Letchworth Sports Hub: Planning and Development Report

This report addresses the potential development of a sports hub or village in Letchworth Garden City, focusing on a site at Baldock Road. It examines critical challenges such as determining facility provision, integrating private clubs while preserving their identities, mitigating the impact on the Green Belt, addressing parking and public transport deficiencies, and ensuring long-term sustainability. The report, intended for the Development Foundation, explores these issues and recommends further research and consultation. It draws upon academic, planning, and local policy documents, including national planning frameworks and examples from similar projects. The report also considers the importance of visual aids like maps and diagrams. Key considerations include the site's size, green belt status, and existing infrastructure. The report also considers the planning documents and other reports provided in the assignment brief, including national and local planning policies, and guidance from Sport England and the RTPI, to provide recommendations for a successful and sustainable sports hub development.

Coursework assignment briefing
(The assignment is worth 100% of the module marks)
Letchworth Garden City has a relatively strong provision of local sporting facilities in the
town. There are however a number of threats to this provision over the next 10 to 15 years. These
include the costs of maintenance of the open-air pool, the long-term future of North Herts Leisure
Centre and the poor condition of many private clubs’ facilities which require upgrading. The
Development Foundation in Letchworth is therefore considering the potential to create a sports
hub or sports village to serve the town. They have identified a site at Baldock Road in Letchworth
and will shortly be engaging with local clubs and stakeholders to identify whether they are
supportive of the project and would like to participate. There are a number of challenges that have
been identified by staff at the Development Foundation as part of initial internal discussions:
 How would you decide what facilities should be provided?
 How can private clubs be involved, whilst retaining their own identity (most do not want to
share club houses for example)?
 Most of the site lies in the Green Belt, so how can the impact of the development be
mitigated against, in order to be acceptable in policy terms?
 There is presently a parking shortfall and the site is not well served by public transport, so
how can these issues be addressed, ensuring a balance of safe public transport services,
non-car modes and car parking?
 How would you make sure that the new facility that is provided is sustainable in the
medium and longer-term?
Your assessment should take the form of a report of not more than 4000 words in length. Your
report should be written in a style that is accessible to staff at the Development Foundation. It
should consider how these issues could be addressed and if appropriate what further research and
consultation is needed to address them. It should draw on an appropriate range of sources to justify
the recommendations. This should include academic and practitioner orientated planning material
as well as local policy documents. You are encouraged to use examples from other areas that have
successfully implemented similar/related projects. You are also encouraged to include clearly
presented visual material such as maps, photographs and diagrams to support your case. A number
of reports and maps are available on the Studynet site providing useful background and context
material.
The assessment outlined above has been reviewed by the module leader and members of the
module team with respect to evaluating the type of assessment, marking scheme used, marking
criteria, anonymous marking and use of Turnitin.

In the 'Letchworth information' Word file, below you will find local authority, Letchworth
Garden City Heritage Foundation and national planning documents as well as planning
practice commentary you should use for the Letchworth report. You should also include
academic sources- recommended reading is given in the Module reading list.
You can also find, below the site plan that David Ames has provided.
David has also sent this link to the planning application for the extensions to the leisure
centre, for information
http://documentportal.north-herts.gov.uk/GetDocList/Default.aspx?
doc_class_code=DC&case_number=15/01594/1
Guidance on report stlye
For the report, a Planning-style report or paper would be appropriate. This example from
Brighton and Hove City Council on a site called Toads Hole Valley, gives you a feel for the
style of a typical local authority planning policy consultation paper for a site or 'master plan'
proposal:
https://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/Published/C00000705/M00005843/
AI00050731/$20160229123806_008721_0036533_THVIssuesOptionspaper10022016.pdfA.p
s.pdf
http://www.thecomet.net/news/
plans_submitted_for_3m_expansion_of_north_herts_leisure_centre_in_letchworth_1_4137157
Letchworth site information from David Ames and other useful sources
The site area excluding the Herts FA land is 31.5 hectares, the Herts FA land is 3 ha
Greenway information, including the map can be found on - http://www.greenway.org.uk/
The link to the report on Playing Pitches by the Council is
http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/sites/northherts-cms/files/North%20Hertfordshire%20PPS
%20Assessment%20Report%202015.pdf
The Submission Local Plan to be released shortly –
http://web.north-herts.gov.uk/aksnherts/images/att11524.pdf
The Proposals map - http://web.north-herts.gov.uk/aksnherts/images/att11516.pdf
The old/current Local Plan can be found at -
http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/home/planning/planning-policy/local-plan-current-policy/
district-local-plan-no2-alterations
Both Plans indicate that part of the site is in the Green Belt, whilst the Leisure Centre, Herts
FA and one of the pitch areas is outside.
There is also another report which may help:
http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/sites/northherts-cms/files/North%20Hertfordshire%20Indoor
%20Sports%20Facilities%20Study%20Final%202016.pdf
Active Letchworth Partnership

http://www.letchworth.com/heritage-foundation/blog/introducing-our-new-blogger-helen-
macfarlane-active-letchworth-partnershi-0
Other sources:
National policy and guidance:
National Planning Policy Framework
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/
6077/2116950.pdf
Planning Practice Guidance
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/planning-practice-guidance
Sport England
Sport England (statutory consultee on planning applications affecting playing field land).
https://www.sportengland.org/facilities-planning/
Planning Practice commentary
RTPI (Royal Town Planning Institute)
RTPI Promoting Healthy Cities paper 2014
http://www.rtpi.org.uk/media/1119674/rtpi_promoting_healthy_cities.pdf
TCPA (Town and Country Planning Association)
Public Health in Planning Good Practice Guide July 2015