Client: Cheshire East Council
Project: Cheshire Playing Pitch Strategy and annual updates plus Poynton Mitigation Strategy
In 2017, KKP produced a PPS (and an Indoor Sports Facility Strategy) for the Council. This set out strategic direction and local priorities for football, cricket, rugby, hockey and lacrosse facilities. It was one of the first to incorporate Sport England’s Playing Pitch Calculator (PPC), which determines the future needs and costs of playing pitch facilities generated from projected housing growth. KKP both applied the PPC and trained council staff to use it.
The Strategy went through a successful public consultation process and, following adoption, was used to inform the Local Plan and Council site allocations. Cheshire East subsequently commissioned KKP to undertake an annual refresh, updating supply and demand findings and providing new recommendations and actions. Each update involves re-engaging NGBs (acquiring the most up-to-date affiliation data) and consulting key stakeholders, including Council officers and key clubs and schools.
On the back of the 2020 refresh, we were commissioned to undertake a mitigation strategy in relation to three playing pitch sites in Poynton that were allocated for housing in the Local Plan. This incorporated the entirety of an existing sports club and part of the pitch space at two schools
Using the PPS as the core evidence base, and via consultation with key NGBs and Sport England, mitigation requirements were determined and various scenarios tested to evidence their adequacy. The sites were mitigated collectively via creation of a new sports club site and improvement to remaining playing pitches at the schools. All stakeholders agreed to this, and Sport England agreed to allow land development to take place before replacement provision was provided, despite this being a variation from its normal planning policy stance. This is due to the overall sporting benefit that will emanate from the proposals and the quality of the work that went into developing them.
The work completed by KKP was excellent. The exercise was delivered with input from the identified stakeholders and explored a variety of potential solutions until one was agreed by all parties. We were extremely satisfied with the approach, communication and professionalism throughout. The final strategy, as accepted by Sport England, is being used as part of the evidence base for the Local Plan Examination currently.