Chapter 9 LEISURE, COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND EDUCATION

Introduction

1. This Chapter has policies for buildings and land for leisure, recreation, community uses including all medical facilities, and fire, police and ambulance, arts and cultural facilities, and education. Policies are included for schools, colleges, universities (Goldsmiths’ College is located in the Borough), sports fields attached to schools, sports and leisure centres, hospitals, and all other medical facilities. All forms of buildings used by residents and visitors such as community centres, libraries, churches and other religious buildings, are also dealt with. Buildings used for tourism (such as hotels, bed and breakfast establishments) arts, culture and entertainment facilities (ACE), and tourist attractions are included, as are private sports facilities such as gyms, saunas and clubs.

2. The policies also deal with the new developments in leisure and tourism that have occurred over the past few years, and new Government guidance, especially that relating to large retail and leisure developments. Large leisure developments may be defined as those exceeding 2,000m2 or four cinema screens.

3. Further information on Leisure Parks and Multiplex Cinemas is to be found in Notes 1 and 2 at the end of this Chapter. Policy STC 3 in Chapter 8 Shopping and Town Centres deals specifically with the location of multiplex and traditional cinemas in Town Centres. Policies in Chapter 3 Open Space cover the open space aspect of sport and recreation, including the use of such space for passive and active recreation. References to the Arts and Cultural industries can be found in Chapter 7, Employment.

Part I Policies

STR.LCE 1
To ensure that there are sufficient education and community facilities to enable the Council, and other protective and public authorities to meet their statutory obligations and duties.

STR. LCE 2
To ensure that leisure, community, arts, cultural, entertainment, sports, health care, child care, protective and public service and education facilities are located in appropriate places that both contribute to sustainability objectives and provide easy access for users.

STR. LCE 3
To prevent the loss of valuable existing leisure, community, arts, cultural, entertainment, sports, health care, child care and education facilities as a consequence of redevelopment or change of use.

STR. LCE 4
To promote the Borough’s potential for tourism and encourage the provision of hotel accommodation and tourist related attractions in appropriate locations.

Reasons for Part I Policies

4. These policies will protect and enhance a network of appropriately located community and leisure facilities. This reflects the importance such facilities have for the people of the Borough. Many individuals and groups of people are at a disadvantage in economic terms, or are discriminated against and will therefore proportionately face a greater loss if these types of local facilities are lost, as they may not be able to afford, or travel to, alternative facilities. A network of facilities also contributes to sustainability objectives by reducing the number and length of journeys made. Facilities that can be used or attended by groups of people on a casual or regular basis also increase the vitality and sustainability of neighbourhoods. A definition of sustainability objectives can be found under Strategic Objective 2 in Chapter 1 of the Plan.

5. In its response to the House of Commons Environment Committee Report on Shopping Centres (July 1997) the Government indicated that the policy approach for large new retail development, applies equally to new large leisure developments. This new policy approach (contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 6: Town Centres and Retail Developments) states that town centre sites are the most appropriate locations for large new developments. When no sites are available in these locations edge of centre sites may be considered. When none of these edge of centre locations are available, out of centre sites may be considered in locations well served by public transport.

6. The policies in the UDP are set out in order to meet both the Council’s and the Government’s aspirations for the location of leisure and community facilities.
The policies in the UDP welcome tourism in appropriate locations and support the development of hotel, exhibition and conference centres in the light of the general shortage of medium priced bedspace, and the development of many new high profile tourist attractions on the periphery of the Borough. Lewisham also possesses new transport links in the shape of the Docklands Light Railway, which may also encourage more tourists into the area. The Council wishes to attract new hotel developments, in order to assist the local economy and increase the number and variety of jobs available locally.

7. The Council, acting in its role as a Local Education Authority, has produced a School Organisation Plan which is a statutory document setting out the need for school places over the next five years. This document establishes the need for additional school places, where it is appropriate, both geographically and in relation to the age range. This may lead to the need for new buildings and to the removal or conversion of some redundant premises. The Council will need to keep under constant review the sufficiency and appropriateness of facilities to meet projected need. The Council will liaise with other public authorities such as the Health Authority in ascertaining their land use requirements. The strategic policy explicitly states that the Council will seek to ensure that there are sufficient facilities for statutory functions and duties to be carried out. The Council wishes to ensure that all public authorities are able to meet more than the statutory minimum provision of services, but recognises that this is not always possible.

The Council’s Strategy

8. The Council’s land use strategy for leisure, community and education facilities is:
• to ensure that facilities are located in appropriate locations relative to their size and function;
• to direct large scale leisure facilities to the Major and District Town Centres but to permit small scale neighbourhood provision;
• to prevent the loss of viable existing leisure and community facilities;
• to protect school playing fields from inappropriate built development;
• to facilitate the provision of child play areas, day nurseries and tourist accommodation in appropriate locations;
• to ensure that sufficient and appropriate facilities are provided to enable the Council and other protective and public authorities to meet their statutory obligations.

