Whether it’s scoring a goal, touching down for a try, taking a wicket or simply going for a run, our playing fields and pitches are the place we fall in love with sport and recreation.
They’re where our children get the sporting bug – by simply playing with friends or as part of a community club. For some, they’re where they take their first steps on the journey to becoming the next sporting star.
And they’re where communities come together, to enjoy being active outdoors and to connect with nature.
But our playing fields and the spaces we play are now at risk from Government reforms to the planning system.
The Government has now launched a consultation on changes to the planning system, including the proposal to remove Sport England as a statutory consultee for planning applications involving playing fields. We are deeply concerned this would remove vital safeguards which protect playing fields from development and ensure continued community use.
With the Government committed to building 1.5 million homes over this parliament, there is a real risk that our playing fields will be lost to development. And once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.
Removal of Sport England as a statutory consultee will also have detrimental knock-on impacts on the provision of wider community sports facilities which are essential to improving health and wellbeing. Removing Sport England’s formal role will reduce its capability to advise and support local authorities and to secure the provision of high quality, accessible community facilities such as courts, sports halls and leisure centres.
Ultimately, while we acknowledge the Government’s ambitions to increase economic growth and deliver increased housing, we firmly believe this must not come at the cost of playing fields, pitches and sports facilities which are vital community assets. Indeed, building more homes means we need even more places for local communities to be active.
We think these proposed reforms are wrong. We need your support to Protect Where We Play so that the next generation can continue to take part in sport, recreation and physical activity.
It is crucial as many people get involved as possible. The more people that respond to the consultation and sign our petition, the better the chance of the Government changing its mind.
The Alliance has produced a template response to make it as easy as possible for you to respond to the consultation by a few clicks of a button. Please click on the link below:
Alternatively, please use the template document below to respond to the Online Survey. The template response to the key consultation questions (Questions 3-5) can be found here and a link to the consultation here.
The consultation closes on 13 January 2026
We have created a Parliamentary e-petition to raise awareness across the country about the proposals.
Signing could not be easier and will help us make sure our concerns about this issue are felt by MPs. Please share this as among your networks and clubs.
Sign the petition by clicking here.
Suggested messages, using the hashtag #SaveOurSport:
Playing fields and spaces are vital to our communities, supporting people’s physical and mental wellbeing. Please keep protections in place so everyone can enjoy the benefits #SaveOurSport @SteveReedMP @lisanandy
Playing fields and spaces are the place our children fall in love with sport – they deserve protecting for the next generation. It’s not too late to do the right thing and rethink #SaveOurSport @SteveReedMP @lisanandy
Building more homes means we need more and better sports facilities for local communities. We can have both without sacrificing protections #SaveOurSport @SteveReedMP @lisanandy
Make sure to tag us in your social media posts using @sportrectweets / @sportandrecalliance
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