Viewpoint: The liveability agenda: new regionalism, liveability and the untapped potential of sport and recreation

Abstract

In recent years the relationship between sport and strategic planning has grown in importance as both the economic and social benefits of hosting major sporting events and developing sporting infrastructure have increasingly permeated policy making agendas and funding regimes at local, regional and national levels. Additionally, in Britain a great importance is now being placed upon developing a strategic agenda for sport and its implications for the development of sustainable communities, liveable places and healthier populations. Sports policy in Britain, which traditionally focused upon the dual strands of increasing participation and raising performance levels, has begun to shift towards viewing the potential benefits and impacts of sport in more holistic and cross-cutting ways. This has been expressed in relation to urban and rural renaissance, neighbourhood renewal, health, crime prevention and quality of life agendas. It has also been highlighted in policy statements - for example, through A Sporting Future for All (2000) and later Game Plan - a strategy for delivering Government's sports and physical activity objectives (2002), the Social Exclusion Unit's Policy Action Team 10 Report on Arts and Sport (2001) as well as in a number of Planning Policy Guidance notes and the new Planning Policy Statement 11 (PPS 11) on Regional Spatial Strategies in England - all of which explicitly attempt to develop the untapped potential of sport and recreation to contribute to emerging planning policy. This can be articulated in a number of ways. First, the urban and regional impacts of hosting major sporting events or building new sports stadiums have received widespread attention. In particular, given the level of investment involved and the potential to master-plan large areas of brownfield land, the legacy impacts of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and the envisioned regenerative impacts of the London 2012 Olympic bid have become highly politicised. Secondly, the links between the ways in which cities are designed and long-term health problems associated with inactive lifestyles are generating a good deal of policy interest. This is often expressed as a growing concern about the development of so-called 'obesogenic' urban environments and has prompted research about the relationship between urban design, public health and physical activity (Sui, 2003). The issue was recognised by the British government in Game Plan (2002) which outlined the links between physical activity, health, education, criminality, drug abuse and overall quality of life. Moreover, the recent Public Health White Paper (2004) makes clear that the British population is more obese and less active than previous generations, leading to calls for increased opportunities and access to sports facilities. There is also an economic imperative to improve the health of the nation as it is estimated that the lack of physical activity costs the English economy over £2 billion per annum. Thirdly, the continuing loss of playing fields and community recreational facilities, which reduces access to physical activity, is seen as problematic. The reworked Planning Policy Guidance Note (PPG) 17 encourages local authorities to audit existing sport and recreational facilities and set these out in a strategic way. It also emphasises that local authority planning decisions must take into account the impact of any loss of community open space or recreational facilities and offer appropriate compensation. In particular, Sport England, the strategic body primarily responsible for delivering the government's sporting objectives, has called upon strategic planning authorities to use such a system to influence the future provision and funding of sport more positively as well as levering in higher levels of investment associated with new development through enhanced developer contributions. In short, PPG 17 seeks to protect playing fields and open space as well as give sports policy a strategic voice in future planning, arguing that sport and recreation are essential in implementing broader government policies. …