New housing can mean new sports facilities

A new guide, Providing for Sport and Recreation in New Development, has been produced by Sport England to 'show how sport and recreation provision can 'successfully' be achieved in conjunction with new housing'. Aimed at local authority planners, sports development and leisure officers, developers and others involved in housing development, the new guide is available free on the Sport England website: www.sportengland.org. Sport England says that in a time of increasing demand on public funds, sport needs to look towards different funding opportunities to help provide for new community and recreation facilities. The Guide will tell local authorities of the powers and guidance available to help create sports facilities alongside new housing. Trevor Brooking, chair of Sport England says people often think that new housing developments means less space for sport: This guide aims to show that the opposite can be true. We want this publication to reach local authorities to show them how they can work with housing developers to provide new sports facilities which help to make sustainable communities. An agreement is already in place in Cambourne, South Cambridgeshire, where an agreement has been put in place to provide a package of sport and recreation facilities in conjunction with a 3,300 dwelling new settlement.