What We Do
SPC is one of the leading consultancies delivering Playing Pitch Strategies (PPS) and Outdoor Sports Strategies for local authority clients. Sub contracted by Tetra Tech Planning, SPC is on the Sport England Active Environments Framework for Needs Assessments. This provides local authorities with the assurance of a Sport England Framework partner to deliver PPS work.
The work is led by Carolyn Wilkinson who has a wealth of experience in PPS delivery. Carolyn supported the development of the new playing pitch methodology, undertaking the initial evaluation of the former Towards a Level Playing Field methodology and sitting on the steering group for the development of the new PPS methodology and supporting early case studies to test the approach. Since its approval SPC has undertaken over 50 Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategies (PPOSS).
SPC therefore has extensive experience in the completion of robust assessments of need, working alongside Sport England and National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs). All of our PPS work uses the Sport England national guidance and tools and we ensure the outputs have practical application in planning, supporting the Local Plan process, as well as sport and physical activity delivery. Alongside authority-wide assessments, we also undertake bespoke assessments using the PPS methodology to support sports needs assessments and mitigation strategies.
Recent and current local authority studies include those for Hinckley and Bosworth, Doncaster, Fareham, Blackburn and Darwen, Hyndburn, Warwick, Darlington and Rochdale, Erewash Borough Council, Stockton Borough Council, Great Yarmouth Council and South Tyneside Council.
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) paragraph 99 states that existing open space, sports and recreational buildings and land, including playing fields, should not be built on unless one of 3 policy tests can be met.
SPC is experienced in applying the NPPF tests to all forms of sport and recreational activities. The Assessing Needs and Opportunities Guide (ANOG), developed by Sport England sets out an approach to undertaking needs assessment for sport and recreation facilities, in order to be compliant with the NPPF. This underpins our needs assessment work, the application of which we use to support mitigation strategies.
Sport England also has a statutory responsibility for planning applications involving playing fields. Sport England will oppose any proposals that will result in the loss of playing fields unless one of 5 specific exceptions policies apply. Much of our work is to ensure schemes do not receive objections by being involved and advising at the earliest stage, helping to shape the sporting elements of any development scheme and the likely mitigation requirements.
The key policy document is a local authority’s Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS). Applying the PPS to the development site will be the key determinant of any planning outcome. Because a site is no longer used for sport or is private does not mean there is no need. Sport England has a role to protect all playing fields, regardless of current or historical usage, and private and unused sites will still have to pass the planning tests. Similarly, if a site has not been used for 5 years this does not confer a significant change other than Sport England may not be a statutory consultee, but the same policy tests and rigour still apply.
SPC supports clients to understand the playing field policy issues and avoid many of the common pitfalls, developing policy-compliant mitigation strategies which support development but also deliver for sport.
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) paragraph 99 states that existing open space, sports and recreational buildings and land, including playing fields, should not be built on unless one of 3 policy tests can be met. The core requirement for any scheme involving the loss of sports provision is therefore that it has to be underpinned by an assessment of need.
Sport England has published 2 guidance documents for how National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) compliant needs assessment work should be undertaken, in order to meet the requirements of Paragraph 99, the Assessing Needs and Opportunities Guide (ANOG) and the Playing Pitch Strategy methodology (PPS). These represent Sport England’s response to the NPPF.
The ANOG methodology is used to assess the need for outdoor and indoor sport (not including pitch sports). In the absence of any local up-to-date local policy, a local assessment of need, carried out proportionately and using nationally recognised methodologies, such as ANOG, will carry weight in any planning policy consideration. ANOG stresses the need to consider strategic issues, look at supply and demand of comparable facilities in terms of quantity, quality, access and availability and utilise Sport England planning tools to develop the needs and evidence base and subsequent issues and options.
A lot of SPC work is therefore concerned with undertaking sports needs assessment work across a whole range of sports and school schemes, making the case for development in line with the NPPF.
SPC has significant experience of working with local authorities, developers and master planners to define sustainable sporting infrastructure needs across Strategic Urban Extensions (SUEs) and Garden Village sites. Using PPS and ANOG methodologies to define needs and assess the impacts of growth on indoor and outdoor sport requirements, we have supported numerous projects including Handforth Garden Village, Brookfield Garden Village, Attleborough Urban Extension, Lincoln Western Growth Corridor and Gritstone Road in Matlock.
Much of our current work is evaluating the impact of growth on sporting infra-structure requirements. When looking at any scheme there are 2 aspects to consider. If there is a playing field element, which is impacted upon, there will be the cost of mitigation to meet policy requirements. Secondly, where there is also a residential development, the impact of the projected growth on increased demand for provision will also have to be considered.
Sport England has 2 tools for assessing the impact of growth - the Sports Facility Calculator (SFC) and the Playing Pitch Calculator (PPC). These tools look at the additional requirements and costs resulting from the increased demand as a result of residential development. The SFC and PPC can also be applied to housing growth areas, SUEs and new village communities to assess the sporting needs. Using sports planning tools and stakeholder consultation we are able to model the impact of strategic housing sites and the resulting on-site and off-site playing field and sports facility needs.
Formal sports provision is not the only solution to increase sports participation, building on Sport England Active Design principles, the wider physical activity agenda is becoming increasingly important. Flexible outdoor spaces therefore also provide significant opportunities and it is important that the role of outdoor and green spaces in increasing participation and encouraging healthy lifestyles amongst residents are also considered in the master planning process.
We have therefore supported the development of master plans, which incorporate both formal sports provision alongside a holistic approach to health and physical activity, through the design of the public realm, which encourages active travel and seeks to build activity into everyday life across sites.
SPC is one of the leading consultancies delivering Sports Facility Development Strategies for local authority clients. We are sub-contracted by Tetra Tech Planning SPC on the Sport England Active Environments Framework for Needs Assessments. This provides local authorities with the assurance of a Sport England Framework partner to deliver Built Facility Strategy work.
The work is led by Neil Allen who is vastly experienced in facility strategy delivery. Neil was a co-author of the Assessing Needs and Opportunities Guidance (ANOG), the replacement PPG17 Companion Guide. ANOG was adopted by Sport England in 2014 and since then SPC has undertaken numerous studies applying the ANOG guidance, we therefore have a detailed understanding of the ANOG process and its application.
We were previously appointed by Sport England to provide Strategic Sports Modelling Services to the local authority sector throughout England using the facilities planning model (fpm). We are therefore fully conversant with all Sport England planning tools.
All our Built Facility Strategy work therefore uses the national guidance, and has practical applications in both planning and sport and physical activity. On the back of robust needs assessment work, clear strategies and action plans, we have helped to lever in significant investment to recent local authority clients.
Alongside authority-wide assessments, we also undertake bespoke assessments using the ANOG Framework to support sports needs assessments and mitigation strategies.
Recent studies include those for local authorities in Darlington, Rochdale, Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Warwick, Bassetlaw and Richmondshire.
For our feasibility study work SPC team up with other technical experts; architects, agronomists, QS and finance experts to provide a full range of services, which seek to test the need, viability and deliverability of a project proposal.
Our feasibility studies look at key strategic issues and need, location, technical considerations, the business case and crucially availability of funding. Consultation is also critical with key partners including national governing bodies (NGBs), local authority representatives and potential partners and clubs.