LANCASTER DISTRICT PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORTS STRATEGY ASSESSMENT REPORT OCTOBER 2018 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 LANCASTER CITY PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORTS STRATEGY - ASSESSMENT REPORT CONTENTS PAGE PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY ........................................................... 2 PART 2: FOOTBALL ...................................................................................................... 16 PART 3: CRICKET ......................................................................................................... 46 PART 4: RUGBY LEAGUE ............................................................................................. 66 PART 5: RUGBY UNION ................................................................................................ 77 PART 6: HOCKEY .......................................................................................................... 95 PART 7: THIRD GENERATION ARTIFICIAL GRASS PITCHES (3G PITCHES) .......... 110 PART 8: BOWLING GREENS ...................................................................................... 127 PART 9: TENNIS COURTS .......................................................................................... 142 PART 10: ATHLETICS FACILITES ............................................................................... 154 PART 11: OTHER OUTDOOR SPORTS ...................................................................... 160 APPENDIX 1: SPORTING CONTEXT .......................................................................... 170 APPENDIX 2: STEERING GROUP CONTACTS .......................................................... 182 LANCASTER CITY PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORTS STRATEGY - ASSESSMENT REPORT ABBREVIATIONS 3G Third Generation (artificial turf) AGP Artificial Grass Pitch CFA County Football Association ECB England and Wales Cricket Board EH England Hockey ET England Touch FA Football Association FC Football club FE Further Education FF Football Foundation FIT Fields in Trust FPM Facilities Planning Model GIS Geographical Information Systems HE Higher Education KKP Knight, Kavanagh and Page LCC Lancaster City Council LCFA Lancashire County Football Association LCF Lancashire Cricket Foundation NGB National Governing Body NPPF National Planning Policy Framework NTP Non-turf pitch PPOSS Playing Pitch & Outdoor Sports Strategy RFL Rugby Football League RFU Rugby Football Union RUFC Rugby union football club S106 Section 106 TGR Team generation rate WR World Rugby October 2018 Assessment Report: Knight Kavanagh & Page 1 LANCASTER CITY PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORTS STRATEGY - ASSESSMENT REPORT PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY This is the Playing Pitch & Outdoor Sports Strategy (PPOSS) Assessment Report prepared by Knight Kavanagh & Page (KKP) for Lancaster City Council (LCC) and its partners. This report presents a supply and demand assessment of playing pitch facilities in accordance with Sport England’s Playing Pitch Strategy Guidance: An approach to developing and delivering a playing pitch strategy. It has been followed to develop a clear picture of the balance between the local supply of, and demand for, playing pitches and other outdoor sports facilities. The guidance details a stepped approach to developing a Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS). These steps are separated into five distinct sections: Stage A: Prepare and tailor the approach (Step 1) Stage B: Gather information and views on the supply of and demand for provision (Steps 2 & 3) Stage C: Assess the supply and demand information and views (Steps 4, 5 & 6) Stage D: Develop the strategy (Steps 7 & 8) Stage E: Deliver the strategy and keep it robust and up to date (Steps 9 & 10) Stages A to C are covered in this report. Stage A: Prepare and tailor the approach The primary purpose of the Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) is to provide a strategic framework which ensures that the provision of outdoor playing pitches meet the local needs of existing and future residents across Lancaster District. The Strategy will be produced in accordance with Sport England Playing Pitch Strategy Guidance (October 2013 as updated in March 2014) and the national planning guidance and provide robust and objective justification for future playing pitch provision throughout the District. Though in practice the document serves all of the functions of a PPS, it is titled a PPOSS in order to reflect the coverage of outdoor sports within the scope of the study, in addition to those grass pitch sports already within the PPS Guidance. One of the core planning principles of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is to improve health, social and cultural wellbeing for all, and deliver sufficient community and cultural facilities and services to meet local needs. Section 8 of the NPPF deals specifically with the topic of healthy communities. Paragraph 96 discusses the importance of access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and recreation that can make an important contribution to the health and well-being of communities. The Lancaster Local Plan needs to be based upon a robust evidence base. Paragraphs 97 and 97 of the NPPF1 discuss assessments and the protection of “existing open space, sports and recreational buildings and land, including playing fields”. 1 Revised NPPF, July 2018 October 2018 Assessment Report: Knight Kavanagh & Page 2 LANCASTER CITY PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORTS STRATEGY - ASSESSMENT REPORT Why the PPOSS is being developed Planning Policy and other relevant sport related strategies must be based upon a robust evidence base in order to ensure planning and sports development policy can be implemented efficiently and effectively. Strategic: It ensures a strategic approach to playing pitch provision. The PPOSS will act as a tool for Lancaster City Council and partner organisations to guide resource allocation and set priorities for pitch sports in the future. It provides robust evidence for capital funding. As well as proving the need for developer contributions towards pitches and facilities a playing pitch strategy can evidence the need for a range of capital grants. Current funding examples include the Sport England Funding Programmes, Heritage Lottery Fund (for park improvements), the Football Foundation and the Big Lottery. The site-specific action plan that will form an integral part of this PPOSS will identify and prioritise sites that require improvements and where the funding should be secured from. Planning: The PPOSS will provide important evidence to support the Lancaster District Local Plan. It will support planning policies on green infrastructure, recreation, leisure, outdoor sports facilities and health and well-being in the emerging Lancaster District Local Plan. Evidence for Community Infrastructure Levy and Developer Contributions Operational: It can help improve management of assets, which should result in more efficient use of resources and reduced overheads. The Action Plan will identify sites where quality of provision can be enhanced. An assessment of all pitches (in use and lapsed) will be undertaken to understand how pitches are used and whether the current maintenance and management regimes are appropriate or require change. Sports development: It helps identify which sites have community use and whether that use is secure or not. It helps identify where community use of school sports pitches is most needed to address any identified deficits in pitch provision. It provides better information to residents and other users of sports pitches available for use. This includes information about both pitches and sports teams/user groups. It promotes sports development and can help unlock latent demand by identifying where the lack of facilities might be suppressing the formation of teams/community needs. October 2018 Assessment Report: Knight Kavanagh & Page 3 LANCASTER CITY PLAYING PITCH & OUTDOOR SPORTS STRATEGY - ASSESSMENT REPORT Aims and objectives The key drivers for developing the PPOSS include: Aims and objectives for improving health and well-being and increasing participation in sport. Sports development programmes and changes in how the sports are played. The need for evidence to help protect and enhance existing provision. The need to inform the development and implementation of planning policy. The need to inform the assessment of planning applications. Potential changes to the supply of provision due to capital programmes e.g. for educational sites. Budgetary pressures to ensure the most efficient management and maintenance of playing pitch provision. The need to develop a priority list of deliverable projects which will help to meet any current deficiencies provide for future demands and feed into wider infrastructure planning work. Prioritisation of internal capital and revenue investment. The need to provide evidence to help secure internal and external funding. The objectives of the project will be to: Provide a carefully quantified and documented assessment of current and future needs for playing pitches; Provide information to assist performance management and asset management, Provide information to underpin: the protection, enhancement and improvement of the existing pitch stock, improvements in community access to educational and non-local authority pitches; To provide