THE COST OF GROWTH

Will sport lose out?

The government has announced plans to remove Sport England’s role as statutory consultee in planning decisions. What would the move mean and what has the sports sector’s reaction to the news been?

The government has confirmed plans to remove Sport England from the group of statutory consultees who provide feedback and views in planning decisions. The planned move is part of the government’s reforms to overhaul the planning system, set out on 10 March, which are aimed – according to the government – at “putting growth at the heart of the statutory consultee system” and helping deliver the government’s Plan for Change milestone of delivering 1.5 million new homes.

Statutory consultees are official stakeholders legally required to provide advice on planning decisions to ensure developments can consider essential environmental, transport, heritage and safety elements. Under the plans, the consultees – organisations such as Sport England, Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust – will no longer be required to input on planning decisions. The scope of other statutory consultees will be narrowed to focus on heritage, safety and environmental protection.

Although the government said the consultees “play an important role” in the planning system, it also claims that local authorities and developers are reporting that the “system is not working effectively”. The list of statutory consultees has grown over time and now includes more than 25 organisations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner, said: “We’ve put growth at the heart of our plans as a government, with our Plan for Change milestone to secure 1.5 million homes and unleash Britain’s potential to build.

“We need to reform the system to ensure it is sensible and balanced, and does not create unintended delays – putting a hold on people’s lives and harming our efforts to build the homes people desperately need. New developments must still meet our high expectations to create the homes, facilities and infrastructure that communities need.”

We asked sports organisations and leaders in the sector for their views on the plans to strip Sport England of its role in planning.

Once you lose a playing field or pitch, it’s gone forever

Tim Hollingsworth

CEO, Sport England

We understand the Government’s priority around housebuilding and the need to stimulate growth. However, it is vital we balance this with the need to keep a nation moving – and the places and spaces that currently support sport and activity in our community. We therefore look forward to working constructively with Government through the consultation to seek to achieve these aims. History shows us that without effective action taken to protect playing fields, we will see vital facilities lost, particularly often in those areas that are already least well served.

Once you lose a playing field or pitch, it’s gone forever. With more than half our playing fields in this country within school grounds, and with a child obesity crisis and £7.4billion lost to the economy each year to inactivity, it’s essential we get the balance right ensure any future legislation continues to protect the facilities base in this country.”

Women in Sport

“Women in Sport is concerned that the Government is considering removing Sport England from the list of organisations who must be consulted on planning applications. Sport England are the only expert consultees who specifically aim to protect spaces for sport and the only statutory consultee championing the opportunity for women and girls to be active.

Removing their expertise from the planning process could have a hugely detrimental impact: on women and girls, on English sport and on the Government’s missions to increase opportunity for all and improve the health of the nation. Given sport generates £4.20 for every pound spent on it, it could also threaten the drive for economic growth that reform of the planning process is intended to support.

Access to outdoor space for sport and physical activity is vital. Anything that removes outdoor space – whether that is formal sports pitches, school playgrounds or open green space – from the places where people live and work will create an unnecessary barrier to people being active.

This is especially true for women and girls. Women and girls are less active than men and boys at every stage of their lives. Because of gender stereotyping that tells young girls and their parents that sport is not important for girls, we know that they are already having fewer opportunities to experience sport. Having less access to open space near where they live will exacerbate this.

Teenage girls, who are experiencing a crisis in their mental health, need local open spaces where they can be free and feel safe to be active. With 37% of teenage girls already only getting active at school, and with the pressures on schools to deliver school sport that works for girls, any loss of open space could have a huge impact. And take away yet another way of supporting their mental health.”

The UK is already markedly less active than countries like Finland or Ireland

Lisa Wainwright MBE

CEO, Sport and Recreation Alliance

We are disappointed to see the Government’s proposal to remove various statutory consultees – including Sport England – from planning decisions in England. We, of course, recognise the need to build more homes and are wholly supportive of the Government’s mission to boost growth. But the proposals as conceived risk being a case of ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’. The UK is already markedly less active than countries like Finland or Ireland. And low physical activity levels already cost our economy £7.4bn, with long-term sickness and childhood obesity acting as a major drag on the economy and the NHS and putting our children’s health at risk. It is therefore essential we preserve and grow places for people to participate in grassroots community sport and recreation, and safeguard that within our planning system.

Planning applications must give proper and due consideration to fostering healthier, happier, more active lives in communities across the country. Removing Sport England and other statutory consultees might have, at best, a marginal impact on speeding up planning decisions.

But it risks having a significant detrimental effect on the UK’s long-term growth prospects, as well as the quality of neighbourhoods and the activity levels of our children.

We will be working closely with members and sector partners to engage in the Government’s formal consultation in due course.”

Robert Sullivan

CEO, Football Foundation

The Football Foundation, in supporting Sport England, plays a vital role in protecting and investing in community sports facilities. We believe every community should have a great place to play; and the individual, societal and economic value of these facilities is fundamental to the nation. We are committed to delivering government investment in grassroots multi-sport facilities. We also recognise and support the ambition of the government to drive economic growth through development but believe this should not be to the detriment of quality sport facilities and the nation’s ability to get active and healthy.

Reform of the planning system should be focused on expediting the process, allowing for greater certainty for all developers, including the Football Foundation, as we seek to improve community sports facilities across England. We look forward to engaging in the consultation process in due course.”