Councillors consider 15-year plan to improve sports pitches and playing fields across the city

As the city looks forward to hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup later this summer, enhancing Brighton & Hove’s growing reputation as a major sporting city, demand for access to good quality sporting facilities looks set to surge.

The new Brighton & Hove Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) 2025-2041 sets out how the council will aim to meet the growing demand for good quality and accessible facilities for those playing cricket, football, hockey and rugby.

Access to good quality community sports and physical activity facilities is vital for improving the health and wellbeing of residents.

The recent Health Counts 2024 survey showed that 53% of adults in Brighton & Hove did less than 30 minutes of sport or fitness activity which raised their breathing rate in the past week.

The findings also revealed that 65% of adults living in the most deprived areas did less than 30 minutes of sport and fitness activity in the past week, compared to 48% of those living in the least deprived areas.

Sporting facilities also make an important contribution to the local economy.

Following guidance from Sport England, the PPS strategy focuses on four main sports – cricket, football, hockey, and rugby – and includes a review of supply, demand, accessibility and availability of facilities.

It emphasises the importance of maintaining existing facilities, as well as investing in new and improved facilities and ensuring community access, and includes an advisory action plan outlining priority projects and needs for each sport.

Information, gathered from surveys of local community sports clubs, along with club and team data provided by the relevant governing bodies of sport and council sport booking data has helped to shape the strategy and ensure proposals meet the need of the city’s residents.

Recommendations to support the growing demand for pitches and playing fields and improve facilities include:

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• Protecting existing playing pitches and facilities through the emerging City Plan 2041
• Continuing to seek community use agreements at education sites
• Supporting community asset transfer of sports facilities
• Improving maintenance at many sites to improve capacity
• Refurbishing changing rooms and pavilions to support inclusivity and the growth of women & girl’s sporting demand.

Councillor Alan Robins, Cabinet member for Sports, Recreation and Libraries, said: “Improving the health, wellbeing and quality of life for residents is a priority for us, so this new Playing Pitch Strategy will be a crucial tool to help us develop our future plans.

“Creating a sustainable and good quality community sports infrastructure that meets the needs of the city’s residents will not only enhance the health and wellbeing of communities and increase opportunities to get involved with sport, but also boost the local economy and our reputation as one of the country’s leading sporting cities.”

Councillors are being asked to approve the strategy at next week’s Cabinet meeting on 26 June.