ~ ~
Lingswood Park Amenity A ~ ~
Temporary Parklands Devin Way Building New Build 10 teams segregation* 350,000
Racecourse D New Build 32 teams segregation* 960,000
Re-order internal arrangement to provide 4 Victoria park C teams segregation 140,000
Total excluding VAT £ 2,500,000
*Note Consideration to be given by client as to the number of changing rooms required based on based on detailed feasibility studies and consultation with existing and potential customers.
54
Area Partnership Boundary Map
AREA WARDS 1 Castle, St.Crispin, Abington 2 Thorplands, Lumbertubs, Ecton Brook, Billing 3 Boughton Green, St. David, Kingsthorpe 4 Spencer, St. James, Delapre 5 Weston, Headlands, Eastfield 6 West Hunsbury, East Hunsbury, Nene Valley 7 Parklands, Kingsley 8 New Duston, Old Duston
55 3 7 5
8 2 1 4
6 NORTHAM PTON AREA PARTNERSHI PS
DAVID ALDERSON HEAD OF PLANNING TRA NSPORTATION AND REGENERATIO N
Produced from the 2003 Ordnance Survey 1:1250 mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. APPENDIX
E
Home grounds of all teams 2003/4
CRICKET
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club Wantage Road 2nd XI Northants Academy
NORTHAMPTON CRICKET LEAGUE
TEAM HOME GROUND Doddridge Racecourse United Social “ Olivair Abington Park Abington “ Spencer Dallington Park Prims XLCR & XLCR 1 “ Primrose Hill Kingsthorpe Rec Bold Dragoon Old Northamptonians Obelisk “A” Obelisk Centre Obelisk “B” Obelisk Centre St Michaels WFUS Spencer Dallington Park Ecton Hall Ecton Northants Stars WFUS Trinity Orchard Trinity Upper School
NORTHAMPTON & DISTRICT F.G.WATTS & PARTNERS YOUTH CRICKET LEAGUE
TEAMHOME GROUND Kingsthorpe Jets (U13) Northampton Saints (U11, U13, U15, U17) Birchfield Road East Old Northamptonians (U11, U13, U15, U17) Billing Road St Crispin & Ryelands (U11, U13) Berrywood Road
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CRICKET LEAGUE
TEAM HOME GROUND County Hall Wootton Hall Northampton Saints (1st and 2nd team) Birchfield Road East Northants Police Wootton Hall Park Old Northamptonians Billing Road St Crispins/Ryelands Berrywood Road
58 FOOTBALL
NATIONWIDE LEAGUE 3RD DIVISION
Northampton Town Sixfields Reserves Sixfields Youth Team Moulton College Womens Fernie Fields Multi-disabled Sixfields
NORTHANTS SUNDAY CONFERENCE
TEAM HOME GROUND AFC Trinity Racecourse Billing United Great Billing Sports Field Pierce Hydro United Lingswood Park Premier Search Kingsthorpe Recreation Grd Robert Horne Dallington Park Sixfields United Thomas Beckett School Standens Barn Lingswood Park AK Robert Horne Abington Park Beckett Rangers Dallington Park Borough United Lingswood Park Bridgewater Wanderers Lingswood Park Cricketers Arms Racecourse Duston Barnstormers Errington Park Norteles Acre Lane Standens Barn Reserves Lingswood Park Bat & Wickets Racecourse Eastern Eagles Lingswood Park Mastermove Abington Park Northampton Obelisk FC Acre Lane Northampton Sapphires Ecton Brook Robert Horne Reserves Parklands Ecton Brook United Ecton Brook Mill Park Reserves Acre Lane Image Cougars Racecourse Sixfield United Reserves Thomas Beckett School Winchester Rovers Lingswood Park
59
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ALLIANCE
