EDDIE IZZARD

THE LATEST NEWS
FROM SAPCA AND
ITS MEMBERS
New online guidance
published for outdoor
sport and play
New benchmark guidelines for the
design of spaces for outdoor sport and
play have been published.
The document, Guidance for Outdoor
Sport and Play: Beyond the Six Acre
Standard, will be a crucial tool for all
local planning authorities, developers,
planners, urban designers and
landscape architects, when designing
sport, play and informal open spaces.
This guidance has been produced
by SAPCA member Fields in Trust
(FIT), the only independent, UK-wide
organisation dedicated to protecting
and improving outdoor sports and
play spaces and facilities. It reflects
a new planning policy landscape,
including changes to the National
Planning Policy Framework (2012), the
introduction of The Localism Act (2011)
and the phased introduction of the
Community Infrastructure.
This updated guidance, which no
longer differentiates between urban
and rural areas, identifies benchmarks
within the current policy framework
for informal open space – places for
recreation, not involving organised
sport and play – and includes parks and
gardens, and natural and semi-natural
habitats. The guidelines are provided as
an interactive PDF on the Fields in Trust
website www.fieldsintrust.org/guidance
Playing fields can save the nation millions
Preserving playing fields could save the nation millions of pounds in health care costs
A report commissioned by SAPCA member
The London Playing Fields Foundation
shows how playing fields make a major
contribution to cost savings for both local
and central government.
The Fields of Dreams impact report
demonstrates the social, health and
educational impact and cost savings
attributed to the clubs and organisations
based at just one of its playing fields in
Walthamstow, north east London.
The research focuses on 16-25 year old
users of the Douglas Eyre Sports Centre
in Walthamstow and considers the playing
field’s positive impacts on community
safety, health and wellbeing, educational
attainment and economic regeneration.
It shows that savings of nearly £5m could
be achieved through proactively engaging
with the local community.
At a time of increasing pressure to build
new homes on green space it has been very
difficult to resist the loss of playing fields.
Over the past 25 years, the number of
grass cricket wickets in London has fallen
by 41 per cent and grass football pitches by
20 per cent. Previously, it has been difficult
to prove their wider community value, but
the report makes a compelling case for the
protection and full use of playing field sites.
The full report: www.lpff.org.uk/About/
Reports/Fields-of-Dreams
Success at Salford Sports Facility Show
Fields in Trust CEO, Helen Griffiths,
believes everyone in the UK should
have access to free, local outdoor
space for sport and play
The recent Sports Facility Show offered a
series of informative seminars at Salford’s
AJ Bell Stadium. Attended by architects
and delegates from sports clubs, local
authorities, schools and sports governing
bodies, the event featured a keynote
speech by funding advisor Karen Wolland
on the current sources of financial support
available – and how the funding landscape
is likely to change in the future.
The day consisted of seminars on a
range of subjects including; the maintenance
of synthetic surfaces, effective
marketing for sports facilities, understanding
the construction of bases for outdoor
The networking space at the Facility Show
sports, maximising the benefits of play
and raising the standards of natural turf
pitches. Presentations can be found online
in the events section at www.sapca.org.uk
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sportsmanagement.co.uk issue 4 2015 © Cybertrek 2015