Issue - meetings

Consideration of recommendations of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee in respect of adopting the Sports England model calculator approach to securing developer contributions towards indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the Borough.

An updated Guidance Note is attached at Annex 2.

Consideration of recommendations of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee in respect of proposals to adopt the Sports England model calculator approach to securing developer contributions towards indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the Borough. An updated Guidance Note (attached at Annex 2) on operational use of the calculator was also presented for consideration.

Due regard was given to the views of the Committee, the financial and value for money considerations, the legal implications and the assessment of risk. Cabinet welcomed the introduction of a formal methodology to calculate the needs for on and off-site provision and in recognition of ensuring that where development was approved it provided appropriate funding for sports facilities and that these facilities were delivered against a strategic plan and mitigated the impact of development on local communities, Cllr Boughton proposed, Cllr Mehmet seconded and Cabinet

RESOLVED:  That

(1)             to secure appropriate contributions towards indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the Borough, the Sports England calculator and associated metrics for Development Management purposes be adopted;

(2)             the updated Guidance Note (attached at Annex 2) on operational use of the calculator be noted and finalised by the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health,  in consultation with the Cabinet Members for Planning and Infrastructure and Tonbridge Regeneration,; and

(3)             the Guidance Note when finalised be adopted.

(Decision Notice D260005CAB)

Consideration of recommendations of the Housing and Planning Scrutiny Select Committee in respect of proposals to adopt the Sports England model calculator approach to securing developer contributions towards indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the Borough. An updated Guidance Note (attached at Annex 2) on operational use of the calculator was also presented for consideration.

Due regard was given to the views of the Committee, the financial and value for money considerations, the legal implications and the assessment of risk. Cabinet welcomed the introduction of a formal methodology to calculate the needs for on and off-site provision and in recognition of ensuring that where development was approved it provided appropriate funding for sports facilities and that these facilities were delivered against a strategic plan and mitigated the impact of development on local communities, Cllr Boughton proposed, Cllr Mehmet seconded and Cabinet

RESOLVED:  That

(1)             to secure appropriate contributions towards indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the Borough, the Sports England calculator and associated metrics for Development Management purposes be adopted;

(2)             the updated Guidance Note (attached at Annex 2) on operational use of the calculator be noted and finalised by the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health,  in consultation with the Cabinet Members for Planning and Infrastructure and Tonbridge Regeneration; and

(3)             the Guidance Note when finalised be adopted.

This report advises on progress towards implementing a key action from the agreed Indoor Sports and Outdoor Sports & Playing Pitch Strategies.  It also proposes adoption of the Sports England model calculator approach to securing developer contributions towards indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the borough and lays out some of the key considerations.

The report of the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health provided an update on the progress being made towards implementing a key action from the adopted Indoor Sports and Outdoor Sports and Playing Pitches Strategy.

It was recommended that the Borough Council adopted the Sports England model calculator approach to securing developer contributions towards indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the Borough.  Potential contributions for indoor sports facilities based on the draft Regulation 18 Local Plan allocations were set out in Annex 1 for illustrative purposes.  Developer contributions were calculated using the Sport England Sports Facility Calculator and applying this to the number of housing units and average occupancy against the identified needs for future provision. 

Members were advised that, in respect of playing pitches the Sports England calculator considered demand for football, rugby, hockey and cricket but excluded demand for tennis courts, netball courts, baseball pitches, bowling greens and athletics tracks.   To ensure that a wider range of sports provision could be mitigated for it was proposed that additional metrics  were used, such as the Fields in Trust calculator and the Sport England Facility Cost Guidance.    The Guidance Note (attached at Annex 2) aimed to provide a methodology to enable developers and Borough Council Officers to calculate the needs for on-site or off-site forms of provision and to negotiate the associated land provision, financial contributions and maintenance costs.

Reference was made to a minor discrepancy in figures used in Annex 1 and Annex 2 in respect of people per unit.  This would be double-checked and corrected if necessary before consideration at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

In recognition of ensuring that where development was approved it provided appropriate funding for sports facilities and that these facilities were delivered against a strategic plan and mitigated the impact of development on local communities, Cllr King proposed, Cllr Dalton seconded and it was

*RECOMMENDED:  That

(1)             to secure appropriate contributions towards indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the Borough, the Sports England calculator and associated metrics for Development Management purposes be adopted;

(2)             the draft Guidance Note (attached at Annex 2) on operational use of the calculator be noted and finalised by the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health,  in consultation with the Cabinet Members for Planning and Infrastructure and Tonbridge Regeneration, before consideration by Cabinet; and

(3)             subject to the views of Cabinet, the Guidance Note when finalised be adopted.

*Recommended to Cabinet