Draft Regulation 18 Sandwell Local Plan

Ended on the 18 December 2023

(1) APPENDIX J - Sandwell Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy (extract)

The tables below are taken from the Sandwell Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy's Assessment Report (October 2022). They highlight the quantitative headline findings identified for pitch and non-pitch sports included in it. For qualitative and site-specific findings, please see Part 4: Sport Specific Recommendations and Scenarios, and Part 6: Action Plan.

Pitch Sports - Quantitative headline findings

The table sets out the current and likely future capacity and demand for sports pitches:

Sport	Analysis area	Pitch type	Current supply/ demand balance (match equivalent sessions)	Future supply/ demand balance (match equivalent sessions)
Football (grass pitches)	Oldbury	Adult	Shortfall of 5.5	Shortfall of 6
		Youth 11v11	Spare capacity of 2	Spare capacity of 1.5
		Youth 9v9	Shortfall of 5.5	Shortfall of 5.5
		Mini 7v7	Shortfall of 1	Shortfall of 1
		Mini 5v5	Spare capacity of 1.5	Spare capacity of 1.5
Football (grass pitches)	Rowley Regis	Adult	Shortfall of 6	Shortfall of 6.5
		Youth 11v11	Shortfall of 5	Shortfall of 5.5
		Youth 9v9	Shortfall of 2.5	Shortfall of 2.5
		Mini 7v7	At capacity	At capacity
		Mini 5v5	At capacity	At capacity
Football (grass pitches)	Smethwick	Adult	Shortfall of 6.5	Shortfall of 7
		Youth 11v11	At capacity	Shortfall of 0.5
		Youth 9v9	At capacity	At capacity
		Mini 7v7	At capacity	At capacity
		Mini 5v5	At capacity	At capacity
Football (grass pitches)	Tipton	Adult	Shortfall of 1.5	Shortfall of 1.5
		Youth 11v11	Spare capacity of 0.5	Spare capacity of 0.5
		Youth 9v9	Spare capacity of 1	Spare capacity of 1
		Mini 7v7	At capacity	At capacity
		Mini 5v5	At capacity	At capacity
Football (grass pitches)	Wednesbury	Adult	Spare capacity of 1	Spare capacity of 1
		Youth 11v11	Shortfall of 3	Shortfall of 3
		Youth 9v9	Shortfall of 0.5	Shortfall of 0.5
		Mini 7v7	At capacity	At capacity
		Mini 5v5	At capacity	At capacity
Football (grass pitches)	West Bromwich	Adult	Spare capacity of 1.5	Spare capacity of 1
		Youth 11v11	Shortfall of 4.5	Shortfall of 5
		Youth 9v9	Shortfall of 1.5	Shortfall of 1.5
		Mini 7v7	Spare capacity of 0.5	Spare capacity of 0.5
		Mini 5v5	At capacity	At capacity
3G pitches^[2b]	Oldbury	Full size	Shortfall of 2.5	Shortfall of 2.5
3G pitches	Rowley Regis	Full size	Shortfall of 0.75	Shortfall of 0.75
3G pitches	Smethwick	Full size	Shortfall of 0.75	Shortfall of 0.75
3G pitches	Tipton	Full size	At capacity	At capacity
3G pitches	Wednesbury	Full size	At capacity	At capacity
3G pitches	West Bromwich	Full size	Shortfall of 0.75	Shortfall of 0.75
Cricket	Oldbury	Saturday	At capacity	At capacity
		Sunday	Spare capacity of 16	Spare capacity of 16
		Midweek	Spare capacity of 16	Spare capacity of 16
Cricket	Rowley Regis	Saturday	At capacity	At capacity
		Sunday	Spare capacity of 12	Spare capacity of 12
		Midweek	At capacity	At capacity
Cricket	Smethwick	Saturday	Shortfall of 5	Shortfall of 5
		Sunday	Shortfall of 5	Shortfall of 5
		Midweek	Shortfall of 5	Shortfall of 5
Cricket	Tipton	Saturday	At capacity	At capacity
		Sunday	At capacity	At capacity
		Midweek	At capacity	At capacity
Cricket	Wednesbury	Saturday	Shortfall of 6	Shortfall of 6
		Sunday	Shortfall of 6	Shortfall of 6
		Midweek	Shortfall of 6	Shortfall of 6
Cricket	West Bromwich	Saturday	Shortfall of 12	Shortfall of 12
		Sunday	Shortfall of 12	Shortfall of 12
		Midweek	Shortfall of 12	Shortfall of 12
Rugby union	Oldbury	Senior	Spare capacity of 0.5	Spare capacity of 0.5
Rugby union	Rowley Regis	Senior	At capacity	At capacity
Rugby union	Smethwick	Senior	Spare capacity of 1	Spare capacity of 1
Rugby union	Tipton	Senior	At capacity	At capacity
Rugby union	Wednesbury	Senior	Shortfall of 0.5	Shortfall of 0.5
Rugby union	West Bromwich	Senior	At capacity	At capacity
Rugby league	Sandwell	Senior	No demand so no provision required	No demand so no provision required
Hockey (sand AGPs)	Sandwell	Full size, floodlit	At capacity although improvements are required at Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy.	At capacity although improvements are required at Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy.

