Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy Framework and Playing Pitch Strategies for Dudley Sandwell Walsall and Wolverhampton Councils - AWARD

Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy Framework and Playing Pitch Strategies for Dudley Sandwell Walsall and Wolverhampton Councils

The four Black Country Authorities (BCA) of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton are seeking to commission a joint Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy (PPOSS) framework and four individual playing pitch strategies (PPS) for the BCAs, to support the preparation of the emerging Black Country Plan (BCP). The BCP will replace the existing Black Country Core Strategy (BCCS), which was adopted in 2011.

The BCA began to prepare the BCP in 2016 and published an Issues and Options Report for consultation in 2017. It is intended to publish the Draft Plan for public consultation in Summer 2021. The new plan will cover the period up to 2039 and unlike the BCCS, it will allocate sites for housing and employment development.

Further details of the BCP revision process and timetable can be found at the BCP website - https://blackcountryplan.dudley.gov.uk/bcp/ - which contains all the relevant evidence compiled to date, as well as details of the Black Country Core Strategy, the previous strategic guidance for the Black Country.

The latest evidence indicates that the BCP will need to make provision for around 71,350 net new homes and 592 - 870 hectares of employment land to meet the Black Country's needs between 2019 - 2039. While it is expected that some of these needs might be met outside the Black Country, this will be subject to agreement with neighbouring authorities.

The BCA have reviewed their urban housing land supply and, as of 2020, estimate that this could provide around 41,750 homes - a shortfall of around 29,600 homes. In terms of employment land, there is an identified total capacity of 303ha and a shortfall of between 287 - 567ha. In addition to this, the BCP must make sufficient provision for the infrastructure and services needed to support the housing and employment growth envisaged, as well as recognising that lack of infrastructure can be a barrier to investment. Other issues in the Black Country include the physical legacy of industrial and mining processes, which affect many sites within the urban areas. In the Black Country, it is common to encounter the problems of land instability and ground contamination resulting from historic mining, quarrying, spoil tipping, landfilling and heavy industry. There are examples of such sites in use as playing pitches; in turn, this may affect the type and scale of provision that can be located on such sites and this may need to be reflected in any consideration of the quantum and quality of pitch provision in certain areas. The joint framework will enable the four authorities to ensure that the associated PPS are carried out to the same degree of detail and quality and will identify compatible outcomes across the sub-region. It will also help the BCAs identify areas of deficit and surplus in provision for ...