Planning for sport

We want to help the planning system provide formal and informal opportunities for everyone to take part in sport and be physically active. As part of this effort, we’ve produced the Planning for Sport Guidance.

The downloadable document below is ideal for anyone involved in, or looking to engage with, the planning system in England.

This includes local authority officers and councillors, planning inspectors, developers and consultants, through to parish/town councils, neighbourhood forums, public health leads, sports clubs/organisations, community groups and individuals.

Planning for sport guidance June 2019 - last updated April 2024 Download the file - 1.74 MB

Young fencers watch a contest

12 planning for sport principles

Included within the guidance are 12 planning for sport principles. Applicable at all levels of the planning system, the principles will help enable and support healthy lifestyles, deliver community and cultural facilities and services to meet local needs, and give everyone the chance to get active.

The 12 principles are split into four categories: overarching, protect, enhance and provide:

Overarching

1. Recognise and give significant weight to the benefits of sport and physical activity.

2. Undertake, maintain and apply robust and up-to-date assessments of need and strategies for sport and physical activity provision, and base policies, decisions and guidance upon them.

3. Plan, design and maintain buildings, developments, facilities, land and environments that enable people to lead active lifestyles.

Protect

4. Protect and promote existing sport and physical activity provision and ensure new development does not prejudice its use.

5. Ensure long-term, viable management and maintenance of new and existing sport and physical activity provision.

Enhance

6. Support improvements to existing sport and physical activity provision where they’re needed.

7. Encourage and secure wider community use of new and existing sport and physical activity provision.

Provide

8. Support new provision, including allocating new sites for sport and physical activity which meets identified needs.

9. Ensure a positive approach to meeting the needs generated by new development for sport and physical activity provision.

10. Provide sport and physical activity provision which is fit for purpose and well designed.

11. Plan positively for sport and physical activity provision in designated landscapes and the green belt.

12. Proactively address any amenity issues arising from sport and physical activity developments.

Please note that this guidance will be updated when required to reflect updates to government planning policy and guidance and feedback received. Any feedback or suggested amendments/updates can be shared by emailing us.

The design of where we live and work plays a vital role in encouraging activity in our everyday lives.

Learn more about Active Design

Additional planning tools

Active Places Power

Active Places Power is designed to guide investment decisions and develop sports facility strategies, while the Active Places Data Platform is the national sport facility database.

Active Places Power

Community Use Agreements

We’re keen to encourage increasing the availability of sports facilities to the wider community when they’re not being utilised by the main user.

Community Use Agreements

Facilities Planning Model

The Facilities Planning Model is a computer model that helps to assess the strategic provision of community sports facilities.

Facilities Planning Model

Significant areas for sport

The aim of significant areas for sport is to help ensure our most important sporting sites are fully recognised for the part they play in the delivery of individual sports.

Significant areas for sport

Sports Facility Calculator

The Sports Facility Calculator can help estimate the additional demand for key community sports facilities from a new population.

Sports Facility Calculator

Playing Pitch Calculator

This tool can help local authorities estimate the additional demand for the use of playing pitches from a new population.

Playing Pitch Calculator

Community Infrastructure Levy and Planning Obligations Advice Note

Advice on meeting the needs for sport that may be generated from a new development.

CIL and Planning Obligations Advice Note

Artificial Grass Pitches Acoustics Planning Implications Guide

Details of the acoustic implications associated with artificial grass pitches and measures to reduce noise.

AGP acoustics planning implications

Sports Club Planning Application Guide

A step-by-step guide for sports clubs making a planning application.

Sports Club Planning Application Guide

Contact our planning team

We have a network of town planners working across the country.

Get in touch

Playing fields are one of the most important resources for sport in England. They provide the space for team sports on outdoor pitches, and form part of a network of open spaces and wider green infrastructure in an area.

To help protect the spaces where people get active, local planning authorities are required by law to consult us on planning applications they receive that affect playing fields.

As a result, we've put in place a Playing Fields Policy to help us assess and respond to these applications.

We also provide publicly-available guidance alongside our Playing Fields Policy to give clarity and advice to external parties on how we make individual assessments.

This include details on the definition of key terms and how we interpret them, how the policy relates to government policy, how we apply the policy and its five exceptions, along with how to consult with us.

Playing Fields Policy and Guidance – Last updated December 2021 Download the file - 3.21 MB

Young boy practicing american football tackle using cushion

Additionally, we publish annual figures on the planning applications we’re consulted on as a statutory consultee. The latest figures are available to view below.

