Agenda item

The Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health and the Director of Regeneration and Culture submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration. The purpose of the report was to provide an overview of Middlesbrough’s Playing Pitch Strategy, with a view to its adoption by the Council, for use as a point of reference for decisions pertaining to Middlesbrough’s playing pitches.

The Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) was a document that provided an evidence base to enable the Council to maximise the amount of high quality playing pitch surfaces, and playing pitch ancillary facilities, for its residents while understanding the need to meet planning and housing requirements.

Central to the PPS was Sport England’s directive that local authorities should seek to protect, provide and enhance its playing pitches.

The aim of the PPS was to deliver against the following drivers:

a)    providing a critical piece of the evidence base required for the preparation of the Middlesbrough Council Local Plan, through the provision of a clear strategy and action plan with owners and defined timescales for completion;

b)    recognition of the importance of outdoor physical activity and sport and the clear demonstration of how those should be prioritised within any development or regeneration project;

c)     provision of an evidenced based approach and the management of a clear sign-off and governance structure for key stakeholders; and,

d)    evidence to support a wider review into sport and physical activity provision, including housing and population growth projected in neighbouring local authorities.

An outline of the issues or opportunities identified by the PPS, and their accompanying strategic recommendations, could be found at Appendix 1 of the submitted report.

To facilitate the development of sport and physical activity across Middlesbrough, the PPS advised that the Steering Group, set up as part of the Playing Pitch Strategy project, continued to work together to deliver the recommendations defined as part of the strategy.

Attached at Appendix 2 of the submitted report was the needs assessment, which provided an up to date analysis of supply and demand for playing pitches (grass and artificial) in a local authority area. Attached at Appendix 3 was the strategy document, which provided the Council with a clear evidence base and set of recommendations for future outdoor sports facility development.

OPTIONS

The Council could have chosen not to adopt the PPS, however, that approach was not recommended for the following reasons:

a)    It would have undermined the strategic rationale for decisions pertaining to playing pitches and frustrated the Council’s development aspirations and priorities. That may have led to decisions taken by the Council being challenged by Sport England, which may have then had further implications for the planning process, the delivery of the Local Plan, and achieving the Council’s housing targets; and,

b)    The lack of a strategic rationale for decisions pertaining to playing pitches would have significantly hampered the capability of the Council to work with partners to attract external investment in projects.

ORDERED

That the Middlesbrough Playing Pitch Strategy be adopted for use, as a source of reference, in decisions pertaining to Middlesbrough’s playing pitches.

REASONS

To provide the Council with a strategic foundation upon which to make decisions relating to the protection, provision and enhancement of Middlesbrough’s playing pitches. The same strategic basis would also increase the Council’s capacity to work with partners to attract investment in projects that protect, provide and enhance the town’s playing pitches.

The PPS had been delivered through consultation with all relevant stakeholders following the guidelines set out by Sport England.