Bradford District Local Plan - Publication Draft (Regulation 19) (October 2026)

Appendix 11 Open Space Standards Comment

Per-dwelling requirements, evidence-led delivery and application methodology

11.1 Purpose and status

This appendix forms part of the Local Plan and supports Policy NE2. It establishes Bradford's local open space standards and the method for determining the provision required as a consequence of development.

The standards are the starting point for assessment. They are not maximum provision levels, an automatic on-site land requirement or a tariff requiring payment towards every typology. The appropriate response will depend on the needs generated by the development and the latest evidence for the relevant settlement and accessible catchment.

The Council will determine the final provision package in accordance with this appendix, informed by the applicant's evidence, the Council's latest evidence and public GIS mapping, and advice from Bradford Parks, Sport and Leisure and other relevant services.

11.2 Five-step process

1. Check the scope - Use Section 11.3 to establish whether a quantitative requirement applies and whether the proposal forms part of a wider development.
2. Identify relevant needs - Use Section 11.4, current public GIS mapping and the relevant evidence to identify which open space typologies and interventions are relevant.
3. Calculate the starting requirement - Apply the per-dwelling standards in Section 11.5 to the relevant typologies.
4. Decide how provision should be delivered - Apply Section 11.6 to determine the appropriate level of on-site provision, off-site provision, or combination of both,
5. Secure delivery - Apply Sections 11.7 to 11.10 to agree contributions, design, phasing and long-term management.

The assessment and conclusions should be set out in an Open Space Needs and Provision Statement proportionate to the scale and nature of the proposal. It may be a standalone document or a clearly identified part of another application document, such as the Design and Access Statement. A separate statement will not normally be required for development below 10 net additional dwellings unless a specific open space or recreational issue arises.

11.3 Step 1: Check the scope

The thresholds apply to net additional dwellings. Where a proposal forms part of a wider allocation, masterplan or otherwise related site, the Council will consider the cumulative development of that wider site. Artificial subdivision or phasing will not avoid a requirement.

Table 11.1: Development scope and general thresholds

11.4 Step 2: Identify the needs relevant to the development

Open space needs and opportunities vary between Bradford’s settlements and within individual catchments. The district-wide standards must therefore be applied alongside the evidence for the relevant settlement and catchment.

The Bradford Open Space Audit 2021 provides the baseline assessment of the quantity, distribution and accessibility of each open space typology within the district's settlement areas. It identifies quantitative deviations and recommends the open space typologies that should be prioritised in each settlement. The Bradford Open Space Needs and Demand Assessment 2020 provides complementary evidence about how residents use and experience open space, including the factors that may prevent or discourage their use, as well as the improvements or additional provision residents would like to see. This evidence helps determine whether the appropriate response is additional provision, improved accessibility or connectivity, and/or enhancement of the quality and facilities of an existing space.^[1]

The 2021 Audit baseline must be read with the Council's published update paper and current public GIS mapping. The GIS should be used to identify existing provision and accessibility at the time of the application. It does not replace an assessment of usable entrances, actual safe and convenient walking or wheeling routes, severance and other physical barriers.

The applicant should identify the settlement containing the site and the applicable catchment for each potentially relevant typology. Provision in an adjoining settlement may be relevant where it lies within the applicable catchment and demonstrably serves the development. Strategic facilities may serve more than one settlement.

Selecting the relevant typologies

The applicant must consider the development-generated need and the evidence for the area. The Council, informed by Parks, Sport and Leisure and other relevant services, will decide which typologies and projects form the agreed package. A recorded deficit does not automatically justify a contribution, and provision above a quantity standard is not by itself evidence of surplus.

How other Audit typologies are treated

Cemeteries, civic spaces and open land in settlements remain part of Bradford's open-space evidence and are protected through Policy NE2. They are not included in the routine residential calculation because new provision or contributions will normally be addressed through specific infrastructure planning, regeneration proposals or site-specific evidence rather than a standard per-dwelling requirement.

Green and blue corridors are addressed principally as a connectivity and site-planning matter rather than as an additional area-based requirement. Development should protect, connect and, where appropriate, enhance the green and blue infrastructure network in accordance with the relevant Local Plan policies. Natural and semi-natural greenspace remains a quantitative typology because development may generate a need for accessible provision or enhancement of that function.

11.5 Step 3: Calculate the starting requirement

The Bradford Open Space Audit 2021 expresses quantity standards in hectares per 1,000 population. For development management purposes, the standards below are converted to square metres per dwelling using an average household size of 2.60 persons, derived from the 2021 Census for Bradford District.

Area-based formula: hectares per 1,000 population x 10 = square metres per person; square metres per person x 2.60 = square metres per dwelling.

Table 11.2: Bradford development-facing open-space standards

* Outdoor sports provision must be assessed alongside the Council’s latest Playing Pitch Strategy and Integrated Sports Assessment The quantitative standard is a starting point only. The type, scale and location of provision, and whether it should comprise new or improved facilities, must be determined in accordance with Section 11.6.3.

For each relevant area-based typology, multiply the number of net additional dwellings by the square-metres-per-dwelling figure. The results must not be added together as a single on-site land requirement. Each typology performs a different function, may serve a different catchment and may have a different delivery response.

The thresholds relate to the provision of coherent new open space facilities. They do not remove any requirement for development below these thresholds to provide appropriate on-site landscaping, habitats, sustainable drainage or other green and blue infrastructure in accordance with relevant Local Plan policies.

Provision for children and young people

The Audit standard of 0.4 sites per 1,000 population equates, using 2.60 persons per dwelling, to 0.00104 sites per dwelling - approximately one site per 962 dwellings. This is an indicator of cumulative need, not a mechanical on-site trigger or a requirement to provide fragments of play space.

Table 11.3: Bradford play-space accessibility standards

The appropriate form and delivery response will be determined under Section 11.6, having regard to Table 11.3, the latest Playable Spaces Strategy, the scale and needs of the development and any identified deliverable project. Any off-site contribution will be considered under Section 11.7 using current project-specific cost evidence.

11.6 Step 4: Decide how provision will be delivered

Once the relevant open-space needs and starting amounts have been identified, the Council will decide whether provision should be made on-site, off-site or through a combination of both.

The decision will take account of the needs generated by the development, the design and characteristics of the site, the evidence for the relevant settlement and accessible catchment, and whether the proposed provision would be usable, appropriately located and capable of being maintained.

11.6.1 On-site requirements for housing

Amenity greenspace and play have specific on-site requirements because they form part of the design and everyday use of a residential development.

Table 11.4: On-site amenity and play requirements

For development of 10 or more net additional dwellings, the Council will take qualifying amenity and play space provided on-site into account when determining the final open-space package. Further on-site provision or an off-site contribution may also be required where an identified need remains.

The quantitative play standard in Table 11.2 is an indicator of cumulative need. It does not require fragments of a play facility to be provided. The form of play provision must be agreed with the Council using Policy DS2(C), the accessibility standards in Table 11.3, the latest Playable Spaces Strategy and the needs of the development.

11.6.2 When a new facility will normally be provided on-site

Table 11.5 applies only after the Council has identified a need for the relevant typology. It indicates when development will normally generate enough provision to support a coherent new facility on-site.

Table 11.5: Indicative thresholds for new on-site facilities

* An area may count towards the natural and semi-natural greenspace requirement only where its recreational accessibility and use are compatible with its biodiversity, drainage and other intended functions, in accordance with Section 11.6.6.

These are locally derived delivery assumptions, not national thresholds. A smaller development may still provide a facility on-site where this is appropriate and achievable. A different approach may be agreed for a development above a threshold where the Council is satisfied that it would better meet the identified need.

11.6.3 Outdoor sports provision

Where outdoor sports provision is identified as a relevant typology under Section 11.4, the applicant must assess how the need generated by the development should be met. The assessment must have regard to the Council’s latest Playing Pitch Strategy, Integrated Sports Assessment (2026) and public GIS mapping. The assessment must:

• Identify the nature and scale of demand generated by the development;
• Examine the location, accessibility, quality and capacity of existing and planned facilities within the relevant catchment;
• Consider identified deficiencies, priorities and opportunities for improvement; and
• Assess the need and feasibility of providing new or improved grass playing pitches, artificial grass pitches and associated facilities, such as changing rooms and pavilions.

11.6.4 When off-site provision may be appropriate

Off-site provision or enhancement may be appropriate where it would serve the development and one or more of the following applies:

• the amount generated by the development would create an isolated or unusable fragment on-site;
• an accessible existing facility needs additional capacity or improvement to accommodate the development;
• the typology is a specialist or strategic facility serving a wider area;
• an identified new facility or coordinated programme would meet the need more effectively; or
• genuine site constraints prevent a functional facility being provided on-site, provided those constraints have not been created by an unacceptable layout.

An off-site contribution may only be sought where an appropriate project or improvement has been identified, it would address the additional demand generated by the development, and the statutory tests for planning obligations are met. Section 11.7 explains how contributions will be calculated and secured.

11.6.5 A combination of on-site and off-site provision

A development may need to use both approaches. For example, a housing development may provide amenity greenspace and play on-site whilst contributing to an identified improvement to a park or sports facility serving its residents.

The applicant should propose and explain its preferred package in their Open Space Needs and Provision Statement. The Council will determine the final package, informed by its current evidence, public GIS mapping and advice from Parks, Sport and Leisure and other relevant services. The applicant's preferred approach will not determine the outcome.

11.6.6 Multifunctional open space

Open space should be planned as multifunctional infrastructure wherever the different functions are compatible. Well-designed open space can provide recreation and amenity while also supporting biodiversity, sustainable drainage, flood-risk management, landscaping, active travel and climate resilience.

The same area of land may contribute towards the open-space requirement and other applicable Local Plan requirements, including the Green and Blue Infrastructure Standards, Urban Greening Factor, Tree Canopy Cover and Biodiversity Net Gain. It may do so only where the design demonstrably meets the purpose and relevant criteria of each requirement. Meeting one requirement does not automatically mean that another has been satisfied.

Multifunctional provision should be considered from the outset, particularly on high-density developments, so that land is used efficiently. However, combining functions must not compromise the accessibility, safety, usability, quality, or long-term management of the open space. Habitat, drainage, or landscaped areas with restricted access will count only to the extent that they also provide the recreational or amenity function claimed.

Narrow residual strips, inaccessible drainage features, and incidental landscaping will not count towards the open-space requirement unless they form part of coherent, usable, and accessible provision.

11.7 Step 5: Off-site provision and financial contributions

Where the Council determines that all or part of the agreed requirement should be met off-site, a planning obligation may secure a contribution towards appropriate new or improved provision serving the development. A contribution will only be sought where suitable provision or an improvement has been identified and can address the additional demand generated by the development.

The amount will be based on:

• The residual development-generated requirement after allowing for compliant on-site provision
• The nature and scale of the identified provision or improvement;
• current, proportionate evidence of the cost of delivering it; and
• The proportion reasonably attributable to the development. Where part of the requirement is provided on-site, the contribution will be calculated only for the residual requirement or for a different relevant typology. The same requirement or cost will not be counted more than once.

Financial contributions will normally be calculated using the Council’s latest published Open Space Cost Schedule. The schedule will set out typology-specific capital costs and, where applicable, costs associated with design, implementation, establishment, management and maintenance. It will identify the base date of the costs and the applicable indexation arrangements^[2].

Where the cost schedule does not contain an appropriate rate, or where the identified provision or improvement differs materially from the assumptions used in the schedule, the contribution may be calculated using current and proportionate project-specific evidence. This may include an approved project cost plan, recent tender or contract prices or an appropriate published industry benchmark.

The planning obligation will identify the provision or improvement to be funded, the amount and purpose of the contribution, indexation, payment and delivery triggers, the period for expenditure and repayment arrangements. Contributions may be pooled where the intervention serves more than one development, subject to the applicable legal requirements.

Every planning obligation must be necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms, directly related to the development, and fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the development.