Playing field stats tables 2022-23

Table 1 - planning applications affecting playing fields by outcome

2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
Applications	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%
Received	1281/100	1235/100	1219/100	1274/100	1209/100	1160/100	1038/100	1181/100	1141/100
Approved¹	1141/87	1060/86	1054/86	1100/86	1005/84	963/84	839/81	964/82	921/81
Refused or withdrawn¹	140/11	140/11	133/11	130/11	139/11	120/10	139/13	156/13	154/13
Applications yet to be decided¹	27/2	35/3	32/3	44/3	65/5	67/6	60/6	62/5	66²/6

Notes

Of those applications received during the financial year
As of 30/11/24

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Playing field stats tables 2022-23

Table 2 - approved applications by category

	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23
	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%	Total/%
E5	253/23	246/24	203/21	199/24	183/19	204/22
E4	108/10	76/8	75/8	61/7	68/7	65/7
E3	421/38	349/35	328/34	313/37	343/35	294/32
E2	239/22	258/26	296/30	214/25	319/33	290/32
E1	5/1	10/1	6/1	4/1	4/1	0/0
Maintained objection 1	58/5	55/5	44/4	30/4	37/4	55/6
Maintained objection 2	16/1	11/1	21/2	18/2	10/1	13/1
Total	1,100/100	1,005/100	973/100	839/100	964/100	921/100

Notes

E5=New/improved sports facilities with overall benefit to sport
E4=Replacement playing field provision incorporated as part of proposals
E3=Development involving playing field land but where usable playing field not materially affected
E2=Ancillary facilities such as changing rooms and sports lighting that support use of playing field
E1=Development where a robust assessment of need and playing pitch strategy showed a strong case for releasing the land from playing field use

Applications where Sport England maintained an objection and following referral to the National Planning Casework Unit the application was subsequently approved
Applications where Sport England maintained an objection but referral to the National Planning Casework Unit was not required and the application was subsequently approved

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Regional breakdown 2022-23

Planning applications affecting playing fields, by region
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East
- 159 out of 167 (95%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
- Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 8 (5%)
East Midlands
- 108 out of 114 (95%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
- Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 6 (5%)
London
- 58 out of 61 (95%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
- Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 3 (5%)
North East
- 59 out of 63 (94%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
- Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 4 (6%)
North West
- 126 out of 145 (87%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
- Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 19 (13%)
South East
- 199 out of 209 (95%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
- Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 10 (5%)
South West
- 78 out of 88 (89%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
- Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 10 (11%)
West Midlands
- 95 out of 100 (95%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
- Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 5 (5%)
Yorkshire
- 125 out of 128 (98%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
- Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 3 (2%)
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Opposing the granting of planning permission

We'll oppose the granting of planning permission for any development which would lead to the loss of, or would prejudice the use of:
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- All or any part of a playing field
- Land that has been used as a playing field and remains undeveloped
- Land allocated for use as a playing field.
This is unless, in our judgement, the development as a whole meets with one or more of five specific exceptions. For more information on these exceptions, please refer to our Playing Fields Policy and Guidance above.
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Model conditions

In our response to an application we’ll, where appropriate, suggest conditions that should be attached to any planning permission and/or measures that should be secured by a legal agreement.

We have a suite of model conditions which we recommend are used in appropriate circumstances.

The model conditions meet the six tests on the use of planning conditions set out in the government's National Planning Policy Framework (paragraph 56).
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Model planning conditions Download the file - 352.5 KB

The design of where we live and work plays a vital role in encouraging activity in our everyday lives.

Learn more about Active Design

Additional resources

See our planning applications advice and guidance, and our assessing needs guidance, by clicking on the buttons at the top or button of this page.

You can also take a look at:

Contact our planning team

We have a network of town planners working across the country.

Get in touch

We have an established role providing advice and guidance to local authorities, sports clubs and other parties on a range of planning applications

As set out in Statutory Instrument 2015/595, local planning authorities are required to consult us on planning applications for development affecting playing field land.

The government, within its Planning Practice Guidance, also advises local planning authorities to consult us in cases where development might lead to:

loss of, or loss of use for sport, of any major sports facility
proposals which lead to the loss of use for sport of a major body of water
creation of a major sports facility
creation of a site for one or more playing pitches
development which creates opportunities for sport (such as the creation of a body of water bigger than two hectares following sand and gravel extraction)
artificial lighting of a major outdoor sports facility
a residential development of 300 dwellings or more.

Young girls jumping on long trampoline

Assessing applications

We have a network of qualified town planners who assess planning application consultations. They assess applications affecting playing fields against our Playing Fields Policy and Guidance and all other applications against our planning aims, objectives and 12 planning-for-sport principles, which can be found in our Planning for Sport Guidance.

