Council drawing up strategy to improve playing pitches

Local sports clubs are being urged to help draw up a new strategy to improve sports pitches across the East Riding.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is developing a new Playing Pitch Strategy for the next five years, covering playing areas for cricket, football, rugby league, rugby union, hockey, tennis, athletics, bowls and crown green bowls.

The strategy aims to

Protect, improve and grow playing pitch provision, ensuring efficient maintenance and management to meet need now and in the future

Support funding bids, open space assessments for planning applications, and development of the local plan.

Help to widen participation in sport by ensuring all communities are supported to use playing pitches.

Encourage and support community use of playing pitches.

Support residents to enjoy their maximum potential for health and wellbeing.

Encourage environmentally sustainable maintenance and development of playing pitches and facilities.

The council is posting out surveys to local sports clubs, schools, town and parish councils and any other organisations that provide playing pitches in the county.

Their feedback will be key to identifying gaps in local sporting provision, and areas where improvements should be a priority.

Anyone who completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw for one of five one-month East Riding Leisure passes and a £100 sports shop voucher for their club or facility. The prize draw is not open to schools.

Councillor Nick Coultish, cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, said: “We’re asking clubs and organisations across the region to help us drawn up our new Playing Pitch Strategy.

“In some cases, being included in the Playing Pitch Strategy may be necessary for organisations to access funding, so it is really important that they complete the survey at return it to us as soon as possible.”

The council is developing the strategy on behalf of Sport England and national governing bodies such as the FA, as part of a national planning framework.

The Playing Pitch Strategy team have also been carrying out non-technical assessments of pitches in accordance with the timings specified by each sport’s National Governing Bodies.

For more information, email pps@eastriding.gov.uk

Credit Image Kenny Orr on Unsplash