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Commitment to playing field protection continues

Our role as a statutory consultee saw 94% of all concluded planning applications involving playing fields result in the protection or improvement of facilities.

12th December 2024

We protected more than 1,000 playing fields between April 2022 and March 2023, new figures published today show.

The annual playing field statistics show we protected 1,007 in the year to March 2023, continuing our commitment to protecting and enhancing playing fields across England.

Our commitment means 94% of all concluded planning applications involving a playing field have resulted in improved or safeguarded facilities, according to data published today.

A game of cricket is played on a community playing field

And our director of planning and active environments, Nick Evans, is pleased with the continued efforts of our planning team.

“The figures released today once again demonstrate Sport England’s unwavering commitment to protecting and enhancing playing fields,” he said.

“Playing fields are a vital resource that offer flexible opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity, providing wide ranging health and wellbeing benefits to communities across England.

“We are pleased to see the importance of our role has recently been endorsed by a government planning inspector in relation to a proposed housing scheme on a playing field in Yardley, Birmingham, who in dismissing the planning appeal gave great weight to Sport England’s objection to its loss.

“This was just one of over 1000 applications that Sport England were consulted on over the year that culminated in safeguarded or improved provision.  

“It’s crucial we continue to protect these spaces to enable people, regardless of their background to be active in their local communities.” 

Sport England must be consulted whenever anyone wants to develop on a playing field and we’ll always object if we believe sports provision in the community will be diminished as a result.  

Today’s data, which covers the 2022/23 financial year, shows we continue to act to protect and enhance playing fields across the country.

The data show: 

  • 94% (1,007 out of 1,075) of concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision 
  • of the 140 applications where we maintained our objection, 72 (51%) were either withdrawn by the applicants or refused planning permission 
  • in 69% of the cases where we originally objected to an application, further negotiations led to development being approved with improved or safeguarded sports provision.
     

The stats

  • Playing field stats tables 2022-23

    Table 1 - planning applications affecting playing fields by outcome
      2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
    Applications Total/% Total/% Total/% Total/% Total/% Total/% Total/% Total/% Total/%
    Received 1281/100 1235/100 1219/100 1274/100 1209/100 1160/100 1038/100 1181/100 1141/100

    Approved¹

    		 1141/87 1060/86 1054/86 1100/86 1005/84 963/84 839/81 964/82 921/81

    Refused or withdrawn¹

    		 140/11 140/11 133/11 130/11 139/11 120/10 139/13 156/13 154/13

    Applications yet to be decided¹

    		 27/2 35/3 32/3 44/3 65/5 67/6 60/6 62/5

    66²/6

    Notes

    1. Of those applications received during the financial year
    2. As of 30/11/24
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  • Playing field stats tables 2022-23

    Table 2 - approved applications by category
      2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23
      Total/% Total/% Total/% Total/% Total/% Total/%
    E5 253/23 246/24 203/21 199/24 183/19 204/22
    E4 108/10 76/8 75/8 61/7 68/7 65/7
    E3 421/38 349/35 328/34 313/37 343/35 294/32
    E2 239/22 258/26 296/30 214/25 319/33 290/32
    E1 5/1 10/1 6/1 4/1 4/1 0/0
    Maintained objection 1 58/5 55/5 44/4 30/4 37/4 55/6
    Maintained objection 2 16/1 11/1 21/2 18/2 10/1 13/1
    Total 1,100/100 1,005/100 973/100 839/100 964/100 921/100

    Notes

    • E5=New/improved sports facilities with overall benefit to sport
    • E4=Replacement playing field provision incorporated as part of proposals
    • E3=Development involving playing field land but where usable playing field not materially affected
    • E2=Ancillary facilities such as changing rooms and sports lighting that support use of playing field
    • E1=Development where a robust assessment of need and playing pitch strategy showed a strong case for releasing the land from playing field use
    1. Applications where Sport England maintained an objection and following referral to the National Planning Casework Unit the application was subsequently approved
    2. Applications where Sport England maintained an objection but referral to the National Planning Casework Unit was not required and the application was subsequently approved
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  • Regional breakdown 2022-23

    Planning applications affecting playing fields, by region

    East

    • 159 out of 167 (95%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
    • Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 8 (5%)

    East Midlands

    • 108 out of 114 (95%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
    • Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 6 (5%)

    London

    • 58 out of 61 (95%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
    • Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 3 (5%)

    North East

    • 59 out of 63 (94%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
    • Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 4 (6%)

    North West

    • 126 out of 145 (87%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
    • Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 19 (13%)

    South East

    • 199 out of 209 (95%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
    • Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 10 (5%)

    South West

    • 78 out of 88 (89%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
    • Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 10 (11%)

    West Midlands

    • 95 out of 100 (95%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
    • Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 5 (5%)

    Yorkshire

    • 125 out of 128 (98%) concluded planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or safeguarded sports provision
    • Despite formal objections from Sport England, the number of applications which led to a detrimental impact on sport was 3 (2%)
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