Infrastructure Delivery Plan (Feb 2013) - Runnymede Borough Council

Chapter 11. Leisure Facilities
Introduction
11.1 This chapter will consider the outdoor and indoor leisure facilities in the Borough. In
each sub chapter, the existing provision and capacity will be analysed, as well as the
impacts of the forecasted development on existing provision and capacity over the plan
period. Any known future provision of facilities will be detailed where known, as well as
the costs of any planned infrastructure and sources of funding.
Outdoor leisure facilities
Existing conditions
11.2 Outdoor sports facilities is a wide-ranging category of open space and includes natural
and artificial surfaces either publicly or privately owned, which are used for sport and
recreation. Examples include playing pitches, athletics tracks, bowling greens, water
sport sites and tennis courts. The primary purpose is participation in outdoor sports.
11.3 The Borough contains a number of such facilities including a range of sports pitches
and hard court areas (including tennis courts and multi-use games areas). There are
also 6 golf courses in the Borough- at Wentworth Golf Club, Laleham Golf Club, Fox
Hills Golf Club, Queenwood Golf Club, Abbeymoor Golf Club, Top Golf Game Centre.
Given the location of the Borough adjacent to the River Thames, there are also a
number of water sports sites including rowing, and skiff and punting clubs.
11.4 In total, the Open Space Study (2010) found that there are 57 sites for outdoor sports in
the Borough which cover an area of 674.75 ha. Of this however, only 31.37ha of the
outdoor sports facilities were found to be accessible to the public (accessible defined
as not having to pay a fee to enter, and freely accessible to members of the public).
11.5 Fields in Trust sets a benchmark standard recommendation for outdoor sport including
playing pitches and parks of 1.6 ha per 1000 population. The Council’s Open Space
Study (2010) found however that across the Borough there is a general under provision
of accessible outdoor sports facilities with only 0.18ha of accessible outdoor sports
facilities per 1000 population. Whilst Egham, Chertsey, Virginia Water and Addlestone
(including not just the town centres but also all of the wards which fall within these
broad settlements areas) were found to under provide outdoor sports facilities, the
Addlestone area was found to have the largest under provision of such facilities. Whilst
this may be the case however, the quality of the Borough’s outdoor sports facilities was
found to be generally medium to high although quality does differ from facility to facility.
Local Plan Core Strategy
11.6 The location policies in the Borough confirm that development over the plan period will
be focussed in the Borough’s Urban Areas and at the former DERA site. SP06 is
concerned with tourism, recreation and leisure facilities in the Borough and promotes
recreation and leisure activities in town centres in particular.
Future provision
11.7 Despite the findings of the Open Space Study, at the current time there are no known
plans to provide new outdoor leisure facilities in the Borough.
11.8 In terms of improvements to existing facilities in the Borough, at Egham Leisure Centre,
the replacement of the 5 a side football pitches is proposed.
11.9 The following works are also required at the Council’s open spaces and parks:
Victory Park
• Improvement of the drainage at the football pitch at Victory Park
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Runnymede IDP DRAFT – February 2013