TEAM HOME GROUND AC Squirrel Duston Upper School Alba Eagles Racecourse Barratts Mereway Middle Sch Boughton Green Athletic Cliftonville Middle Sch The Brittania Racecourse Broadmead Sinners No home ground Carlsberg Tetley Kingsthorpe Mill The Cock Kingsthorpe Rec Clicker Athletic Lingswood Park Cliftonville United Cliftonville Middle Sch Collingtree Rangers Wootton Playing Fields Corinthians Wootton Hall Dark Horses Southfields Duke of York Racecourse EDNSC Lingswood Park Exclusive Rovers (2 teams) Racecourse JWC Athletic ( “ “ ) Racecourse Ketts Acre Lane Lion Flooring ( “ “ ) Far Cotton/Kingsthorpe Rec Locomotive Kingsthorpe Kingsthorpe Community College Loft Style Saints Abington Park Longboat ( “ “ ) Dallington Park Lynhurst Southfields Maguire’s Kingsthorpe Rec Mildan Wanderers Lingswood Park Nene Valley Rangers Kingsthorpe Rec Northampton’s Own Abington Park Northern Lights Lingswood Park Nunn Mills Far Cotton Rec Overstone Diamonds Abington Park Pastures Palace Acre Lane Pioneer Southfields Probables Kingsthorpe Rec Punch & Judy ( “ “ ) Racecourse Racing Club Mercedes Kingsthorpe Rec Rangers Racecourse Red Lion Kislingbury Racecourse Riverside ( “ “ ) Rectory Farm Royals ( “ “ ) Abington Park Semilong WMC ( “ “ ) Racecourse Southfields Youth Southfields Spencer Arms Acre Lane
60 Spinney Hill Racecourse St Andrews St Andrews Hospital Sunnyside Warriors Obelisk Centre Swan & Helmet Dallington Park/Racecourse Thorplands United Racecourse Transport Social Club Victoria Park Venturians Dallington Park Westone Club 81 Weston Favell Upper School Wheatsheaf Victoria Park
ARAGLEN NORTHAMPTON SUNDAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
TEAM HOME GROUND Abington Rangers Lingswood Park Double Top FC Racecourse Dynamo FC Abington Park Golden Horse FC Far Cotton Rec Kings Heath United Kings Heath Oval NCC Nusport Wootton Hall Park Northampton United Dallington Park St Margaret’s Victoria Park Abington Rangers Reserves Racecourse Abington Stanley FC Racecourse The Academicals Racecourse AFC Byron Racecourse AFC Grasshoppers Racecourse FC Rileys Racecourse Gunners SA FC Racecourse Romany FC Lingswood Park St Margarets Reserves Victoria Park Sixfields Hungry Horse Dallington Park
NORTHAMPTON TOWN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
TEAM HOME GROUND Airflow Dallington Park Ashley Rovers Kingsthorpe Rec Bective Wanderers Racecourse Delapre Old Boys Far Cotton Rec Duston United Dallington Park Kingsthorpe Nomads Kingsthorpe Rec University College Northampton Park Campus Wootton St George Wootton Rec AC Kingsthorpe Kingsthorpe Rec
61 Airflow Reserves Victoria Park Athletico Gardeners Abington Park Bective Wanderers Reserves Racecourse First Point Victoria Park Kingsthorpe Wanderers Kingsthorpe Rec O.N Chenecks ‘A’ Billing Road
AFC Kingsley Lingswood Park Ashley Rovers Reserves Kingsthorpe Rec Double Four Far Cotton Rec Ford Sports ‘A’ Racecourse Northampton Amateurs Racecourse TWS Racecourse Wootton St Georges Reserves Wootton Rec
NORTHAMPTON & DISTRICT YOUTH ALLIANCE
TEAMAGE GROUP HOME GROUND Abbey Strollers U10 Racecourse Abington Athletic U10 (x2) Cliftonville Middle School Barry FC U11 Barry Road or Kings Heath Duston Knights U9, U10(x2), U1 Ryelands Middle Sch U12, U13 Duston Rovers U12 Errington Park Eastern Eagles U8, U9 (a&b), U10 (a&b) Weston Favell Upper School U11, U12 Far Cotton Colts U1 Far Cotton Rec Gregory Celtic U8 (a&b), U9 (a&b), U10, St Marys Middle Sch U11, U12, U13, U15, U16 Kingsley United U15 Racecourse Kingsthorpe Jets U9, U11, U12, U13(x2), St Davids Middle U14 (x2), U15 (x2), U16 Kingsthorpe Knights U12, U14 Acre Lane Lionverge Youth U13 Kingsthorpe Middle Sch Nene Rangers U8 (x2), U9 (x2), U12 Thomas Becket School Northampton Soccer U8, U9, U10, U11, U12 Abington Park or Stars Racecourse Northampton Spencer U8, U12, U15 Studland Road Youth Northampton Vampires U14 Lings Park, Southfields or Round Spinney O.N. Chenecks Old Northamptonians Parklands Tigers U8 (x2), U9 (x3), U10 (x2), Parklands Community U11Centre U12, U13 (x2), U14 (x2)
