New figures published by Sport England show it protected more than 1,000 playing fields between April 2023 and March 2024.
In its role as a statutory consultee, Sport England is obligated to be consulted whenever anyone wants to develop on a playing field and it will always object if it believes sports provision in the community will be diminished as a result.
The latest statistics show Sport England protected 1,038 playing fields in the 12 months to March 2024, displaying a continued commitment to protecting and enhancing playing fields across the country.
For director of planning and active environments, Nick Evans,these figures are yet another reminder of the importance of playing fields to making activity a part of normal life for everyone.
“The protection and improvement of playing fields has never been as important as it is today,” he explained.
"With 1.5 million new homes planned over the next few years, providing spaces for sports and physical activity to go alongside these new homes is crucial.
"Playing fields are a vital resource that offer flexible opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity, providing wide-ranging health and wellbeing benefits to communities across England.
"We not only need to protect what we already have, we also need to provide more to make sure that the demands by the additional population are met.
"The rise of women’s football, highlighted by England’s recent Euro success, underscores growing demand and the benefits of protecting and improving these spaces.”
The data show:
- 94% (1038 out of 1104) of concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
- that in 60% of the cases where Sport England originally objected to an application, further negotiations led to development being approved with improved or safeguarded sports provision
- that of the 145 applications where Sport England maintained its objection, 79 (55%) were either withdrawn by the applicants or refused planning permission.
The statistics come at a time when Sport England’s statutory consultee role is being considered as part of a Government review, with a consultation having been launched last month.
The consultation follows the publication earlier this year of the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which seeks to reform the role of statutory consultees in the planning system.
Chris Boardman, chair, Sport England, said: "Playing fields are far more than patches of grass – they are the places where people of all ages come together, where communities form, and where children first discover the joy of being active.
"Yet our latest Active Lives report shows that more than half of young people miss out on the daily movement they need to thrive, and fewer than half of those aged 11-16 feel they even have the opportunity to be active.
"That should worry all of us.
"Active children grow into active adults, and that simple truth underpins a healthy, confident society.
"Protecting and improving the spaces that enable that journey – especially the playing fields within our school grounds – is therefore essential.
"If we get this right, we don’t just safeguard sport; we safeguard wellbeing, growth and the future prospects of millions of young people."
