Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of playing fields that will be developed as a result of proposals to remove Sport England as a statutory consultee.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) includes strong protections for existing open space, sports and recreational buildings, and land, including playing fields, setting out that they should not be built on unless they are no longer needed, equivalent or better provision is made, or the development is for alternative sports or recreational provision which offers benefits that clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.

The government recently consulted on a new NPPF that includes clearer, more rules-based policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation included updated policy on development affecting existing recreation facilities, including playing fields. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

The government is committed to maintaining and improving our stock of playing fields. We recognise that Sport England can play a valuable strategic role in supporting local planning authorities in the development of local planning policy. However, we do not believe that statutory consultation on individual cases to a national body is proportionate.

In our recent consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system, we proposed a series of mitigations which could minimise the potential impacts of removing Sport England’s statutory consultee status, while delivering the benefits of reducing regulatory requirements. These include the introduction of a new notification requirement in relation to housing and commercial development on playing fields. Under this approach, local planning authorities would be required to notify Sport England when such applications would result in the wholesale or substantial loss of playing fields.

The consultation closed on 13 January 2026, and we are currently analysing the feedback received.