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A host of top sports stars and governing bodies have expressed fears that playing fields across England could be built on and disappear if proposed planning reforms come into force.<\/b><\/p>\n
Former Lioness Jill Scott, and Olympic champions Sir Mo Farah and Alex Yee are among those to sign an open letter saying they are “deeply concerned” by the potential removal of statutory protections for the facilities.<\/p>\n
Other signatories included the heads of the Football Association (FA), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).<\/p>\n
The government is considering stripping funding agency Sport England of its right to be consulted before a playing field is built on.<\/p>\n
It is part of a plan by ministers to speed up planning decisions as it looks to build 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029.<\/p>\n
But with a consultation underway, the signatories said: “Playing fields are irreplaceable – and Sport England’s statutory consultee role is an important line of defence.<\/p>\n
“Weakening this protection risks accelerating the loss of the very spaces that make grassroots sport\u202fand physical activity possible, at a time when participation is growing and demand has never been higher.\u202f”<\/p>\n
Sport England declined to comment, but this month said it protected more than a thousand playing fields across the country last year. Tasked with increasing physical activity, it has had to be consulted on planning decisions for the past 30 years after an estimated 10,000 playing fields were lost in the 1980s and early ’90s.<\/p>\n
The letter has been written by Fields in Trust, a charity that works with local authorities and communities to protect parks and playing fields from development.<\/p>\n
Its president, former midfielder Scott, said: “Bringing together so many people for this letter has been incredibly personal to me. Too many communities risk losing these very spaces. I urge the government to listen carefully. We’re not asking for the impossible. We’re asking them to protect what already exists, for the generations who will come after us.”<\/p>\n
The signatories – which also include Eilish McColgan, Sir Matthew Pinsent, Tessa Sanderson, and the heads of UK Athletics, British Cycling and Parkrun, are calling on ministers “to ensure that any planning reforms\u202fretain\u202fa meaningful mechanism to protect playing fields\u202fand sports facilities\u202ffor future generations.<\/p>\n
“This is\u202fabout\u202fsocial justice.\u202fThe people who need green space the most often have the least access. Without these protections, the health and wellbeing of communities will suffer.\u202f”<\/p>\n
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: “There are already strong protections in place for playing fields which we are proposing to keep and we are investing \u00a3400m into grassroots sport.” <\/p>\n
BBC Sport has been told no decision will be made until the results of the consultation are fully considered. The government is proposing to remove the Gardens\u202fTrust and the Theatres Trust as statutory consultees as well as Sport England, which is expected to reduce more than 3,000 consultations annually.<\/p>\n
This month, the government said there will need to be a sharp surge in housebuilding to meet its promise to build 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029.<\/p>\n