Promoting Health Facilities and Healthy Lifestyles

Chapter 4 - Providing for Integrated Community Infrastructure

Objective 4 - Promoting Health Facilities and Healthy Lifestyles

Sport, Recreation and Open Space

4.33: The Local Plan has an important role in contributing to the promotion of healthy lifestyles through safeguarding existing leisure and sports facilities and supporting proposals for new facilities. Policies RES 9 and RES 10 set out the principles and standards to be met for the provision of open space in new residential developments. The policies in this section of the Plan address the need to protect existing leisure and sports facilities. National Planning Policy Guideline 11 (Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space) acknowledges the health and welfare benefits of sport and physical recreation. It advises that the Government’s objective through the planning system is to protect and enhance the land and water resources required for sport and physical recreation.
4.34: Sports grounds and playing fields are fundamentally important to the promotion of healthy lifestyles but, as well as their recreational function, can also be important for amenity reasons. The following policies seek to protect existing sport and recreation facilities and open space for both health and amenity reasons.
4.35: Clackmannanshire benefits from an extensive legacy of public parks and amenity open spaces. These form an acknowledged asset for the whole community and require policy protection to protect against their erosion or loss. These areas are of importance not only for informal recreation and for amenity reasons, but also have wildlife habitat value. Amenity open space is particularly at risk due to pressure for residential development and incorporation into private garden ground. Playing fields and sports pitches are essential for the health and wellbeing of communities and their protection is also of importance for amenity reasons.
4.36: Allotment gardens have an important role in enriching local amenity, promoting individual wellbeing, fostering community cohesion and social inclusion, and in providing local open space and habitat. However, allotments are under increasing pressure nationally from pressure for built development, particularly residential development. The Council acknowledges the important value of allotments to communities and will strive to protect them.

Policy INF14 - Existing Public Parks, Amenity Open Spaces, Allotment Gardens, Playing Fields and Sports Pitches

Existing public parks, playing fields, sports pitches, allotments and other amenity open spaces will be protected from unrelated development which would diminish their recreational or amenity value. Development which would result in the loss of any of these facilities, in whole or in part, will be resisted except where it can be clearly demonstrated that the following exceptional circumstances apply:

Where there is a clear long-term surplus of pitches, playing fields, allotments or amenity open space in the locality and provided that there is unlikely to be any significant future demand for the facility, taking into account the long term development strategy for the wider area;
The retention or enhancement of the facilities could best be achieved by the redevelopment of part of the site, provided that this would not adversely affect the site’s sporting potential or amenity value
Alternative provision of equal community benefit would be made available. This provision should be at least as accessible by foot, cycle or public transport as well as by private car to existing users as the facility that would be lost.

Where a proposal is permitted which results in the loss of playing fields, sports pitches or allotments, the Council may request that the developer enters into a legal agreement to provide for the funding or provision of an alternative facility to offset the loss. The alternative facility must meet the criteria set out in this policy.

Policy INF15 - Indoor Sports Facilities

The loss of existing leisure and recreation facilities which would adversely affect the range and quality of provision will be resisted. Proposals for new facilities which would provide additional or improved opportunities for the community will normally be supported, provided: