ADUR & WORTHING COUNCILS PLAYING PITCH STRATEGY ASSESSMENT REPORT MARCH 2014 Integrity, Innovation, Inspiration 1-2 Frecheville Court off Knowsley Street Bury BL9 0UF T 0161 764 7040 F 0161 764 7490 E [email protected] www.kkp.co.uk Quality assurance Name Date Report origination Harry Venning October 2013 Quality control Chris MacFarlane/Claire Fallon October 2013 Client/NGB comments Steering group November 2013 Final approval All March 2014 ADUR & WORTHING COUNCILS PLAYING PITCH ASSESSMENT CONTENTS PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY ............................................................ 4 PART 2: FOOTBALL ........................................................................................................ 12 PART 3: CRICKET ........................................................................................................... 41 PART 4: RUGBY UNION .................................................................................................. 52 PART 5: HOCKEY ............................................................................................................ 62 PART 6: BOWLS .............................................................................................................. 68 PART 7: OTHER SPORTS ............................................................................................... 77 APPENDIX 1: CONSULTEE LIST .................................................................................... 83 APPENDIX 2: SPORTING CONTEXT.............................................................................. 86 March 2014 3-042-1213 Report: Knight Kavanagh & Page 3 ADUR & WORTHING COUNCILS PLAYING PITCH ASSESSMENT PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY This is the Playing Pitch Assessment Report (including all outdoor sports) prepared by Knight Kavanagh & Page (KKP) for Adur and Worthing Councils (AWC). In agreement with Sport England and the relevant National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs), the report presents a supply and demand assessment of playing pitch facilities in accordance with Sport England’s 2013 Draft Guidance ‘Developing a Playing Pitch Strategy’.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. The guidance details a 13 step approach to developing a playing pitch strategy (PPS). These steps are separated into five distinct sections: Section A: Preparation Section B: Information gathering Section C: Assessment Section D: Key findings and issues Section E: Strategy development and implementation Sections A-D are covered in this report. 1.1: Section A: Preparation To ensure that the PPS will be robust and successful and make the best use of available resources, the following steps were followed: Step 1: Why the PPS is being developed An up to date strategy is necessary to determine the number and type of sports pitches necessary to meet demand and can help inform planning decisions involving any changes to provision. The original Open Space, Sport and Recreation Studies (including a Playing Pitch Strategy) for Adur and Worthing were carried out in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Both Strategies were partially reviewed in 2009. For Worthing this review was progressed to provide an update for the Core Strategy Examination. For Adur this was necessary in relation to the preparation of the Shoreham Harbour Joint Area Action Plan and Adur’s Local Development Framework (LDF). A further review of playing pitch provision for Adur was carried out earlier this year following the possible disposal of open space to Brighton and Hove Albion FC to build a First Team Training and Academy Facility. These studies are, however, in need of updating as Sport England considers that updates on a three yearly basis are the minimum requirement for keeping strategies well informed. An up to date strategy is necessary to determine the number and type of sports pitches necessary to meet demand and can help inform planning policies and decisions involving any changes to provision. It has been decided that it would be beneficial to undertake a joint study bearing in mind that both councils are to have joint Grounds Maintenance and Sports Booking arrangements starting in January 2013. March 2014 3-042-1213 Report: Knight Kavanagh & Page 4 ADUR & WORTHING COUNCILS PLAYING PITCH ASSESSMENT There is also a need to have a strategy in order to pursue external funding for the improvement of playing fields and associated facilities including subsequent rounds of Sport England’s Protecting Playing Fields Fund. Step 2: Management arrangements The project team (KKP) has been responsible for the day to day development of the PPS and ensuring tasks are completed in line with the project plan. In order to ensure effective and continued PPS management, it has been supported by a Steering Group comprising representatives from the Council, NGBs and Sport England. This Group is responsible for the vision and direction of the PPS from a strategic perspective and supporting, checking and challenging the work of the project team. It will be important for the Group to continue once the PPS has been developed for several reasons, including: To be a champion for playing pitch provision in the area and promote the value and importance of the PPS. To ensure implementation of the PPS’s recommendations and action plan. To monitor and evaluate the outcomes of the PPS. To ensure that the PPS is kept up to date and refreshed. Assessment data was identified and collated between June and September 2013. Although this was not considered ideal for all sports, particularly football (because part of the period was out of season), for financial and political reasons, the Council decided to run the project at this time. As agreed with the steering group, the study area is sub divided into four analysis areas: Lancing and Sompting Shoreham-by-Sea Southwick and Fishergate Worthing The analysis areas allow more localised assessment of provision and examination of facility spare capacity and overplay at a local level. Use of analysis areas also allows local circumstances and issues to be taken into account. March 2014 3-042-1213 Report: Knight Kavanagh & Page 5 ADUR & WORTHING COUNCILS PLAYING PITCH ASSESSMENT Figure 1.1 Map of analysis areas March 2014 3-042-1213 Report: Knight Kavanagh & Page 6 ADUR & WORTHING COUNCILS PLAYING PITCH ASSESSMENT 1.2: Section B: Information gathering It is essential that a PPS is based on the best and most accurate and up-to-date information available about the supply of and demand for playing pitches. This section provides detail about how this information has been gathered. Step 4: An audit of playing pitches PPS guidance uses the following definitions of a playing pitch and playing field. These definitions are set out by the Government in the 2010 ‘Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order’.1 Playing pitch – a delineated area which is used for association football, rugby, cricket, hockey, lacrosse, rounders, baseball, softball, American football, Australian football, Gaelic football, shinty, hurling, polo or cycle polo. Playing field – the whole of a site which encompasses at least one playing pitch. This PPS counts individual grass pitches (as a delineated area) as the basic unit of supply. The definition of a playing pitch also includes AGPs. Quantity All playing pitches are included irrespective of ownership, management and use. Playing pitch sites were initially identified using Sport England’s Active Places web based database. The City Council and NGBs supported the process by checking and updating this initial data. This was also verified against club information supplied by local leagues. For each site the following detail is recorded in the project database. (It is supplied as an electronic file): Site name, address (including postcode) and location Ownership and management type Security of tenure Total number, type and quality of pitches A description and the quality of the ancillary facilities Accessibility Not all pitches offer the same level of access to the community. The ownership and accessibility of sports pitches also influences their actual availability for community use. Each site is assigned a level of community use as follows: Community use - pitches in public, voluntary, private or commercial ownership or management (including education sites) recorded as being available for hire and currently in use by teams playing in community leagues. Available but unused - pitches that are available for hire but are not currently used by teams which play in community leagues; this most often applies to school sites but can also apply to sites which are expensive to hire. No community use - pitches which as a matter of policy or practice are not available for hire or use by teams playing in community leagues. This should include professional club pitches along with some semi-professional club pitches where play is restricted to the first or second team. 1. www.sportengland.org>Facilities and Planning> Planning Applications March 2014 3-042-1213 Report: Knight Kavanagh & Page 7 ADUR & WORTHING COUNCILS PLAYING PITCH ASSESSMENT Quality The capacity for pitches to regularly provide for competitive play, training and other activity over a season is most often determined by their quality. As a minimum, the quality and therefore the capacity of a pitch affects the playing experience and people’s enjoyment of a sport. In extreme circumstances it can