Planning
Strategic planning is the process of identifying an organisation’s long-term goals and objectives and then determining the best approach for achieving them. However, the strategic and policy context for sport and recreation provision and for meeting the health agenda does not stand still and continues to evolve.
Planning for sport, recreation, and health is at a crucial juncture. The focus has broadened to consider how built and natural environments can fundamentally influence health and wellbeing, through better provision for walking and cycling, accessible green spaces and integrated neighbourhood design, as highlighted in guidance such as Sport England’s ‘Active Design’.
This requires collaboration between the planning, public health, sport and recreation and transport sectors to embed health and wellbeing directly into local plans and to use Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) when assessing proposals.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) remains vital in protecting existing sports facilities, with local authorities tasked to rigorously assess needs for long-term, sustainable provision (see Sport England’s Playing Fields Policy and Guidance).
Concurrently, the ‘Levelling Up’ agenda actively seeks to reduce health inequalities by boosting access to sport and health opportunities in deprived areas through targeted initiatives and strong community engagement.
Adding to this complexity, major shifts in local authority budgets are critically impacting sport and recreation provision. Coupled with evolving participation patterns (affected also by Covid 19), the mandatory 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for new developments and requirements for facilities to address climate change challenges, a multitude of social and economic factors are creating significant hurdles for sports planners, providers and managers.
Agencies and organisations in the public, private, voluntary and education sector agencies, alongside local community groups involved in sport, recreation, and health need to be alert to changes in planning guidance and the way in which appropriate, value-for-money facilities in the right location which are sustainable for the long term can be secured.
belap‘s robust assessments and expertise, employing methodologies promoted by Sport England (Playing Pitch Strategy Guidance and Assessing Needs and Opportunities Guide for Indoor and Outdoor Sports Facilities) and the National Governing Bodies of Sport can empower your organisation to make informed decisions on sport, recreation and health facility development, management and maintenance.
Our work directly contributes to:
- Informing the development of planning policy (Local/Neighbourhood Plans).
- Addressing development management issues, by both informing proposals and assessing planning applications.
- Supporting Infrastructure Delivery Plans (IDPs) and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) strategies.
- Underpinning asset transfer decisions.
- Strengthening and guiding funding bids.
Our strategies have helped to secure funding for improvements and new provision for a range of different organisations and sectors.
For more information on what we do, see About Us and Case Studies or please get in touch via our Contact Us page.