Built in 1984, the Waterfront Leisure Centre in Woolwich is one of the largest in London. It has two sports halls, four different water areas including a leisure pool with flume, squash courts and a large gym. However, it’s now showing its age. The Royal Borough of Greenwich is proposing to replace the Waterfront with…
We recntly completed our work with Spelthorne Borough Council to draft a new playing pitch strategy linked to their new Local Plan. This will replace the old playing field assessment which dates from 2013. We are working closely with the council and their partners at Surrey Cricket, Middlesex FA, the RFU and England Hockey. We’ve…
In recent months we’ve been working with the prestigious Harrow School (Winston Churchill’s alma mater) on development of their proposed new sports facilities. The school is making a multi-million pound investment in its PE and extra-curricular facilities and wishes this to also benefit the wider community. We consulted the sports development team at Harrow Council,…
When one thinks of a leisure or sports centre there’s a temptation to envisage the large, high profile centres such as XCel in Surrey and the Brentwood Centre in Essex. However, for many people their local sports centre is situated at the nearby secondary school. These dual use centres provide many grass roots clubs with…
Back in 2013 we worked with Elmbridge Borough Council to refresh their playing pitch strategy. This lead to a number of improved and developed facilities including the new football hub at the XCel Leisure Centre in Walton on Thames. They’ve now appointed us to produce an updated strategy to guide provision over the coming years.…
The Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012 are generally accepted to have been a great success as a sporting event. However, the original pitch to the International Olympic Committee was that not only would the events be well organised, there would also be a “lasting legacy” of increased participation in sport and physical activity…
We have spent last winter and the early part of 2015 working with Blaby District Council in Leicestershire and Cotswold District Council in Gloucestershire on playing pitch and open space assessments. In common with many local authorities they are currently updating their Local Plans. In line with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) this includes…
Bedford Borough Council have appointed us to produce a playing pitch and outdoor sports strategy for the area. This has involved an assessment of all pitches within the borough boundary, working with the governing bodies of sport to link into their development strategies and consulting local stakeholders including the town and parish councils in Bedford…
In early summer 2014 the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Essex Cricket Board appointed us to produce a cricket facilities strategy for Newham in east London. At present the borough has very few cricket pitches or practice facilities despite there being a huge interest in the game. Much of this comes from the…
Earlier this year we reported on our work with Bristol City Council on development of their strategy for sport and physical activity. We were subsequently appointed to work with their neighbours in South Gloucestershire Council to help develop a similar strategy. This made sense as there is a considerable amount of cross-over traffic between the two…