St Francis Group acquired the former Eggborough Power Station site in Selby. St Francis were proposing the demolition and significant redevelopment of part of the site for industrial and commercial use. The proposed development site included one youth football pitch, cricket pitch, a bowling green and a 9-hole golf course and as a result, was subject to national and local planning policy on playing fields and sports provision. SPC were appointed to support St Francis Group through the planning process and navigate local and national Sport England policies.
A detailed sports needs assessment and application of the Council’s existing evidence base was undertaken to assess the future requirements against sports planning policy. The assessment set out the policy context impacting on the site and outlined options for the way forward in relation to the sports facilities. It provided a baseline for discussions with the project team, as well as with Sport England, the District Council and relevant National Governing Bodies (NGBs) in terms of seeking a way forward and ensuring planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of the site.
The sports needs assessment followed the Sport England Assessing Needs and Opportunities Guidance (ANOG) and assessed the quantity, quality, accessibility and availability on a sport by sport basis, demonstrating the need, or not, for replacement facilities going forward. Extensive consultation with national governing bodies and potential user groups was also undertaken in order to make the rounded case for development. Application of the Council’s existing evidence base, particularly the Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) was also undertaken to understand the playing field needs and compliance with Sport England exception policies.
Our work identified that the key existing sports facilities at the Eggborough Power Station site for football and cricket needed to be replaced under planning policy and a new piece of land, less than half a mile from the site was identified for the replacement provision. In terms of Sport England policy considerations, the case focused on Sport England policy exception E4, replacement provision for football and cricket. Our work made the case and the assessment work also helped to shape the replacement needs. SPC supported St Francis in developing the technical specifications and demonstrating the new site was deliverable and sustainable.
The assessment work successfully made the case that both the golf course and bowls green were surplus to requirements under paragraph 99) of the NPPF and did not need to be re-provided or replaced. The case made in the needs assessment work, was supported by the National Governing Bodies for bowls and golf and subsequently endorsed by Sport England.
‘England Golf were asked to review and respond to SPC’s sports needs assessment on our position following the closure of Eggborough Power station golf course. England golf reviewed their assessment and would agree with their report and would see no evidence to suggest that the golf provision at Eggborough would need to be maintained in any other form locally.’ England Golf
We have extensive experience of needs assessment work for golf including; disposal of Tea-Green Golf Centre in Hertfordshire on behalf of Bellway Homes, reallocation of land in Local Plan of Windmill Hotel Golf Course in Coventry, needs assessment to resist the loss of Channels Golf Course in Chelmsford, and the disposal of Horwich Golf course on behalf of Peel Holdings, which was praised by the Planning Inspectorate and Sport England.
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