Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Baroness Sater Excerpts

Committee stage
Thursday 11th September 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Moynihan (Con)]

My Lords, I fully agree with what the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, has said about the importance of play, and with her imaginative approach to putting a play-sufficiency duty in this legislation. I hope that she pursues it further. She can be assured of good support from across the House, and certainly from me.

I will concentrate on the amendment from my noble friend in sport, the noble Lord, Lord Addington, on the protection of playing fields. This is of vital importance for numerous social, health, educational and environmental reasons. These outdoor spaces serve as essential community areas, fostering physical activity, social interaction and mental well-being among people of all ages. As urban development accelerates and land becomes increasingly valuable, safeguarding these playing fields ensures that they remain accessible and functional for future generations.

The noble Lord made the point that playing fields provide crucial opportunities for physical activity, which is fundamental for maintaining good health. The health perspective is important. Regular exercise helps prevent chronic illnesses such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. For children and teenagers, playing fields offer a safe environment for sports, games and recreational activities that promote healthy growth and development. The availability of quality playing fields encourages active lifestyles, reduces sedentary behaviours and contributes to the overall well-being of communities. We should be increasing the number of playing fields for these reasons alone, not building over them.

The noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, raised another important environmental point. These spaces provide significant social benefits. Playing fields serve as communal hubs where people can come together to engage in team sports, recreational activities and play, or simply socialise. They foster community spirit, inclusivity and teamwork and are vital for social cohesion. Playing fields often host local events and tournaments, strengthening community bonds and promoting a sense of pride and ownership among residents. There are also educational benefits. Access to playing fields supports schools and youth organisations in delivering physical education and extracurricular activities. Physical education is a key component of a well-rounded curriculum, contributing to students’ physical and mental development.

My noble friend Lord Deben would agree that, from an environmental perspective, playing fields contribute positively to urban ecosystems. They help combat air pollution and support biodiversity by providing habitats for various flora and fauna. The loss of playing fields can have detrimental long-term effects. Where green spaces are developed for housing or commercial use, communities lose critical, recreational and health assets. This land use change often leads to increased traffic, pollution and social inequalities, especially for residents who rely on local sports facilities for leisure and health. That is why legal protections and strategic planning are vital in safeguarding these spaces.

What is the trend? A report by Fields in Trust in 2016 highlighted that, between 2000 and 2015, approximately 3,574 outdoor sports pitches and playing fields were lost across England alone. When considering the entire UK, the total loss is estimated to be over 4,000. That trend started in the mid-1990s and continues to this day. Thousands of playing fields have been lost in the UK in recent decades, underscoring the urgent need for continued protection and strategic land use planning.

My final point is that it is essential that Sport England continue as a statutory consultee for planning applications as they affect playing fields. Sport England objects to proposals that would result in a net loss of sports provision and works to safeguard and enhance playing fields across England, with over 1,000 playing fields protected by Sport England in the year to March 2023.

Earlier this year, the Government made it clear that Sport England’s role as a statutory consultee is under threat. Sport England continues to play a key role in safeguarding sports facilities, including playing fields, by advising planning authorities and working to protect and enhance sports infrastructure across the country. If the Government cannot give a commitment that Sports England will continue in this role, I believe we should consider placing this in the Bill on Report.

[Baroness Sater (Con)]

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow my noble friend Lord Moynihan. I will speak to Amendment 165, to which I have added my name. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Addington, for bringing forward this amendment, which addresses the important issue of preserving our playing fields and pitches from potential changes to the planning process.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything that has been said, and which does not need repeating. The startling statistics mentioned speak for themselves. I just want to add a few comments, some of which are from organisations on the front line. As someone who has been involved in the youth justice and sport sectors for many years, and who is presently a co-chair of both the APPG for Sport and Physical Activity and the APPG for Sport and Physical Activity in the Criminal Justice System, I have seen and heard first-hand how access to playing fields and green spaces can transform lives. They are more than just open spaces; they are gateways to better health and stronger communities.

Sport and physical activity have a huge impact on the nation’s health and well-being, as my noble friend Lord Moynihan just mentioned, not to mention all the positives that children and young people receive from an active and regular sports lifestyle, which many will carry into their adult lives. Protecting our playing fields and facilities is therefore crucial, because once they are lost, they are gone for ever.

We have heard of the many risks involved in the recent announcement of the withdrawal of Sport England’s role as a statutory consultee on planning applications. It has an impressive record of protecting more than 1,000 playing fields across the country between 2022 and 2023 alone. Removing Sports England from the planning process will leave a huge hole.

Earlier this year, Alex Welsh, the CEO of the London Playing Fields Foundation, eloquently explained that making such a move would be a huge loss. He said that:

“When a local group are worried about losing the field at the end of the road … They call us and we start by saying, ‘Do Sport England know?’”


He also stated that:

“Over the past five years, out of 398 concluded planning applications, 90% have resulted in improved or safeguarded conditions because of Sport England. What we can’t quantify is how many people are put off from blatant building on fields because they are in that role. Who will be doing it when they are gone?”


Railroading through planning will certainly see many of our sports fields vanish. Fields in Trust, which my noble friend Lord Moynihan also mentioned, is an organisation that protects 3,000 local parks, playgrounds, playing fields and green spaces across the country. It is constantly being contacted by local community groups and individuals who are concerned about the potential loss of their park or playing field and who are having to navigate a complex planning system to make their concerns heard.

We have also learned from recent research published by the journal Cities & Health, which found that planners were prioritising the approval of new homes ahead of outdoor play spaces due to a combination of policy misalignment, financial constraints and pressures stemming from a lack of housing. We can have both; it should not be one or the other.

When I was chair of StreetGames, a national charity delivering sport into disadvantaged neighbourhoods, we saw how important it is to have local and community-based facilities that are accessible for all. If we want to tackle inequalities, making access to facilities more challenging will make it more difficult for everyone to be active and healthy, which will only be compounded for those with less.

The noble Lords and Baronesses here today who are involved in sport feel very passionately about ensuring that we protect our precious sports fields and pitches, so I hope their protection can be preserved in the Bill.