Date: 28 November 2025 Author: Energise Me
Sport England chair Chris Boardman has issued a statement following the opening of Government’s consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system.
Currently Sport England must be consulted whenever anyone wants to develop on a playing field and will always object if they believe sports provision in the community will be diminished as a result.
The consultation follows the publication earlier this year of the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
“We welcome the ambition to stimulate the economy and deliver housing. However, this must be balanced with protecting access to playing fields.
“History shows us that protecting playing fields requires more than national policy alone.
“Once a playing field is lost, it’s gone forever – and the impact is felt the most by communities that need them the most.
“Health is wealth – and healthy lives that are full of movement are essential for economic growth.
“We will work constructively with the Government to ensure that planning decisions can support growth and health.
“With almost half of our playing fields located within school grounds, safeguarding these spaces is essential to ensure future generations have decent access to community sport and exercise.”
The places where we live, work and play, influence our activity levels, and having local environments where people feel safe and encouraged to be active is a key part of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight We Can Be Active Strategy. These spaces are especially important for grass roots clubs providing experiences people enjoy and are often places people can take part in more informal activity such as walking.
According to the Sport and Recreation Alliance, playing fields and pitches deliver at least £2bn in improved wellbeing every year and help 4 million people to be active, including 1 million children
If you’d like to understand more about activity and playing pitch data and insight for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight get in touch with a member of our team.
The consultation will run until Tuesday 13th January. You can respond to the survey here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforms-to-the-statutory-consultee-system/reforms-to-the-statutory-consultee-system
Helping us tackle inactivity to boost health and happiness