11.8 Information required

Applications for residential development of 10 or more net additional dwellings must be accompanied by an Open Space Needs and Provision Statement. This must be proportionate to the scale, nature and effects of the development, and should include:

• the relevant per-dwelling calculations and the reasons why any potentially relevant typology has been excluded;
• the applicable settlement priorities and findings from the Audit, published update paper, Needs and Demand Assessment, current public GIS mapping and relevant specialist evidence;
• a plan showing the site, existing and committed provision, accessibility catchments, usable entrances, realistic walking and wheeling routes, significant barriers and identified opportunities;
• an assessment of the expected occupants and the needs generated by the proposal;
• the proposed on-site, off-site or combined package, reasonable alternatives considered and the reasons for the preferred response;
• the intended use and calculation of any contribution and any claimed on-site credit; and
• design, phasing, ownership and management arrangements.

Applicants are encouraged to engage with the Council at pre-application stage, particularly for major or strategic development. The Council may seek advice from Parks, Sport and Leisure and other relevant services before agreeing the package.

11.9 Functions, quality and design

Open spaces perform different functions. They are not interchangeable simply because they occupy the same amount of land. The form, location and design of provision must allow it to perform its intended function and meet the needs of its expected users.

An open space may perform more than one function where those functions are compatible, and each is delivered effectively. For example, amenity greenspace may also support biodiversity and sustainable drainage while remaining safe, accessible and usable for recreation. Where practicable, provision should strengthen the connected and multifunctional green and blue infrastructure network, including links for walking, wheeling and cycling, ecological connectivity, sustainable drainage and climate resilience.

11.9.1 The role of each open-space typology

Table 11.6, based on the Bradford Open Space Needs and Demand Assessment, explains the main purpose of each typology and the forms it may take. The examples are illustrative rather than exhaustive.

Table 11.6: Functions of open-space typologies

11.9.2 Play provision

Play should be considered as part of the wider design of streets, public realm and open space, rather than only as fenced areas containing play equipment. The type and scale of provision should respond to the age and needs of the children and young people expected to use it. New play space should be well-located within a site, away from sources of pollution, and be of sustainable construction.

Table 11.7: Bradford's play hierarchy

The terminology in Table 11.7 describes the intended role of the provision; it does not prescribe a standard set of equipment. Play provision must be designed in accordance with Policy DS2, the latest Bradford Playable Spaces Strategy and any current Council design guidance. It should be inclusive and should provide a range of play experiences appropriate to its intended users.

11.9.3 Quality and design requirements

New open space and funded improvements must be welcoming, inclusive, safe, accessible, connected, nature-rich, durable and capable of being maintained. Provision must respond to the character of the place, the people likely to use it and the local evidence on accessibility, safety, condition, use and barriers to use.

On-site provision must be designed as an integral part of the development rather than treated as leftover land. Its design must provide:

• safe and convenient access, including accessible routes to and through the space;
• appropriate natural surveillance, boundaries and buffers;
• a clear and usable layout suited to the space's intended function;
• inclusive facilities and opportunities for people of different ages and abilities;
• an appropriate relationship with homes, streets, walking and cycling routes and neighbouring uses;
• ecological and landscape value, climate resilience and compatibility with sustainable drainage and flood-risk management; and
• realistic arrangements for establishment, inspection, repair and long-term maintenance.

Where a space is intended to perform more than one function, the applicant must demonstrate that those functions are compatible. Land used for drainage, biodiversity or another policy requirement will count towards an open-space requirement only where it also provides safe, accessible and usable open space of the type claimed.

The Council may require plans, specifications, phasing and management arrangements to be agreed before development begins or before the relevant homes or buildings are occupied.

11.9.4 Further guidance

Applicants should use the latest available evidence and guidance relevant to the proposal. Guidance does not replace Local Plan requirements:

• Bradford Open Space Audit 2021, subsequent update material and public GIS mapping;
• Bradford Open Space Needs and Demand Assessment 2020;
• Bradford Integrated Sports Assessment 2026
• Bradford Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy 2026
• Natural England's Green Infrastructure Framework and Planning and Design Guide;
• Sport England's Planning for Sport, Active Design and facility-design guidance;
• Fields in Trust guidance for outdoor sport and play;
• Bradford National Model Design Code Pathfinder Framework and subsequent pilot material;
• Bradford Design Code for New Homes and Streets, developed in partnership with Tibbalds and Born in Bradford.
• Homes and Neighbourhoods: a guide to designing in Bradford SPD 2020
• Make Space for Girls,resources and guidance available online - http://www.makespaceforgirls.co.uk
• Safer Parks: Improving Access for Women and Girls,by Keep Britain Tidy, Make Space for Girls, the University of Leeds and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, 2025

11.10 Delivery and long-term management

Applications must establish ownership, public access, design approval, inspection, phasing, establishment, maintenance, ecological management, equipment replacement and funding for the lifetime of the development. Provision must be available when needed by occupants, with delivery triggers secured through the permission or planning obligation.

