Leisure & Tourism - Formal Open Space

Playing Pitches

6.9

Playing pitches are areas of formal open space, available to the public, specifically for the playing of pitch sports including rugby, football, hockey and cricket.

6.10

An Assessment of Playing Pitches in the Rochford District¹ shows that the supply of pitches is currently meeting expressed demand. Suggested new standards for each of the sub areas are shown in Table 6.3. It is intended that these standards will probably meet the long term structural changes in demand, as well as short term fluctuations.

6.11

A playing field survey was carried out across the district in 2002, and as a result a revised playing field standard has been adopted. One of the objectives of the playing field study was to research and recommend appropriate standards of provision for playing pitches to inform Council planning and investment decisions. Clearly it may be necessary to recommend not one, but several standards to reflect the characteristics of and needs arising from the different sub areas.

6.12

Sub areas are not exclusive and there is no doubt that people will travel reasonable distances to use the available pitches. The survey was carried out using the subareas identified in Table 6.1 but the booking evidence shows that these areas should not be considered as mutually exclusive for the purposes of pitch availability and provision.

TABLE 6.1

PLAYING FIELD SURVEY SUB AREAS
Please note that since this survey was carried out, the Wards referred to have changed.

SUB AREA	WARDS COVERED
Rayleigh	Grange & Rawreth, Lodge, Rayleigh, Central, Trinity, Wheatley, Whitehouse
Hockley	Hockley East, Hockley West, Hawkwell West
Hullbridge	Hullbridge Riverside, Hullbridge South
Canewdon	Canewdon
Rochford	Ashingdon, Rochford Eastwood, Rochford Roche, Rochford St Andrews
Great Wakering	Barling & Sutton, Foulness & Great Wakering East, Great Wakering Central, Great Wakering West

6.13

In looking at these Sub Areas and testing against the previous Local Plan Standards and those recommended by the National Playing Field Association it became apparent that it was necessary to dis-aggregate the required standards of provision for sports pitches from those relating to other forms of open space. It was also concluded reasonable to adopt a set of standards, that best reflects existing
potential demand within the individual sub areas.

6.14

Revised local standards must embrace provision of all pitches in community use. If they are to be effective, they must include a tolerance to cater for unpredictable upswings in demand and also the loss of access to pitches not in secured community use. However, they should not set too high a target as this will risk wasteful over provision, a key consideration, given static population levels within a
small district with teams able to travel short distances to other sub areas to access playing pitches. It is also unlikely further developable land will come forward in certain other sub areas.

6.15

As can be seen from in Table 6.2, there is a variation in the level of provision between the individual sub areas. Areas like Hockley are relatively poorly provided for, compared with Canewdon and Rochford. Notwithstanding the deficiencies in some sub areas the study has identified that the supply of pitches is currently meeting demand across the district, and in two sub areas (Hockley and Canewdon)
there is a little capacity to cater for any upturn in demand.

6.16

As stated above, it is unrealistic for the Council to test open space standards against population levels/intensity if an assessment is not also made of:-

•	the age of the population within the sub areas;
•	the level of likely demand;
•	the suitability of the pitches;
•	floodlighting;
•	changing rooms and other support facilities; and
•	travel distances to available facilities.

6.17

For the above reasons it has been concluded that the use of the National Playing Field Standard of 1.2Ha / 1000 people is discontinued, and instead the Council adopts the following standards for the sub areas which reflect the achievable aims for playing pitch provision within the plan period.

TABLE 6.2

PROVISION OF PITCHES PER HEAD OF POPULATION FOR THE SUB AREAS

SUB AREA	POPULATION	PITCHES / 000 (A, B1, B2)	NATIONAL PLAYING FIELD STANDARD
Rayleigh	31,410	0.99
Hockley	17,164	0.7	1.20 hectares
Hullbridge	7,425	1.34	per
Canewdon	1,491	2.23	thousand
Rochford	16,317	1.95	population
Great Wakering	7,694	1.77

TABLE 6.3

SUGGESTED LOCAL STANDARDS

SUB AREA	SUGGESTED STANDARD Ha / 000 POPULATION	NATIONAL PLAYING FIELD STANDARD
Rayleigh	1.15
Hockley	0.7	1.20 hectares
Hullbridge	1.34	per
Canewdon	1.68	thousand
Rochford	1.36	population
Great Wakering	1.77

6.18

These standards are intended to meet the long term structural changes in demand, as well as short term fluctuations. All the formal areas of open space are protected by policy LT7. In the survey it is also evident that there is a need for an All Weather Playing Pitch within the District, this need is addressed in policy LT2.

6.19

The survey also identified that for the existing areas of formal open space and the support buildings and infrastructure to continue to provide an adequate long term range of facilities, there will be a need for investment into their long term maintenance and support. The survey has sought to identify priority areas for investment, as shown in Table 6.4.

TABLE 6.4

SUGGESTED PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO EXISTING PITCH FACILITIES

Location	Sub area(s)	Sector	Suggested improvement	Suggested priority
Rawreth Recreation Ground	Rayleigh	Council/club	Improve pitch drainage	High
John Fisher Playing Field	Rayleigh	Council	Improve pitch drainage	High
Grove Playing Field	Rayleigh	Council	Improve pitch drainage	High
Clements Hall Playing Field	Hockley	Council	Improve pitch drainage and carry out levelling	Medium
Ashingdon Recreation Ground	Rochford	Council	Improve pitch drainage	Medium
Hullbridge Playing Field	Hullbridge	Council	Improve pitch drainage	High
Fairview Playing Field	Rayleigh	Council	Improve pitch drainage to pitch 4	High

POLICIES LT2 – PUBLIC PLAYING PITCH PROVISION
New proposals for public playing pitches, including the provision of synthetic playing pitches, will be required to meet all of the following criteria and have regard for LPSPD3:

i.	The finished site should be level, free draining and of sufficient size to accommodate the proposed pitches;
ii.	It should be located where there is convenient access for the local communities;
iii.	The proposed pitches are for public use;
iv.	Vehicular access to the site from the highway can be accommodated without creating a highway hazard;
v.	It should not have an adverse impact on residential amenity, nature conservation interests or the character of the countryside;
vi.	The Local Planning Authority is satisfied that provision has been made for the area's long term retention and maintenance.