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To address this objection, the policy should be amended to add an additional policy criterion requiring the loss of Dunton Hills Golf Centre to be addressed through demonstrating that the facility is surplus to requirements or provision being made for its retention or replacement with equivalent/better facilities as part of the development.

Sport England welcomes that the development will be underpinned by Garden Community principles and qualities and is particularly supportive of the proposals in section 4 of the policy relating to community/health infrastructure and green/blue infrastructure.

However, the policy is objected to because it has not addressed the need to either demonstrate that Dunton Hills Golf Centre is surplus to requirements through a golf course needs assessment or make provision for retaining/replacing the golf centre if the needs assessment shows that all or parts of the golf centre should be protected for meeting community golf facility needs.

While the Council has recently produced a draft Golf Course Needs Assessment (October 2018), Sport England's and England Golf's (the governing body) feedback on this assessment has been that the scope of the assessment needs to be widened to cover the full range of golf facilities in the study area (not just 18 hole courses) such as driving ranges, putting areas and par 3 courses. Without this, the assessment would not be comprehensive e.g. there could be a surplus of 18 hole courses in the area but a deficiency of driving ranges. Until an acceptable golf course needs assessment has been completed, Sport England and England Golf are not in a position to provide informed advice on whether the loss of the golf centre within this allocation would accord with Government policy in paragraph 97 of the NPPF or policy BE23(D) of the local plan. Consequently, Sport England would have to object to the policy in its current form as it would not be considered to meet the 'justified' or 'consistent with national policy' tests of soundness.