Department for Culture Media and Sport
playing fields
Playing fields provide vital recreational areas for schools and local communities and are protected by government planning regulations and arrangements established with the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
We focus on ensuring that sports facilities, including playing fields, meet current quality and accessibility expectations and are sustainable.
Developing on playing fields
Local authorities must not develop on their playing fields if a needs assessment demonstrates that the community still requires them. By law, Sport England must be consulted on all planning applications that affect fields used as a playing field in the last five years.
The vast majority of applications to develop on playing field sites result in a net benefit to sport – through projects such as new sports centres, tennis courts, athletics tracks and Astroturf pitches, changing rooms, floodlights and other facilities, in addition to like-for-like replacement playing fields.
The sale of school playing fields
State schools must get permission from the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if they want to sell their playing fields.
Schools are not permitted to sell playing fields that are needed by their communities. Where playing fields are surplus to requirements and the sale is permitted, the money raised from the sale must to be used to improve sports or educational facilities.
