Playing Pitch Capacity for Football

Eastleigh Borough Council Playing Pitch Strategy Update October 2014 Prepared with the assistance of Strategic Leisure Strategic Leisure 1 This page is intentionally blank 2 Contents Page Executive Summary 4 1. Introduction and Methodology 13 National guidance and policies 13 The local context 17 Purpose of this playing pitch strategy 19 Methodology 20 Setting quantitative standards of provision 23 2. Individual Sport Assessment Summaries and Cross Boundary 25 Issues Football 25 Cricket 31 Rugby Union 35 Rugby league 38 Hockey 40 Artificial grass pitches 41 Cross-boundary demand and supply of playing pitches 42 3. A vision for the future of outdoor sports pitch provision 45 Playing pitch strategic objectives 45 Sport-specific strategic objectives 45 Summary of surplus/deficit analysis 46 Meeting future demand 49 General recommendations 50 Local area action plan 56 Eastleigh 56 Chandler’s Ford and Hiltingbury 61 Bishopstoke, Fair Oak and Horton Heath 61 Hedge End, West End and Botley 62 Bursledon, Hamble-le-Rice and Hound 64 3 Appendices Appendix A Team Generation Rates Appendix B Playing Pitch Demand Appendix C Playing Pitch Analyses Appendix D Playing Pitch Supply Appendix E Playing Pitch Capacity for Football Appendix F1 Playing Pitch Model - Eastleigh Local Area Committee Appendix F2 Playing Pitch Model - Bursledon, Hamble and Hound Local Area Committee Appendix F3 Playing Pitch Model - Bishopstoke, Fair Oak and Horton Heath Local Area Committee Appendix F4 Playing Pitch Model – Chandlers Ford and Hiltingbury Local Area Committee Appendix F5 Playing Pitch Model – Hedge End, West End and Botley Local Area Committee Appendix G Scenarios for addressing potential loss of playing fields on land south of Chestnut Avenue, Eastleigh Appendix H Playing Pitch Maps Appendix I Playing Pitch Areas 4 Executive Summary 1. This Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) and Action Plan provide a review and update of Eastleigh Borough Council’s 2009 Playing Pitch Assessment which was carried out as part of the wider Planning Policy Guidance 17: Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation Study. 2. This PPS assessment follows the methodology recommended by Sport England as set out in the publication, ‘Towards a Level Playing Field’ (2003). In addition, agreed aspects of the new Sport England Methodology for Playing Pitches (December 2013) have been taken into consideration. This approach, i.e. undertaking the quality audits and developing site action plans for individual playing pitch sites as per the new methodology, was agreed with Sport England and the relevant National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) prior to commencement of this study. The development of this PPS has followed the guidance on consultation provided by Sport England with specific playing pitch users i.e. sports clubs and National Governing Bodies of Sport (December 2013). This approach ensures that the new methodology has been applied where practically possible to do so. However, in due course it will be necessary to review this PPS further so that it accords fully with Sport England’s revised methodology. 3. The playing pitch assessment concentrates on the pitches used by, and adult and young people’s participation in: Football (Mini, Youth all formats and Adults) Cricket (Junior and Adult) Rugby Union (Mini, Youth and Adult) Rugby League (Junior and Adult) Hockey (Junior and Adult) It also reviews the use of artificial grass pitches for rugby, football and hockey. Population growth and impact on the need for of playing pitches 4. By 2029 the population of Eastleigh borough is predicted to increase to 140,112. This population increase will result in increased demand for playing pitches. The projected requirements for playing pitches in each of the Council’s local area committee areas, in hectares, has been identified by applying 1.42ha per 1,000 of the projected population. The identified overall need for additional playing pitches across the borough is 21.41ha (reflecting need identified as a result of latent demand and population growth) 5. Eastleigh borough is split into five local committee areas. Based on anticipated population growth within each, the following land for playing pitches is required in each local area to provide for future growth: Hedge End, Botley and West End 9.89ha Chandler’s Ford and Hiltingbury 1.19ha Bursledon, Hamble-le-Rice & Hound 1.77ha Bishopstoke, Fair Oak & Horton Heath 2.09ha Eastleigh 6.48ha TOTAL 21.41ha 5 6. In Eastleigh, a proposed housing allocation potentially involves some loss of playing pitches. These will need to be replaced if they can’t be accommodated within the site and a strategy for doing so is included in this PPS at Appendix G. Setting playing pitch standards 7. Whilst the document sets out playing pitch quantity standards, it should be noted that these standards only identify a minimum playing pitch requirement and should not be used in isolation or form the basis of decision making on planning applications which can consider relevant local sports requirements as advised by Sport England and/ or the national governing bodies. 