Sports pitches and facilities at Southend Leisure And Tennis Centre Garons Park, Southend-on-Sea

“Installation of a full-sized 3G football artificial grass pitch (AGP), a Gen 2 netball / hockey pitch [pitches designed to accommodate multiple sports, maximizing the use of limited space and resources] and retention of a 3G pitch overlay on the former netball courts; • Erection of a new single storey changing and W.C.”

“The accompanying Planning Statement advises that the 3G pitch overlay on the former netball courts was installed on 27 September 2024, such that this element of the development is ‘retrospective’ in nature.”

“The application site is irregular in shape and forms part of the wider Garon Park which comprises recreational and leisure facilities inclusive of a swimming pool, cricket ground, 3G Astro pitch, tennis and padel ball courts as well as netball courts, athletics track and open grassland, scrub and ornamental planting areas. The wider Garon Park is served by three car parks, a bus route (No 6) and a variety of associated infrastructure including cycle storage.”

“The site is within the Metropolitan Green Belt and within the Garon Park designated Protected Green Space for formal and informal recreation. No other planning related designations affect the site.”

“Table 2: Relevant Planning History of the Application Site Reference Description Outcome 23/01937/FUL Install eight single storey units for use as a vocational training centre (Class F1) and four single storey units for use as WCs, one single storey tool wash unit, two single storey units for storerooms and associated ancillary infrastructure including car parking and cycle parking Refused 23/01153/FUL Install five two storey units for use as classrooms for sports education…”

“(retrospective) 21/01699/BC4M Erect a resources building, layout soft landscaping to create a vehicular route to provide access to the existing clubhouse and cricket field area for vulnerable people; install a wildlife pond and sensory garden and layout a well-being path and pergola structures (retrospective) Granted 23/01115/BC4 Install two storage containers to west of athletics track Granted 20/02220/FUL Replace two existing outdoor tennis courts with four Padel tennis…”

“Planning rules continually ignored by the applicant including the retrospective element proposed in this application. • Over-use of the land. • The sports machine yard proposed should be relocated and the designated area allowed to re-wild. • The proposal will have detrimental wildlife/ecological implications. • The proposal will result in additional traffic on the surrounding roads which cannot cope with it.”

“Statutory Consultee role: No objections. This proposal meets exception 5 of Sport England’s adopted Playing Fields Policy [Exception 5 is that the sport facility would be of sufficient benefit to the development of sport as to outweigh the detriment caused by the loss of the area of playing field] and Paragraph 104 of the NPPF subject to six planning conditions being imposed relating to the following matters:”

“Agreement to provide the funding for the long-term maintenance/monitoring (up to 30 years) of the ecological enhancements of the biodiversity net gain plan (secured by condition)”