HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL PPG17 Open Spaces Assessment A Report By Herefordshire Council and Strategic Leisure Limited NOVEMBER 2006 CONTENTS Page SECTION I - Introduction 01 SECTION II - Methodology 09 SECTION IIa Identifying Local Need 21 SECTION III - PPG17 Stage 2 Auditing Local Provision 37 SECTION IV - PPG17 Stage 3 Set Provision Standards 105 SECTION V - PPG17 Stage 4 Apply Provision Standards 111 SECTION VI - PPG17 Stage 5 Draft Policies 123 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 - Site Audit Proforma (PDF) APPENDIX 1a - Play Area Assessment Proforma APPENDIX 2 - Door to Door Survey Results APPENDIX 2b - Young People Survey Results APPENDIX 3 - Site Assessment Results APPENDIX 4 - Sports Pitches APPENDIX 5 - All Play Areas APPENDIX 6 - Sites that fall below the ‘Good’ Rating SECTION I - INTRODUCTION Introduction 1.1 Strategic Leisure Limited (SLL) was appointed in January 2005 to undertake an assessment of open space, outdoor sport and recreation facilities (PPG 171 compliant) to identify local needs for provision, and opportunities for enhancement, development or replacement of current facilities. Scope of the Study 1.2 The study adheres to the guidance detailed in “Assessing Needs and Opportunities: A Companion Guide to PPG17” which details guidance on undertaking local assessments of open space, sport and recreation provision. The study has included an audit of outdoor open space, sport and recreational facilities in terms of: Quantity Quality Accessibility 1.3 The study has also given consideration to the following factors: Different uses of facilities Classification and differing typologies of provision The scale and availability of resources for maintenance / management English Natures “Natural Accessible Greenspace Standards” 1.4 The study undertaken has included: A review of existing open space, leisure and recreation policies contained within the revised deposit draft 2004 A review of existing and undertaking a range of consultation exercises to ascertain the views of the local community, key interest groups and wider stakeholders Consideration to all appropriate facilities within the County including provision by the local authority (including education), private and voluntary sectors An assessment of playing pitch provision using the methodology detailed in “Toward a Level Playing Field: A Guide to the Production of Playing Pitch Strategies” (Sport England, 2002) Recommendations for local standards of provision with regard to quantity, quality and accessibility for inclusion within the developing Local Development Framework The Vision 1.5 It is important that a vision is adopted to reflect the aspirations for open space, sport and recreation in meeting the Council’s corporate objectives. An extension of the vision detailed in the Community Strategy for Herefordshire “A Sustainable Future for the County” has been adopted: 1 PPG17 – Planning Policy Guidance Note 17 Herefordshire 2006 1 SECTION I - INTRODUCTION “Herefordshire will be a place where people, organisations and businesses working together within an outstanding natural environment will bring about sustainable prosperity and well-being for all” Overview of Herefordshire 1.6 Herefordshire is located just to the south of the West Midlands, between Worcestershire to the east, and the Brecon Beacons of Wales to the west. Hereford is the administrative centre for Herefordshire Council.. 1.7 Herefordshire Council is a unitary authority that was created following Local Government re-organisation on 1st April 1998. Herefordshire is a predominantly rural county with population concentrations in Hereford and the market towns of Leominster, Ross, Bromyard , Kington and Ledbury with much of the remaining area of the County sparsely populated. 1.8 This is a large rural area covering 218,283 hectares or 843 square miles. The County has the fourth lowest population density of all English authorities. The population is predicted to increase by 14,300 by the year 2011, and the current population contains a high proportion of people aged 49 years or older, the area has 5.5% of people aged 65-69 compared to 4.5% of people in the same age group in England and Wales. 1.9 23% of the total population are at retirement age compared to 19% for England and Wales. 1.10 There is a very small black and minority ethnic population in the area with 99.1% being predominantly white, compared to 88.7% for the west midlands. However, the area is a significant work area for Travellers and their families, with around 5% of the total population having settled into the area permanently. In total there are about 6,000 migrant and seasonal workers from the new EU accession states (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and others) and the Eastern Bloc countries. 