Stars urge UK government not to scrap Sport England brake on playing field selloff | Sport England
Sports stars and governing bodies have warned that sports grounds and facilities in England are at risk of being mass-built, which could have devastating consequences for local communities.
Former England footballer Jill Scott and Olympic gold medalists Mo Farah, Alex Yee and Matthew Pinsent are among 88 signatories of the open letter, which said they were “deeply concerned” by proposed government planning reforms and that they would hit poor communities the hardest.
The letter, also signed by the Football Association, RFU, LTA and UK Athletics, comes amid proposals to end Sport England’s legal right to be consulted on housing developments on playing grounds as part of the government’s plans to meet its target of building 1.5 million homes.
“We are deeply concerned that proposed planning reforms could strip away the legal protections that help protect England’s playing fields and sports facilities,” the letter warns. “These areas are not just playgrounds; they are vital infrastructures for health and wellbeing, community sports and children’s play.
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“Playing pitches are irreplaceable. Once built, they are gone forever, and Sport England’s legal advisory role is an important line of defence. Weakening this protection risks accelerating the loss of spaces that enable public sport and physical activity at a time when participation is increasing and demand has never been higher.”
The letter adds: “This is about social justice. The people who need green space the most have the least access. Without these protections, the health and well-being of communities will suffer.”
About 10,000 playgrounds were sold in the 80s and 90s before protections were introduced in 1996 and 2001. Sport England’s figures also show more than 1,000 playing fields have been protected in 2021-2022.
However, this situation is likely to change unless a public consultation lasting until January 13 fails to persuade the government to change its mind.
Fields in Trust, which produced the letter, found that almost half of Britain lives more than a 10-minute walk from a playing field, and the poorest areas continue to lose much of their green space to development or closure.
Fields in Trust chairman Scott called on the government to listen to warnings from across the sport.
“Too many communities are at risk of losing these spaces,” he said. “Playgrounds where children first learned to play, parks where families spent Sunday afternoons, pitches where weekend matches took place between friends. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that green space in Sunderland, where I spent countless hours as a child and where every child deserves the same chance.
“I call on the government to listen carefully. We do not want the impossible. We want them to preserve what exists for the generations to come after us.”
The government has been approached for comment. This month a spokesman said: “There are already strong protections in place for playing fields and we propose to protect them and are investing £400 million in grassroots sport.
Sport England declined to comment.