62 Phoenix Youth U15 Racecourse Rushmere Rovers U11 Abington Park or Racecourse Spinney Hill Colts U11 Parklands Community Centre Spinney Scorpions U13, U15 Racecourse St Georges U15 Victoria Park Sywell United U15 Parklands Community Centre Sunnyside Warriors U8 (x2), U9 (x2), U10 (x3) Obelisk Centre U11 (x2), U12 (x2), U13, U14, U15 United Trades Youth U13, U1 Eastfield Park Welland Valley U8 (x2), U9 (x2), U10 (z2) Wootton Brook U11 (x2), U12 (x2), U13 U14,U15 White Hart Youth U14 Far Cotton Rec Whitefield Norpol U13 Wootton Hall Police HQ Wootton St George U9, U10, U11 Wootton Playing Fields
NORTHANTS COMBINATION LEAGUE
TEAM HOME GROUND AFC Sovereigns (x2) Dallington Park Northampton Police Wootton Hall Police HQ Northampton Sapphires Lingswood Park Whitefield Norpol Wootton Hall Police HQ
UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE
TEAM HOME GROUND Northampton ON Chenecks Old Northamptonians Northampton Sileby Rangers Fernie Fields, Moulton Northampton Spencer Kingsthorpe Mill
NORTHANTS SENIOR YOUTH LEAGUE
TEAM HOME GROUND Northampton Spencer Youth Old Northamptonians
63 NORTHANTS 92 YOUTH LEAGUE
TEAM HOME GROUND Duston Diamonds (U13) Errington Park Duston Knights (U13) Kings Heath Welland Warriors (U13) Ladybridge Drive Giles Park Wanderers (U16) Kings Heath United Trades Youth (U16) Eastfield Park
WEETABIX YOUTH LEAGUE - GIRLS
TEAM HOME GROUND Parklands Tigers (U12, U13, U14) Great Houghton Sunnyside Warriors (U10, U11, U13 & U15) Obelisk Centre Wootton St George Jets (U13) Farmclose Road Welland Valley (U13) Wootton Brook Duston Knights (U13 & U15) Melbourne Lane
HOCKEY
Northampton Lions (Mens training) Kings Heath 60% adults, 40% Under 18 Northampton Lions Trinity School (After school club in summer) Sat 30% adults, 70% U18s Sun 100% U18s (exception of occasional cup comps or rearranged matches) Towcester Ladies Northampton High School Thurs eve training and Saturday matches 60% adults, 40% under 18 Mascot Mixed Northampton High School Thurs eve training 80% adult 20 % under 18 Northamptonshire Mixed Hockey Assoc Kingsthorpe Comm. College Occasional Saturday usage 80% adult 20 % under 18* University College Northampton Possibly Trinity???? UCN struggling as pitches are school based and they need the facilities in curriculum time. Possible Trinity connection but no floodlights at present. • Northamptonshire HA uses KCC as a last resort • Northampton Lions have 5 mens teams, 3 ladies teams, 1 mixed affiliated club and 9 junior teams. • Towcester Ladies have 2 ladies teams and junior team • All other NBC clubs are 1 or 2 team based with no recognised junior sections
64 RUGBY UNION
TEAM AGE GROUP HOME GROUND Northampton Saints Franklins Gardens Northampton Academy Wanderers Northampton BBOB 3 senior, 1 colts St Andrews Mill 6 mini, 4 junior Northampton Casuals 3 senior, 3 mini Rushmills House, 3 junior Old Bedford Road Northampton Heathens 3 senior Obelisk Centre Northampton Old Scouts 5 senior, 1 colts Rushmere Road 6 mini, 5 junior Old Northamptonians 4 senior, 1 colts The Sports Field, 6 mini, 5 junior Billing Road University College 3 senior Park Campus, UCN, Boughton Green Road Northampton
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