DACORUM BOROUGH COUNCIL PLAYING PITCH STRATEGY & ACTION PLAN JUNE 2019 QUALITY, INTEGRITY, PROFESSIONALISM Knight, Kavanagh & Page Ltd Company No: 9145032 (England) MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS Registered Office: 1 -2 Frecheville Court, off Knowsley Street, Bury BL9 0UF T: 0161 764 7040 E: [email protected] www.kkp.co.uk DACORUM BOROUGH COUNCIL PLAYING PITCH STRATEGY CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................. 1 PART 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 2 PART 2: VISION ............................................................................................................. 14 PART 3: AIMS................................................................................................................. 15 PART 4: SPORT SPECIFIC ISSUES SCENARIOS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......... 16 PART 5: STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................... 36 PART 6: ACTION PLAN .................................................................................................. 53 PART 7: HOUSING GROWTH SCENARIOS .................................................................. 84 PART 8: DELIVER THE STRATEGY AND KEEP IT ROBUST AND UP TO DATE ......... 90 APPENDIX 1: SPORTING CONTEXT ............................................................................ 94 APPENDIX 2: FUNDING PLAN .................................................................................... 105 DACORUM BOROUGH COUNCIL PLAYING PITCH STRATEGY ABBREVIATIONS 3G Third generation turf AGP Artificial grass pitch ANOG Assessing Needs and Opportunities Guide ASC All Stars Cricket BC Bowls Club CC Cricket Club DBC Dacorum Borough Council EG England Golf ECB England and Wales Cricket Board EH England Hockey FA Football Association FC Football Club FIFA Fédération Internationale de Football Association GIS Geographical Information Systems HC Hockey Club HGC Hemel Garden Communities HSPAP Herts Sports & Physical Activity Partnership IOG Institute of Groundsmanship ISFS Indoor Sports Facility Strategy JFC Junior Football Club JSP Joint Strategic Plan KKP Knight, Kavanagh and Page LFFP Local Football Facility Plan NGB National Governing Body of Sport MES Match equivalent session NPPF National Planning Policy Framework NTP Non-turf pitch NDC New Development Calculator NFFS National Football Facility Strategy OAN Objectively Assessed Need ONS Office for National Statistics PIP Pitch Improvement Programme PGA Professional Golfers Association PPS Playing Pitch Strategy PQS Performance Quality Standard PIP Pitch Improvement Programme RFU Rugby Football Union RUFC Rugby Union Football Club S106 Section 106 TC Tennis Club TGR Team Generation Rate U Under June 2019 Strategy: Knight Kavanagh & Page 1 DACORUM BOROUGH COUNCIL PLAYING PITCH STRATEGY PART 1: INTRODUCTION Knight, Kavanagh & Page Ltd (KKP) has been jointly commissioned by three of the South West Herts group of local authorities (Dacorum Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council, and Hertsmere Borough Council) to produce an Open Space, Sport & Recreation Study which includes production of a Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) for each of the local authority areas. The PPS forms one part of the inter-related project that also includes an Indoor Sports Facilities Strategy (ISFS) for each of the local authority areas. The studies will provide the necessary robustness and direction to inform decisions on future strategic planning and any investment priorities for outdoor and indoor sports facilities across each of the areas in partnership with other bodies, including Sport England, NGB’s and local sports forums and clubs. They will also inform the preparation of the individual Local Plans and inform the South West Herts Joint Strategic Plan. This is the Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) for Dacorum. It has been developed in accordance with Sport England guidance and under the direction of a steering group led by the Council and including National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs). It builds upon the preceding Playing Pitch Assessment Report and is capable of: Providing adequate planning guidance to assess development proposals affecting outdoor sports facilities, as appropriate, directing open space contributions secured through development and informing and shaping local planning policy. Informing the protection and provision of playing pitches. Informing land use decisions in respect of future use of existing playing pitch areas and playing fields (capable of accommodating pitches). Providing a strategic framework for the provision and management of playing pitches. Supporting external funding bids and maximising support for