1.11 It is also important to consider the demographic make up of the County as key demographic and socio-economic characteristics are known to influence demand characteristics. For example certain age-groups are known register higher participation rates in a number of sport and leisure activities; deprived communities often experience issues relating to access to services and opportunities; cultural backgrounds may result in some passive and active recreation pursuits being favoured over others; car ownership levels can impact on the range of facilities that can be accessed. A brief review of the key demographics for the area show that: Overall population; The County has a population of 174,869 of which 49% are male and 51% female 1.12 The Office of National Statistics (ONS) profile of the County population (2001Census) shows that the distribution across key age groups is not in line with the average in England & Wales. Herefordshire 2006 2 SECTION I - INTRODUCTION 1.13 Just over a fifth (23%) of the resident population was retirement age in mid-2004. This is markedly higher than the percentage for England and Wales (19%). 1.14 The age structure is essentially a middle aged one. It is important to consider key differences in profile as some age groups have a higher propensity to participate in sport and active recreation than others (particularly young people). Key differences within the County are: A lower percentage of people aged 20-44 years old than the average in England & Wales. A lower percentage of children 0-15years A lower percentage of young people aged 16-19 when compared to the national average for England and Wales A higher percentage of middle aged(45 years) to retirement and retirement age and over are all above the average for England and Wales Herefordshire’s ethnic mix differs slightly from that of England and Wales as a whole due to the increased percentage of white individuals (99% compare to 91. %). The area is home to very few black or black British people (0.1%) when compared with the England and Wales figure of 2.19%. 1.15 Deprivation Indices. Levels of deprivation are measured on a localised basis through data from “super output areas”. These provide a clearer picture to ward data (on which previous indices of deprivation were based) of deprivation at a local level. 1.16 In the Indices of Deprivation 2004, Herefordshire, County of was ranked at 202 out of 354 local authorities in England, where 1 was the most deprived area and 354 the least deprived. This rank was derived from the average deprivation score of the LSOAs in the local authority. The wards of Belmont, St Martins, Hereford Central and Leominster East and South rank in the lowest 25% of all wards in the UK. The highest ranking wards are Bircher and Clehonger which rank in the top 75% of the UK. 1.17 Employment Rates Of the people in Herefordshire County who were of working age (i.e. those aged 16 to 64 for men or 16 to 59 for women) the employment rate was 79 % during the Summer of 2004 (June to August), compared with an average for Great Britain of 75 %. Over the same three months in 1999, the number of people in employment in Herefordshire, County of as a proportion of those of working age was 77 % and the rate for Great Britain was 75%. Strategic Review & Policy Background National Policy 1.18 The need for improved use and management of open spaces particularly public parks in urban areas has seen increased commitment demonstrated in national regional and local government policy. Herefordshire 2006 3 SECTION I - INTRODUCTION 1.19 The following key documents summarised in Figure 1.1 below have provided the impetus for the development and preparation of this strategy. They include: Figure 1.1 National and Local Planning Guidance Strategic Framework PLANNING GUIDANCE Objective Planning Policy Outlines the importance for local authorities to Guidance Note 17. undertake robust assessments of the local need for quality open spaces. In order to develop local standards which are based on local supply and demand for facilities. “Living Places – Gives a commitment to develop a clearer national Cleaner, Safer, framework for urban parks and greenspaces. Greener”(Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2002) Urban Greenspaces Recognises that parks and open spaces have the Task Force potential to make a significant contribution to urban “Greenspaces, Better regeneration by making places more liveable and Places” sustainable whilst also enriching the quality of people’s lives and local communities. The Framework for These documents provide the national sporting context Sport in England for this study. The importance of a range of facility provision is identified, encompassing formal sporting facilities, and an environment that facilitates informal active recreation. Herefordshire Unitary The Local plan forms the basis for decisions on Development Plan planning applications and provides the policies and Revised Draft Deposit proposal framework the Council believe will strike the May 2004 right balance between the need to cater for development requirements across the County and the need to protect and enhance the environmental qualities of the area. The Local Plan is due to be replaced by new planning guidance and is discussed in more detail below.