8. The quantity standards have been established based upon: An audit of all existing playing pitch sites. The measured areas include tennis courts and bowling greens where they occur, along with parking and changing facilities. The areas of all the identified playing pitches within the borough are set out in Appendix I. Anticipated changes to demand based on current and future team generation rates (latent and future demand) 9. When the standard for playing pitch provision was established through the PPG17 study, the total population of the borough was assumed to be 123,025. The total area of pitches, greens and courts was estimated to be 179.28ha. This gave a standard of 1.46ha per 1,000 population. This PPS has updated population estimates and reviewed sites available for playing pitch use. On the basis that the population in 2011 was 125,199 (2011 Census) and the estimated area of pitches is revised to 177.88ha, the overall standard for outdoor play facilities has been amended slightly to 1.42ha per 1,000 population. 10. This standard includes changing provision and car parking. It also includes tennis courts and bowling greens. The PPS has not addressed needs for these facilities, and they will the subject of further study when the PPS is reviewed. However, where they occur they are included within the areas identified as outdoor sports facilities set out in Appendix I. Sport-specific playing pitch issues Football 11. As set out in Table ES1 below, whilst there appears to be a surplus of senior pitches there is also a significant deficit in junior and mini football pitches. 12. Sport England’s Playing Pitch Model (PPM) as set out in Appendices F1 – F5 to this document have been used to assess the 2012/2013 surplus or deficit across the borough of Eastleigh and each local area. Analysis of match play identifies that peak demand is on a Saturday afternoon for senior men’s football and Sunday mornings for all youth formats. The two sites that do not currently have regular play are Hardmoor (south of Silverlake Stadium in Stoneham Lane) and the County Police Headquarters (Hamble-le-Rice) sites. For this reason, these sites have not been included in the surplus or deficit analysis. 6 Table ES1 – Current surplus or deficit - football pitches Local Area Surplus or deficiency of Football Pitches based on 2012/13 Demand Senior Junior Mini Eastleigh (Un-parished) +4 - 9 - 0 Bishopstoke, Fair Oak & Senior Junior Mini Horton Heath +0 -1 -1 Bursledon, Hamble-le-Rice & Senior Junior Mini Hound +2 -5 -1 Senior Junior Mini Chandler’s Ford & Hiltingbury 0 - 2 0 Botley, Hedge End & West Senior Junior Mini End +1 -6 0 Total Eastleigh Borough Senior Junior Mini Council area + 7 - 23 -2 13. It is important to note the following factors relevant to the above figures: The senior surplus is a theoretical surplus only and should be used to meet the deficit in junior football pitches. Surplus senior football pitches (7) should be reconfigured to reduce the deficit of 23 junior pitches to 16 pitches. The senior surplus includes some pitches in sports fields south of Eastleigh that do not appear to be used to their full capacity, as well as pitches that are being over-played at Fleming Park and Crestwood School within Eastleigh and Cutbush Lane, located close to West End, but within Southampton City Council’s area. Re-allocating overplay at Fleming Park, Crestwood School and Cutbush Lane and readdressing the underplay of pitches south of Eastleigh would assist in reducing the senior surplus. There is also a need to rest pitches on a regular basis. This means that there will be a need to retain some ‘extra’ pitches, which may not be used every season, to enable pitch maintenance/improvement work to be undertaken without meaning the supply of pitches is reduced, which would inevitably lead to overplay on those available. The deficit of mini pitches is due to the number of games played on 7 v 7 or 9 v 9 pitches. These pitches are used up to 3 times a day. The majority of all mini soccer games in Eastleigh are played at a central venue e.g. Fleming Park (4 pitches) and Stoneham Park (10 pitches). One mini soccer pitch is required in the Bishopstoke, Fair Oak and Horton Heath area and one mini soccer pitch is required in the Bursledon, Hamble and Hound area. 14. Some pitches have security of community use where. they are owned and or managed by the local authority, parish of town council and/or have a community use agreement to provide playing pitch facilities for the local community. Security of Uses/Risks 15.

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