Quantitative headline findings (non-pitch sports)

For non-pitch sports, quantitative shortfalls can be more difficult to determine, with capacity guidance differing and with less focus on formal club activity. The current picture for each sport is summarised below:

Sport	Current picture
Tennis	Current supply is sufficient for demand although quality and operational improvements are required at Old Hill Cricket & Tennis Club. In addition, there is a requirement to focus on informal activity at non-club courts and improving the recreational tennis offer (e.g., at local authority sites).
Netball	Demand is being met at George Salter Academy and Phoenix Collegiate. Focus should be placed on protecting these facilities as well as on supporting the various initiatives that are championed by England Netball. However, with the Dudley Netball League wishing to relocate back to Dudley and this been recommended in the Dudley PPOSS, a collective approach between the authorities should be sought, with this to be guided and informed by England Netball.
Bowls	Only one bowls club has a shortfall of capacity (Langley BC), whilst The George BC and Hamstead Social BC operate on the limit of the capacity threshold. Dartmouth Central BC is operating below the recommended capacity.
Athletics	With four 400-metre athletics tracks provided, supply is considered sufficient to meet demand. Options can be explored to re-purpose the track at Hadley Stadium as it is surplus to requirements in its current form. This could include an informal athletics facility, for which discussions regarding the provision of a trail running track on site have taken place.
Cycling	High demand for cycling is identified within Sandwell so protecting and sustaining what is provided at Sandwell Valley Country Park should be seen as key given the off-road facilities offered. Implementation of initiatives promoted by British Cycling should also be explored in order to encourage more people to get into cycling.
Golf	With five golf facilities in Sandwell and a mix of 18-hole and 9-hole courses, as well as a well-equipped driving range, supply is well placed to meet demand from all types of golfers.
Water sports	Sandwell is relatively well provided for in terms of outdoor water sports.
Other sports	For American football, no dedicated pitches are provided; there is a need for one facility to provide for Sandwell Steelers. No baseball / softball or Gaelic football demand is identified, although some isolated demand may be travelling to clubs in nearby authorities.

Recommendations for future provision

The following table outlines future considerations for both pitch and non-pitch sports across Sandwell (as identified in October 2022):

Sport	Priority recommendations
Football	Protect provision. Improve pitch quality at key sites to alleviate overplay, especially at key, poor quality and/or overplayed sites such as Britannia Park and St Michael's CE High School. Look to reinstate pitches at sites such as Brickhouse Farm. Formalise community use agreements for clubs utilising unsecure sites. Consider asset transfer of sites to clubs. Enable use of currently unavailable sites. Improve changing facilities where required.
3G pitches	Protect provision. Ensure all existing pitches have a sinking fund in place. Look to provide an additional full-size pitch within the Analysis Area to alleviate current and future overplay e.g., at Britannia Park.
Cricket	Protect provision. Improve changing facilities where required.
Rugby union	No action required.
Hockey	Protect provision. Ensure all existing pitches have a sinking fund in place. Explore the feasibility of providing floodlights at Ormiston Forge Academy Main Site.
Golf	Protect provision. Support Dudley Golf Club to increase membership.
Bowls	Protect provision. Preserve the green at Cradley Heath Sports and Social Club or ensure it is appropriately mitigated. If the green is lost, ensure the club is adequately relocated.
Tennis	Protect provision. Support Old Hill TC to increase membership and improve courts at Old Hill Cricket Club. Support the Council to improve court and ancillary facility quality at Britannia Park.
Netball	Protect provision.
Cycling	No action required.
Athletics	No action required.
Water sports	No action required.
Other sports	No action required.

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