Sports stars fear disappearance of playing fields amid reforms

In response to proposed planning reforms, a number of leading sports stars and governing bodies have expressed concerns that playing fields could be constructed and lost across England.

Former Lioness Jill Scott, Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah, and Alex Yee are among those who signed an open letter declaring their concern about the potential removal of statutory protections for the facilities.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and the Football Association (FA), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the Rugby Football Union (RFU), and the Football Association (FA) signed off.

The government is considering revoke Sport England’s right to consult before building a playing field.

By 2029, ministers intend to complete a plan to speed up planning decisions in order to build 1.5 million new homes in England.

The signatories continued, “Playing fields are irreplaceable, and Sport England’s statutory consultee role is an important line of defense,” despite the consultation being underway.

Weakening this protection, at a time when demand is increasing and participation is growing, could lead to the destruction of the very spaces that support grassroots sport and physical activity.

Sport England declined to comment, but this month claimed it protected more than a thousand playing fields nationwide last year. After a total of 10,000 playing fields were lost in the 1980s and early 1990s, it has been asked to be consulted on planning decisions for the past 30 years.

Fields in Trust, a nonprofit that works with neighborhood leaders and communities to prevent development, wrote the letter.

Former midfielder Scott, the company’s president, said: “It has been very personal for me to bring together so many people for this letter. These very spaces are at risk of being lost to too many communities. I urge the government to pay close attention. We don’t want the impossible to happen. For the generations to come after us, we’re asking them to preserve what already exists.

The signatories, which also include Eilish McColgan, Sir Matthew Pinsent, Tessa Sanderson, and Parkrun’s leaders, are urging ministers to “make sure that any planning reforms retain a meaningful mechanism to protect playing fields and sports facilities for upcoming generations.”

“Social justice is the topic here. The most limited access is often the one who needs green space the most. Without these safeguards, communities’ well-being and health would suffer.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport stated that “we are proposing to keep playing fields, and we are investing £400 million into grassroots sport.”

No decision will be made until the consultation’s conclusions are fully considered, according to BBC Sport. The Gardens Trust and the Theatres Trust will no longer serve as statutory consultees, as does Sport England, which is anticipated to reduce more than 3, 000 consultations annually.

To fulfill its pledge to construct 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029, the government announced this month that housebuilding will need to explode.

Builders have warned that the government will miss its goal, which has fallen from 207 000 to 139 000 after Labour took office, the lowest level since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Women in Sport stated last week that it was inappropriate to “put our playing fields and pitches in danger.”

Any resurgence of this space would be at a critical time, preventing more women and girls from competing and thwarting the development of one of the UK’s biggest success stories.

A petition urging members to support Sport England’s status as a statutory consultee for planning applications is one of several sports bodies.