Management may be undertaken by a management company, community body, landowner or another organisation acceptable to the Council. Where an applicant proposes to transfer provision to the Council, the transfer will be subject to the Council agreeing to adopt the provision, approving its design and condition, and receiving an agreed commuted sum sufficient to fund its management and maintenance for the agreed period. The commuted sum will be calculated using the Council’s latest published typology-specific maintenance costs and will be index-linked from the stated base date. No assumption should be made that the Council will adopt new provision.

11.11 Worked examples

The examples illustrate the process only. They do not predetermine the outcome of a planning application or require every listed typology to form part of the package. Any financial contribution arising in these examples would be calculated in accordance with Section 11.7 using the cost schedule in force at the relevant date.

Example A: 25-home infill development

The proposal exceeds the 10-dwelling threshold. The evidence indicates that amenity greenspace and local play needs are relevant. The amenity starting requirement is 25 x 13.0 m² = 325 m². Appropriate amenity space is incorporated within the layout. The play calculation is 25 x 0.00104 = 0.026 sites and is treated as evidence of cumulative need rather than a fragment of a play site. A contribution would only be sought if an identified accessible project would serve the development and the statutory tests are met.

Example B: 150-home residential development

The assessment identifies amenity, play and parks as relevant. The amenity starting requirement is 1,950 m² and is addressed through coherent on-site provision. The parks starting requirement is 3,510 m², below the indicative on-site parks threshold; the Council identifies an accessible park enhancement capable of accommodating the additional demand. The agreed package therefore combines on-site amenity and play with a proportionate contribution to the identified park project.

Example C: strategic development of 500 homes

The proposal requires comprehensive master planning. The starting calculations include 6,500 m² of amenity greenspace, 11,700 m² of parks and gardens, 13,000 m² of natural and semi-natural greenspace, 2,600 m² of allotments and a play indicator of 0.52 sites, where those typologies are relevant. These figures inform a connected on-site network and complete facilities; they are not added together mechanically. Complementary off-site investment may also be required for an identified sport, park or specialist facility serving the development.

Sources

• Bradford Open Space Audit Report 2021 and published updates
• Bradford Open Space Needs and Demand Assessment 2020.
• Bradford Playable Spaces Strategy
• Bradford Integrated Sports Assessment 2026
• Office for National Statistics, Census 2021.
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, National Planning Policy Framework, December 2024.
• Planning Practice Guidance: Open space, sports and recreation facilities, public rights of way and Local Green Space; Planning obligations; and Viability.
• Natural England, Green Infrastructure Framework and Accessible Greenspace Standards.
• Fields in Trust, Guidance for Outdoor Sport and Play: Beyond the Six Acre Standard.
• Sport England, current assessing-needs and playing-pitch guidance
• Homes and Neighbourhoods: a guide to designing in Bradford SPD 2020
• Make Space for Girls,resources and guidance available online - http://www.makespaceforgirls.co.uk
• Safer Parks: Improving Access for Women and Girls,by Keep Britain Tidy, Make Space for Girls, the University of Leeds and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, 2025
• Better Start Better Place https://www.betterstartbradford.org.uk/project/better-place/

^[1] The 2021 Audit provides the baseline for the Local Pla, but the Council’s open space evidence will be kept under review and updated during the plan period. The assessment of a planning application must have regard to the latest published evidence available at that time. This may include updates to the Open Space Audit and Needs and Demand Assessment, current public GIS mapping, and relevant play, sport and green and blue infrastructure strategies. Updates evidence may inform the assessment of the quantity, accessibility, capacity and condition of existing provision, settlement priorities and opportunities for new or improved provision. It does not, by itself, alter the standards set out in this appendix.

^[2] The Council will prepare and publish an Open Space Cost Schedule Technical Advice Note.