playing pitches. Providing the basis for ongoing monitoring and review of the use, distribution, function, quality and accessibility of playing pitches. Partner organisations have a vested interest in ensuring existing playing fields, pitches and ancillary facilities can be protected and enhanced. As such, many of the objectives and actions within this document need to be delivered and implemented by sports organisations, education establishments, community sports networks and parish/town councils. In many instances, the Council will not be a key partner in delivering these actions or recommendations, meaning the PPS is not just for the Council to act upon, but for all the stakeholders and partners involved within the project. Monitoring and updating It is important to ensure there is regular annual monitoring and review of the actions identified in the Strategy. This monitoring should be led by the Council and supported by the Steering Group. As a guide, if no review and subsequent update has been carried out within three years of the PPS being signed off by the Steering Group, then Sport England and the NGBs would consider the PPS; and the information on which it is based, to be out of date. If the PPS is used as a ‘live’ document, and kept up to date, the time frame can be extended to five years. The PPS should be reviewed on an annual basis from the date it is formally signed off by the Steering Group. This will help to maintain the momentum and commitment built up through developing the PPS. Taking into account the time spent developing the PPS this should also help to ensure that the original supply and demand information is no more than two years old before being reviewed. June 2019 Strategy: Knight Kavanagh & Page 2 DACORUM BOROUGH COUNCIL PLAYING PITCH STRATEGY Part 8 of this Strategy report contains a suggested process for undertaking the update and monitoring. The Steering Group will need to agree the process prior to the adoption of this Strategy. Scope The following types of outdoor sports facilities have been identified by the councils for inclusion in the PPS: Football Tennis Rugby union Athletics (including road running) Rugby league Netball Hockey Golf Cricket Others as appropriate i.e. water sports Bowls facilities, archery, cycling Playing pitch sports (i.e. football, cricket, rugby union and hockey) were assessed using the guidance set out in Sport England’s PPS Guidance: An approach to developing and delivering a PPS. For the remaining sports/facilities, the supply and demand principles of Sport England’s methodology: Assessing Needs and Opportunities Guide for Indoor and Outdoor Sports Facilities (ANOG) were followed to ensure the process is compliant with the NPPF. Study area Dacorum Borough covers 81 square miles (200 square kilometres) of West Hertfordshire extending almost from the outskirts of Watford, northwards to the Chilterns. In 2017 it was home to about 153,000 people, making it the largest district in Hertfordshire (by population). The majority of residents live in the principal town of Hemel Hempstead which will continue to be the focus for development and change within the Borough. In addition to Hemel Hempstead, there are also two market towns (Berkhamsted and Tring) and a number of villages, all with their own distinctive character. All the towns are surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt. The study area is the whole of the Dacorum Borough Council boundary area. Further to this, analysis areas have been created to allow for a more localised assessment of provision and examination of playing pitch supply and demand at a local level. These areas are based upon ward boundaries within Dacorum and reflect how people play sport locally. Berkhamsted Eastern Villages Hemel Southern Tring Furthermore, cross-boundary issues will be explored to determine the level of imported and exported demand. This applies to demand that migrates between the local authorities included and also demand that migrates to and from neighbouring local authorities such as Chiltern, Three Rivers and St Albans. It should be noted that from April 2020 that Buckinghamshire Council will be a new unitary authority replacing Buckinghamshire County Council, Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe district councils. A map of the analysis areas can be seen overleaf in Figure 1.1. June 2019 Strategy: Knight Kavanagh & Page 3 DACORUM BOROUGH COUNCIL PLAYING PITCH STRATEGY Figure 1.1: Analysis area map 1.1: Context The rationale for undertaking this study is to identify current levels of provision within Dacorum across the public, education, voluntary and commercial sectors and to compare this with current and likely future levels of demand. The primary purpose of the PPS is therefore to provide