Playing pitch strategy and existing allocations

2021-05-24T08:58:18Z

Hello all, hoping to use the collective 'brain trust' here.

We completed a Stage E Playing Pitch Strategy refresh during 2019-20 as part of our evidence base for our Regulation 18 plan and have been advised we will need to develop a new PPS from Stage A onwards for Regulation 19 by Sport England.

One of the areas we have been asked to investigate more fully within the new PPS is to provide evidence that a number of site allocations that are being carried over from the previous plan that were last used as playing pitches remain unneeded for use as playing pitches. The majority of these sites have outline PP with conditions being regularly discharged, however we have been advised that should a new application come forward or the current OP expire then Sport England would object on the basis it is not proved unneeded. We were of the understanding that due to their status as existing allocations and the presence of active landowners and developers working to bring the land forward we would not need to re-assess these sites in terms of their continued use as historic pitches but this has been proven incorrect.

We have a very limited local land supply and at the moment expect to only be able to meet approximately 45% of our LAHN and the former playing pitches make up around 2-3 years worth of supply.

I'm seeking some advice on how other LPA have incorporated historic pitches that are existing allocations or already have PP into their playing pitch strategies- bearing in mind condition surveys and so on as I do not have any examples to hand.