9. Leisure, community and education facilities can make a major contribution both to social and physical regeneration in the Borough. The Council is committed to attracting new leisure facilities to Lewisham Town Centre, including for example a multi-screen cinema on the Odeon site (Site 45 in the Proposals Schedule), including those that will allow continued development of the night time economy. The education facilities at Lewisham College and Goldsmiths College are among the largest employers in the Borough, they are important players in the physical regeneration of their respective locations, as well as providing local opportunities for training and skills enhancement of the Borough’s population. Any expansion plans by these organisations will have a significant effect on the community.

10. One of the main contributions of the land use planning system to sustainability objectives is through its locational policies. Directing community, educational and leisure facilities to areas well served by public transport will help reduce the number of car trips and consequently reduce environmental pollution. Social inclusion cannot be achieved unless all sections of the population have access to community, leisure and educational facilities. The protection of viable existing facilities and the locational policies will help establish the potential for this access.

11. Lewisham has many historical connections, particularly in Deptford, reflected in the Borough’s many significant historical buildings, parks, gardens and landscapes. The Council intends to promote these attractions during the lifetime of this Plan in the context of the international attention focussed on the Millennium celebrations on the periphery of the Borough, which will continue to exert an influence for the lifetime of this Plan. For discussion of the historic environment, see also the Urban Design chapter.

Part II Policies

Reasons
The main Town Centres are the best locations for most leisure facilities since they are well provided with public transport and car parking, which will ensure maximum use. This Policy is designed to ensure the continuing vitality and viability of town centres by directing large leisure use to these locations, in accordance with Government guidance. Some sites in edge-of-centre locations may also become available during the life time of this Plan. For a definition of a large leisure use, please see paragraph 2 at the beginning of this Chapter.

The provision of small-scale local facilities either for leisure or for community use is also important for less mobile members of the community, and leads to sustainable and secure neighbourhoods. An example of a facility appropriate to Local Centres would be for groups with special needs, as defined in Policy HSG 18, Special Needs Housing. It is likely that there will be a greater emphasis placed upon the delivery of healthcare from primary facilities such as health centres and GP surgeries. These may be appropriately located within both District and Local Centres.

The Council will place great emphasis on securing public access to all leisure facilities by concluding agreements and encouraging public use of private facilities wherever possible. (See also Policy STC 3.)

The Council will liaise with all other public and statutory authorities to identify the needs of the community for these services, and wherever possible help to identify suitable sites or buildings to enable the protective agencies to meet the needs of the local community.
Reference should also be made to Policy STC 13 Leisure Facilities.

Reasons
The Council wishes to maintain a suitable number and range of leisure and community facilities, both public and private. There is some development pressure for more profitable uses of these sites especially in town and district centres, which are often the most appropriate and convenient locations for the users of leisure and community facilities. The Council is seeking to retain premises in community use due to an unfulfilled need for premises identified through contact with various community groups within the Borough. The favouring of Arts, Culture and Entertainment activities as an alternative use arises from LPAC advice that these uses cannot be sustained without the support of the planning process. (Strategic Planning Policies for the Arts, Culture and Entertainment Report No. 18/90 27/2/90 LPAC).

The Council will liaise with the providers of health and social services to accommodate the changing patterns of service arising from various programmes. The Council will place great emphasis on the dual or multiple use of all existing facilities, whether publicly or privately owned, in order to make the fullest possible use of buildings, and that they are flexible and adaptable to alternative uses in the future.

Reasons
The Council wishes to support all educational activities in the Borough, and this includes protection of existing, support for new, and the release of redundant facilities so that resources can be appropriately targeted. Recently, a number of Lottery bids made by educational establishments for small local covered sports halls have been successful. The Council wishes to support these bids, and the subsequent development of a small sports facility provided that there is no loss of playing fields (i.e. if all sports pitches at the location remain viable for use), and if these new facilities are subject to an agreement for dual use by the local community.

The Government has become concerned about the continuing loss of educational playing fields. The Town and Country Planning (Playing Fields) (England) Direction 1998 has been issued requiring the local authority to consult the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and Regions for a decision in cases where the local planning authority gives consent for redevelopment, and Sport England have objected, either because of the existing or resulting deficiency in local provision of playing fields for the wider community, or where any alternative provision proposed would not be equivalent in terms of quantity, quality or accessibility.

The Direction applies to any proposal for development of any playing fields owned by a local authority or used by an educational institution, as specified in the Direction. For the purposes of the Direction, the definition of a playing field is that set out in SI 1996/1817: “playing field means the whole of a site which encompasses at least one playing pitch”. Land owned by a local authority which falls within this definition includes, for example, parkland, open space used for informal recreation, or land leased to sports clubs, as well as playing fields used by schools, colleges and other educational institutions. See also Policy OS 11, Sport and Recreation.

