A host of top sports stars and governing bodies have expressed fears that playing fields across England could be built on and disappear if proposed planning reforms come into force.
Former Lioness Jill Scott, and Olympic champions Sir Mo Farah and Alex Yee are among those to sign an open letter, external saying they are “deeply concerned” by the potential removal of statutory protections for the facilities.
Other signatories included the heads of the Football Association (FA), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
The government is considering stripping, external funding agency Sport England of its right to be consulted before a playing field is built on.
It is part of a plan by ministers to speed up planning decisions as it looks to build 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029.
But with a consultation underway, the signatories said: “Playing fields are irreplaceable – and Sport England’s statutory consultee role is an important line of defence.
“Weakening this protection risks accelerating the loss of the very spaces that make grassroots sport and physical activity possible, at a time when participation is growing and demand has never been higher. ”
Sport England declined to comment, but this month said it protected, external more than a thousand playing fields across the country last year. Tasked with increasing physical activity, it has had to be consulted on planning decisions for the past 30 years after an estimated 10,000 playing fields were lost in the 1980s and early ’90s.
The letter has been written by Fields in Trust, a charity that works with local authorities and communities to protect parks and playing fields from development.
Its president, former midfielder Scott, said: “Bringing together so many people for this letter has been incredibly personal to me. Too many communities risk losing these very spaces. I urge the government to listen carefully. We’re not asking for the impossible. We’re asking them to protect what already exists, for the generations who will come after us.”
The signatories – which also include Eilish McColgan, Sir Matthew Pinsent, Tessa Sanderson, and the heads of UK Athletics, British Cycling and Parkrun, are calling on ministers “to ensure that any planning reforms retain a meaningful mechanism to protect playing fields and sports facilities for future generations.
“This is about social justice. The people who need green space the most often have the least access. Without these protections, the health and wellbeing of communities will suffer. ”
A government spokesperson said: “There are already strong protections in place for playing fields which we are proposing to keep and we are investing £400m into grassroots sport.”
BBC Sport has been told no decision will be made until the results of the consultation – which runs until mid-January – are fully considered. The government is proposing to remove the Gardens Trust and the Theatres Trust as statutory consultees as well as Sport England, which is expected to reduce more than 3,000 consultations annually.
This month, the government said there will need to be a sharp surge in housebuilding to meet its goal.
Builders have warned the government will miss its target, after the number of new homes started fell from 207,000 to 139,000 after Labour took office – the lowest since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last week, Women in Sport said: “Now is not the time to be putting our playing fields and pitches at risk.
“Any loss of this space now would come at a critical moment, excluding more women and girls from sport and stunting the growth of one of the UK’s biggest success stories.”
It is among a number of sports bodies urging members to support a petition titled ‘Do not remove Sport England as a statutory consultee for planning applications’.
It has been signed by almost 16,000 people.
