Sport England has long been engaged with policy development
which promotes the interests of sport and recreation at regional,
sub-regional and local levels. Sport England's 30 policy objectives
for sport and recreation relating to: facility provision and
protection, sport in the urban fringe, wider countryside and
designated areas and the management of sports facilities. These are
set out in appendices in the following documents: Proofing
for Sport and Active Recreation in Spatial Plans and
Development
Control Guidance Note.
Sport can be used to help deliver a range of policy aspirations,
such as health improvement and local economic viability. This
contribution is detailed in Spatial
Planning for Sport and Active Recreation and applies
to policy development at regional, sub-regional and local scales.
The following links offer advice and guidance on the development of
policies for sport and recreation.
Sport England sees the emergence of the spatial planning system
as an opportunity to deliver both its own aspirations for sport and
active recreation, whilst contributing to those of its partners in
public, private and voluntary sectors. Here there is the prospect
of delivering a planned approach to the provision of facilities,
and in doing so adding value to the work of others and helping to
deliver aspirations for sustainable development
Creating Regional and Sub-Regional Policy
In assisting the development of policy at regional and
sub-regional scales, Sport England has developed a range of
guidance and practical tools. This section sets out the aspirations
for the representation of the interests of sport, principles and
key objectives which are central to ensuring that the best use is
made of the potential for sport to realise direct and wider aims. A
checklist of how the interests of sport can be woven into regional
policy is given, along with a number of examples of how Sport
England is currently engaging with the planning process at regional
and sub-regional levels.
Find
out more about creating Regional and Sub-Regional
Policy
Creating Local Policy
At the local level, Sport England’s interests relate to the
development of policy within Local Development Documents and the
implementation of policy through development control. To help
clarify how the interests of sport and recreation are best
represented at the local level, the suite of documents comprising
the LDF is considered. Sport England’s interests and the policy
creation process in those documents is identified. A robust
evidence base is central to ensuring that policy is well-founded,
and to this end, a range of tools developed by Sport England are
highlighted.
Download our Creating
Local Policy document to find out more
Download our Sport
and Area Action Plans document to find out more
Download our Sport
and Recreation in Spatial Planning Documents to
find out more
Examples of Core Strategy Policies
Policies for sport and active recreation are beginning to emerge
as Core Strategies evolve into their final versions. Core Strategy
Submission Documents have been reviewed in order to identify
examples of emerging policies for sport and recreation, along with
evidence of approaches being adopted as part of policy-making. The
latter includes, for example, reference to partner strategies and
the evidence which has been used to underpin policy.
Core
Strategy policy examples
Guiding Principles for Sport and Spatial Planning
Sport England is committed to the spirit and purpose of spatial
planning. The integration of policies for the development and use
of land with other policies and programmes chimes with the
potential of sport and active recreation to make a contribution
across a range of policy areas. Through partnership working, Sport
England seeks to engage with planners at regional and local levels
to help ensure that the interests of sport and active recreation
are well represented, actively promoted and appropriately developed
in the interests of all.
By working with planners at regional, sub-regional and local
scales, Sport England wishes to develop a practical approach to
planning for sport and active recreation and to this end seeks
involvement in plan and policy development at regional,
sub-regional and local scales. This means seeking opportunities for
the promoting the interests of sport and active recreation through
a variety of means, including statutory and non-statutory
mechanisms, at a variety of scales, delivered through top-down and
bottom-up mechanisms. The advent of the spatial planning system
offers such opportunities, particularly developing new partnerships
in realising a wider agenda than pursued hitherto. Here the
contribution of sport and active recreation to agendas associated
with regeneration, health promotion and environmental enhancement,
for instance.
The following principles will inform how Sport England seeks to
engage with the planning system in the promotion of the interests
of sport and active recreation.
- Environmental sustainability
- Community safety
- Local economic viability
- Improving quality of life and well-being
- Health improvement
- Raising standards in schools