We welcome requests for pre-application advice particularly for proposals relating to playing fields and major residential development.
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When assessing planning applications our planners will also have regard to relevant:
- Government planning policy and guidance contained in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Planning Practice Guidance, including paragraph 103 of the NPPF, which states:
  - ‘Existing open space, sports and recreational buildings and land, including playing fields, should not be built on unless:
    - an assessment has been undertaken which has clearly shown the open space, buildings or land to be surplus to requirements; or
    - the loss resulting from the proposed development would be replaced by equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality in a suitable location; or
    - the development is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the benefits of which clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.’
- Local planning policies and guidance (e.g. as set out in an authority’s Local Plan)
- Assessments of need and related strategies/plans in place for sports facilities in the area (as required by paragraph 102 of the NPPF)
- Plans and strategies from the appropriate sports national governing bodies (NGBs) - depending on the nature of an application we may also seek and take into account specific comments the relevant NGBs
- Sport England’s design and cost advice
- Information available from Sport England’s planning tools and guidance (e.g. Sports Facility and Playing Pitch Calculators, the Facilities Planning Model, Community Use Agreements).
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Major developments

New development, especially residential, should ensure that the needs it generates for sport and physical activity provision will be met, and that the environments they create facilitate and enable people to lead active lifestyles.
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When assessing application consultations for developments of over 300 dwellings we will have particular regard to our planning for sport principles 3 and 9.

Principle 3: ‘Plan, design and maintain buildings, developments, facilities, land and environments that enable people to lead active lifestyles'

Principle 9: ‘Ensure a positive approach to meeting the needs generated by new development for sport and physical activity’.

Further guidance on these and the other planning-for-sport principles can be found within our wider Planning for Sport guidance. This wider guidance points to our Active Design guidance in relation to Principle 3 and our Community Infrastructure Levy and Planning Obligations Advice Note in relation to Principle 9.

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Planning conditions and community use agreements

In response to a planning application consultation we may suggest that certain matters should be addressed by one or a number of planning conditions being attached to any planning permission.
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To help with this we maintain a list of model planning conditions. These have been reviewed by our legal advisors to ensure they can be used in line with the tests on the use of planning conditions set out in paragraph 55 of the NPPF.

One of the model conditions seeks to secure community use of sports facilities (e.g. those at educational establishments). To support the use of this condition we have developed a template community use agreement.

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Making a planning application

Our ‘Making a Planning Application' guidance can help community sports clubs and other relevant organisations with developing and submitting a planning application.
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While its use won’t guarantee success, it should increase the chance of navigating through the planning application process successfully and with clarity, while ensuring the best use is made of time and available resources.
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The design of where we live and work plays a vital role in encouraging activity in our everyday lives.

Learn more about Active Design

Contact our planning team

We have a network of town planners working across the country.

Get in touch

We believe that providing the right facilities in the right place is central to helping people take part in sport and activity.

The downloadable guidance documents below are designed to give a clear understanding of what’s required in an area.

This provides a sound basis on which to develop policy and make informed decisions for sports development and investment in facilities.

Girl learning to ride skate board in skate park

Assessing Needs and Opportunities guidance

To help you carry out comprehensive needs assessments for a range of indoor and outdoor sports facilities, we've produced guidance on our recommended approach.

The guide focuses on the practicalities of producing a clear and robust assessment to help develop and apply local planning policy. As a result, the guide will be able to assist local authorities with meeting the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework (paragraph 98).

Assessing Needs and Opportunities guidance Download the file - 7.24 MB

To further help you with your needs and opportunities assessment, we’ve developed a downloadable checklist covering the three-stage approach featured in the guidance.

Assessing Needs and Opportunities Checklist Download the file - 2.03 MB

Playing Pitch Strategy Guidance

This document outlines a recommended step-by-step approach to developing and delivering a playing pitch strategy. Covering both natural and artificial grass pitches, the approach has been developed by us in partnership with:

The Football Association
England and Wales Cricket Board
Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football League
England Hockey Board.

The document provides guidance for local authorities looking to understand and assess the need for playing pitches and improve provision.

It's also useful for parties who may be looking to carry out an assessment of need and develop a playing pitch strategy for an appropriate study area.

Playing Pitch Strategy Guidance Download the file - 1.23 MB

To help with your playing pitch strategy, we’ve developed a downloadable checklist covering the 10-step approach featured in the guidance.

Playing Pitch Strategy checklist Download the file - 1 MB