Issue - meetings

Report of the Corporate Director (Housing and Communities) sets out the Sports Facilities Strategy and its associated action plan.

Documents can be viewed on the following link: https://welhat.gov.uk/sports-strategy

In 2018, the Council commissioned 4global Consulting and Strategic Leisure Limited (SLL) to prepare a Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) and a Built Facilities Strategy (BFS). The strategy had been reviewed and approved using the Sport England methodology by the national governing bodies of sport who have all had an opportunity to engage and provide feedback.

The overall strategy was designed to provide strategic direction to the Council, sports facility operators, national governing bodies of sport and community organisations and clubs on where there was a need for future growth and development.

The associated Action Plan had been agreed in partnership with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC) and a range of stakeholders, including Sport England and several sports’ national governing bodies as well as other key stakeholders.

RESOLVED:

(1)  That the Committee notes the contents of all the documents associated to the Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) and the Built Facilities Strategy (BFS) and recommends to the Cabinet that these as well as the overarching Executive Summary plus its Associated Action Plan are formally adopted by the Council.

(2)  That the Council works with partners, leisure operators, governing bodies, sports bodies and others to implement the strategies and their actions. The methods of implementation will include set up of the Sports Strategy Operations Group, Local Plan policies, planning applications and Section 106 planning contributions, community infrastructure levy, investment by the Council, investment by third parties and other sources of funding.