Object

Representation ID: 19680

Received: 24/03/2021

Respondent: Sport England

Some sport facilities are acceptable in the countryside such as changing rooms to serve a rural cricket ground, or an arena to serve an equestrian facility.

This policy should make it specifically clear that appropriate sport and recreation facilities which require a rural location or serve an existing rural sport facility are acceptable in the countryside.

Every year thousands of sports events take place that rely upon the natural environment. Many are the transient, peripatetic events that the organising club sets up, the competition takes place, and afterwards any equipment are dismantled and the land reverts to its original use e.g. equestrian activities, motorsport, cycling, running, canoeing and climbing events.

Occasionally some events do require planning permission and this tends to be where permitted development rights do not apply.

Policies should therefore be positively worded to protect and encourage peripatetic sporting events as well as permanent sport facilities.