Safeguarding Sports Grounds and Playing Fields

7.13 Playing fields and sports grounds are an important resource for sport and recreation in Calderdale. As well as providing an important resource for team sports they make a significant contribution to informal recreation, and possess amenity value. Playing fields and sports grounds are a scarce resource and the loss of any part of a playing field may represent an irretrievable loss. The English Sports Council, operating as Sport England, opposes the development of playing fields in all but exceptional cases (Planning Policy Statement: 'Policy on planning applications for development on playing fields' 1998). There is therefore a need to safeguard existing playing fields and sports grounds from unacceptable development in order to continue to provide for the needs of both current users and future generations as advocated in PPG17.

Policy OS 3

The Safeguarding of Sports Grounds and Playing Fields

Development proposals which result in the loss of, or would prejudice the use of, all or any part of land presently or last used as a sports ground or playing field will not be permitted except where it can be demonstrated that one or more of the following circumstances exist:-
  1. an assessment of current and future needs demonstrates that there is an excess of playing field provision in the catchment, and the site has no special significance to the interests of sport; or
  2. the proposed development is ancillary to the principle use of the site as a playing field(s), and does not affect the quantity or quality of pitches or adversely affect their use; or
  3. the proposed development affects only land incapable of forming, or forming part of, a playing pitch, and does not result in the loss of or inability to make use of any playing pitch, a reduction in the size of the playing area of any playing pitch or the loss of any other sporting/ancillary facilities on the site; or
  4. the playing field(s) which would be lost as a result of the proposed development would be replaced by a playing field(s) of an equivalent or better quality and of equivalent or greater quantity, in a suitable location and subject to equivalent or better management arrangements, prior to the commencement of development; or
  5. the proposed development is for an indoor or outdoor sports facility, the provision of which would be of sufficient benefit to the development of sport as to outweigh the detriment caused by the loss of the playing field(s).

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