The Council will continue to support dual use of playing fields in order to ensure their continued and viable use.

Reasons
Children need to play in safety near their homes. Attention to the layout and design of housing estates and the design and specific location of play spaces is essential to ensure children can play in safety. Specific design advice is to be found in ‘Playground Safety Guidelines’, published by the National Children’s Play and Recreation Unit, Department of Education and Science, January 1992. This provides practical advice on all aspects of provision. See also policies TRN 22, Home Zones and HSG 4, Residential Amenity.

Reasons
The Council is preparing annual Early Years Local Development Plans in consultation with the Early Years Partnership, comprising the local authority, other child care providers, parents and others. This is intended to be as representative as possible of the needs of the local community. The above Policy is designed to provide a framework within which the needs identified by the above survey can be met. The Council has also published Supplementary Planning Guidance, Childcare Facilities approved 23 February 1995 which lays out standards and guidelines for these facilities.

Reasons
The Borough is deficient in playing fields provision when measured by the standards contained in the ‘Education (School Premises) Regulations’, 1981. The Council will consult Sport England and take account of their advice on this matter. The loss of a single grass pitch to a synthetic type may well enhance the leisure potential of an existing sports ground, but the Council wishes to maintain a balance between the advantage thereby gained, and the need to retain most sports pitches in natural turf.

The Council is preparing Supplementary Planning Guidance on the design of these pitches, and in the meantime developers should refer to the joint publication of the former Sports Council (now Sport England)/Hockey Association/All Women’s Hockey Association – “Artificial Turf Pitches for Hockey”. See also Policy OS 11, Sport and Recreation.

Reasons
There is an overall shortage of tourist bed space in London, and a number of major tourist developments are taking place near to the Borough during the lifetime of this Plan. The Council wishes to direct new tourism development to appropriate sites in the Borough to attain the maximum economic benefits to the local economy, and to minimise any environmental effects caused by increased tourism. Tourism development should have access to good public transport facilities, and larger developments involving extensive transport movements will need to meet the requirements of the appropriate policies in the Sustainable Transport & Parking Chapter.

See also Policy HSG 1, Prevention of Loss of Housing, and HSG 21 Bed and Breakfasts.

Reasons
It is important that an adequate level of public convenience provision is provided in the Borough.
Design standards in relation to access for people with disabilities, carers and children are published in Supplementary Planning Guidance.

Note 1
Leisure Parks
PPG 13 1994 on Transport and PPG 6 on Town Centres and Retail Developments concur in that large new leisure developments are comparable with retail parks, and also multiplex cinemas should be located in town centres or close by. In its response to the House of Commons Environment Committee Report on Shopping Centres (July 1997) the Government indicated that the policy approach to large retail development, applies equally to new large leisure developments. The new policy approach (para. 1.17) states that town centres, and edge of town centre sites are the most appropriate for large new developments. Out-of-centre developments should be resisted in all but exceptional cases. PPG 6 indicates these exceptional circumstances as “wherever there is a clearly defined need for major travel generating uses which cannot be accommodated in or on the edge of existing centres it may be appropriate to: combine them with existing out-of-centre developments; and negotiate for improvements to public transport accessibility.” Leisure developments in town centres can also enhance their attractiveness and stability as commercial centres.

Note 2
Multiplex Cinemas
In the last four years the number of multiplexes in London has more than doubled. This is the best-documented example of the dramatic growth and change of the leisure industry in the last decade. Multiplexes now make up 17% of all cinema facilities in London and over 40% of all screens. This growth of multiplexes in London looks set to intensify, the number of multiplexes could double again if all those with outstanding permissions are built. There has also been an increase in the popularity of bingo clubs (despite the National Lottery) and ten-pin bowling centres.

The London Planning Advisory Committee (LPAC) and London Transport (LT) produced a study in January 1999 ‘Leisure Development in London’. The report states that ‘leisure industry respondents felt there was considerable scope for further development of large leisure schemes in London. Sources suggested the greatest scope for expansion is in Outer London, which is estimated to have reached 50% saturation for multiplexes, 45% for ten-pin bowling and 40% for bingo. In contrast the West End is estimated to have reached 80% saturation for multiplex cinemas.

The Report then goes on to state “the leisure industry believes that a mix of leisure uses is important to commercial success, and the preferred approach to securing this mix is on large out-of-centre sites. The survey of leisure industry interests, however, suggests some agreement that town centre schemes can be just as successful, providing they are of high quality, and combine the ‘anchor’ uses with ancillary uses such as retail, restaurants and bars.”

Since that Report was written, although a large number of cinemas are intended to be built over the next few years, they appear to have been at the planning stage for some time. There are now far fewer reports of cinemas proposed to be built on new sites, and some pessimism regarding future growth rates in supporting a continued increase in the number of cinemas, both in terms of ticket prices and admissions.