brentwood.gov.uk

Objection is made to the proposed allocation of site 044/178 - Priests Lane, Brentwood as it would involve the permanent loss of land last used as playing fields which may offer potential to meet community playing pitch needs. This site may offer potential for meeting community playing field needs if the Council's emerging playing pitch strategy (part of the Sport and Leisure Study) identifies playing pitch deficiencies in this area. Unless the study demonstrates that there is a clear surplus of provision or replacement provision is made, the loss of this site would be contrary to Sport England's playing fields policy and Government planning policy on playing fields set out in paragraph 74 of the NPPF. Consequently, at this stage, Sport England would object to the potential allocation of this sites for residential unless (in accordance with Government policy and Sport England playing fields policy) off-site replacement playing field provision was made to mitigate the impact. While acknowledging reference is made in the allocation to providing sports facilities and open space for public use as part of the development, until clarity is provided about the scale and nature of such provision this cannot be given much weight as it may not accord with the above policies. It should be noted that Government policy in the NPPF and Sport England's playing fields policy applies to both playing fields in use and those last in use as a playing field and applies to all types of playing field regardless of ownership.

The allocation should be reviewed unless the emerging evidence base demonstrates that there is a clear surplus of provision or acceptable replacement provision is made on-site or off-site. In this regard, weight should be given to concerns raised by Sport England and the sports governing bodies on the draft playing pitch strategy because if these are not satisfactorily resolved the strategy will not be considered to be sufficiently robust to satisfactorily demonstrate that there is a clear surplus of provision.
The Council will be aware of Sport England's role as a statutory consultee on planning applications affecting playing fields. To avoid potential objections and delays at a later date if this site ise allocated for development, it is advised that discussions take place with Sport England before this site allocation is confirmed in the pre-submission version of the local plan. Further advice can be provided on how our concerns could be potentially addressed as well as advice on how to avoid some of the problems experienced by other local authorities who have allocated playing fields for development in their local plans.