Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Lord Naseby Excerpts

Committee stage
Thursday 11th September 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Naseby (Con)]

My Lords, I pay particular tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Addington: he and I have shared a number of sporting events together. I had the privilege of playing rugby, cricket, squash, golf, tennis—I am not quite as fit as I was, I am afraid, coming up to 89.

On the preservation of playing fields, pitches and courts, I remember when, in 1968, amazingly, there was a change in the government of the London Borough of Islington, and I had the privilege of being the leader of the incoming party. The first challenge that was put on my desk was Highbury Corner: the change to the roundabout there would take away four tennis courts. I said, “Have we not talked to the GLC about this problem?” I was told that we had but had had no positive response. This seemed to me absolutely wrong for a section of London that, on the whole, is not at all well off, and Highbury Fields was fundamental to the people of Islington. I had to go to see the then leader of the Greater London Council and, after some fairly hectic and heated discussion—in which it was pointed out to me how many millions, allegedly, it was going to take to alter the planning of the roundabout—they agreed to look at it again. I am pleased to say that those tennis courts were never removed and are still there today.

We also have to realise that the numbers taking part in sport today have grown hugely. You only have to look at sport on TNT, on television. How many of our wives were as active in sport as our daughters and granddaughters are? A very small percentage. All women’s sport has grown exponentially. It does not matter what it is—rugby, football, cricket or tennis. All have grown hugely. Against that background, the fundamental point about this amendment is so important.

I now have to declare a specific interest: I am a member of Wimbledon. This is the most successful tennis tournament in the world. It has grown exponentially over the last century. It set up a foundation—and I was one of those involved in the very early stages of that—to help those who, for financial reasons, were less well off and needed help. It attracts visitors from all over the world, and it is the biggest sporting event in the UK economy—and I did not personally understand that until I double-checked it.

There is a tangential amendment to this, which is Amendment 227E. I see my noble friend Lord Banner is sitting in his place. Sadly, I had heart failure in late December; I cannot take part as much as I would wish in your Lordships’ House, and I could not be here for that amendment because of the problems and restrictions I have, which have to be looked after. I would otherwise have spoken to that as well.

I merely re-emphasise to the Minister—I probably do not need to, really—that sport in general, and tennis in particular, is growing all the time. How wonderful it is to see our young people, and young people from all over the world, taking part. I hope that, when the Government reflect on this, they will recognise the absolute importance of this amendment.

[Lord Jamieson (Con)]

My Lords, this group of amendments has given me something of a sense of déjà vu. This is not to diminish their importance—far from it. These are serious and considered proposals. They strike at an issue that has surfaced time and again in our debates: the protection and promotion of those spaces which enable sport, recreation and play. Only last week, in moving his Amendment 138A, my noble friend Lord Moynihan reminded us, as he so frequently does, of the profound benefits that flow from creating space for sport and physical activity.

It is not merely about fitness, although that alone would be reason enough; it is about community cohesion, opportunities for young people, the long-term health of the nation, team-building, learning to get on with colleagues and working together. Well-being should be among the conditions of strategic importance within spatial development strategies.

I regret that the Government were not able to give more ground on that occasion, but there is a replay. We have VAR, and there is an opportunity for them to reconsider and give a clearer signal recognising the urgency of embedding health and well-being into the very fabric of planning. Perhaps today, in responding to this group, the Minister might move a little further.

Amendment 165, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Addington, is on the preservation of playing fields and pitches. They are not luxuries; they are the bedrock of grass-roots sport. They are where future Olympians take their first steps, but more importantly, they are where countless young people gain the habits of teamwork, discipline and healthy living. Once lost to development, they are rarely, if ever, replaced. It is therefore entirely right that a planning authority should be required to treat their preservation as a priority, not an afterthought.

In a similar vein, Amendment 179 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Castle, reminds us of the importance of children’s play. A child who has a safe, stimulating play space nearby is a child who will grow in confidence, develop social bonds and establish the foundations of a healthy life. Deny them that, and we entrench disadvantage from the very start. I therefore commend both noble Lords for their contributions. I hope the Government will today recognise that without firm protection we risk losing something that cannot be rebuilt: our green lungs, our playing fields and the spaces where our children first learn to run, play and thrive.