Facilities: Planning and strategies

Synthetic turf pitch study

Sport England and sportscotland undertook a joint survey of synthetic turf pitch facilities in 2005/2006. The main objective of the research was to help inform the Facility Planning Model (FPM) which is used to assist decisions relating to the strategic provision of sports facilities. However the findings raise a number of issues which will also be of interest to a wider audience including local authorities, facility providers, governing bodies and other sport-related bodies.

Planning applications affecting playing fields

National audit of Scotland's sports facilities

The main purposes of the audit were to establish the general condition of Scotland’s sports facilities, to estimate where necessary the capital cost of bringing them up to an acceptable standard and to estimate the costs of maintaining them in an acceptable condition.

Guide to the preparation of sports pitch strategies

This Guide provides a recommended methodology for local authorities to assess the need for pitches in their area. It sets out the policy context, briefly considers trends in participation in the pitch sports and considers the value of sports pitch strategies. It then describes the five basic stages in preparing a pitch strategy.

Planning policy for the protection of playing fields

Concerns about the loss of playing fields to built development resulted in the Scottish Office introducing new planning controls in 1997. This followed the publication of National Planning Policy Guideline 11 (NPPG 11) Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space which highlighted this issue and made sportscotland a statutory consultee on all planning applications for development affecting playing fields. Despite these guidelines, development pressures on playing fields have not abated. This paper reviews our experience as a consultee and sets out a policy which sportscotland has adopted for the protection and improvement of playing fields.

Property review and facilities study

The principle objectives of the study were: to develop a property strategy for sportscotland involving location, ownership and management issues related to its headquarters; a review of the national centres, with options for future ownership and management; and to develop a strategy for the provision of indoor and outdoor facilities that will be a focus for the development of selected sports.

Facilities Planning Model

sportscotland has developed a Facilities Planning Model (FPM) as a planning tool to inform decisions about the provision of community sports facilities. Indeed a number of authorities have commissioned sportscotland to run the model to assist with facility planning for their areas. The Government’s planning advice for sport, physical recreation and open space (National Planning Policy Guideline 11) advises councils to take account of the FPM in assessing levels of provision of sports facilities appropriate for their area.

National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy

The Scottish Executive in partnership with sportscotland have recognised that significant investment is required in Scotland’s national and regional sports facilities.

Hall Sports: Participation and Use of Facilities

To date, the Scottish Sports Council’s planning work on hall sports has been based on previous studies of sports centres. This had proved to be inadequate, partly because the information has not been current but mainly because provision for hall sports in other types of facilities, such as educational establishments and community halls, has not been ncluded.

Hall sports study

This study has been designed to update information gathered previously on hall sports, focussing on participation levels and the use of facilities. The original research has been of significant use in the policy making and planning work undertaken by sportscotland but it is now recognised that more current information is needed.

Tourist Use of Rural Sports Facilities

System Three was commissioned to undertake a study to investigate the tourist use of sports facilities in rural areas of Scotland. The objectives of this study were to: allow planning to take place for sports facilities in rural areas which can incorporate potential tourist use; assess how tourist use can assist the viability of local sports facilities; provide information to assist in determining the appropriate scale of new facilities; and assist the assessment of grant-aid applications.