Representation by Sport England (Sport England)
- Date submitted
- 3 September 2021
- Submitted by
- Non-statutory organisations
The line of the link road/construction activity appears to affect a disused cricket ground, shown on the aerial image below and also shown on the red line boundary plan between Old Mill Farm Underpass and Mottram Underpass. This shows a proposed watercourse/ditch cutting across the north west corner of the cricket ground, although the video fly through shows the cricket ground will be unaffected. If the final development results in the loss of any part of this site this would prevent the site from being brought back into use should it be required to meet an identified need for pitch sports, either cricket or another pitch sport. It should be noted that Sport England’s remit is not purely to protect those playing fields that are currently in use but also those that are disused that could be protected and brought back into use to meet an identified need in future. Sport England applies its policy to any land in use as playing field or last used as playing field and which remains undeveloped, irrespective of whether that use ceased more than five years ago. Lack of use and poor quality should not be seen as necessarily indicating an absence of need for playing fields in the locality. Such land can retain the potential to provide playing pitches to meet current or future needs. With respect to disused /lapsed playing fields it should be emphasised that the lawful planning use of a lapsed site is still that of a playing field until such time as there is a formal change of use or development occurs, nor is there a positive obligation (under planning law) for any playing field to be actively used as such. Tameside Council are currently preparing a new Playing Pitch Strategy which will determine whether there is sufficient pitch provision or a deficit. This is the relevant Needs Assessment that informs whether a playing field is surplus to meet a community sport requirement, or should be replaced to meet an identified community sport need. As there is no evidence the site is surplus to requirement to meet paragraph 99(a) of the NPPF and Sport England Playing Fields Policy Exception E1, then mitigation is required to ensure the proposal meets paragraph 99(b) of the NPPF and Sport England Policy Exception E4. Both policies require an equivalent or greater quantity (playing field land) and equivalent or better quality to be provided. In this case as the site has been disused for several years and there are no pitch users that would be displaced, then qualitative improvements to an existing site in the locality may be considered. Any options should be discussed with Sport England and Tameside Council.