LEAs: Playing Field Development Applications (Hansard, 29 June 1994)

Viscount St. Davids
My Lords, the Government's general approach is to be very selective when calling in planning applications because we do not believe that we should interfere with the jurisdiction of the local planning authority unless it is necessary to do so. Each case will be considered on its own merits, but in general applications will only be called in if planning issues of more than local importance are involved.

§ Baroness Macleod of Borve
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. May I ask him what the general criteria are for calling in planning applications when they are vital to local people, especially to those in education and the schools?

Viscount St. Davids
My Lords, Section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 gives the Secretary of State the power to call in planning applications for his own decision rather than leave them to local planning authorities. Although that power gives the Secretary of State a wide discretion to call in any application, if he wishes to do so, the policy of successive Ministers has been to be very selective about using it. In essence, the policy is that planning is basically a local matter. The Secretary of State will not interfere with that local jurisdiction unless it is absolutely necessary to do so.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, is the Minister aware that most of the schools or education authorities that have disposed of playing fields are in areas where schools have opted out? Grant-maintained and local authority schools receive much lower grants than the opted out schools and they have had to sell the playing fields because of the necessity to raise funds. Bearing in mind that that has happened many times, will the Minister investigate cases where local authorities are entering into lease arrangements to obtain money from some of their land and whether that is a desirable policy? The noble Baroness has done us a service by bringing the problem to light because the land that has already gone will never come back.

Viscount St. Davids
My Lords, I shall certainly bring the suggestion that the noble Lord has made to the notice of my right honourable friend. If there is any substance to it, I shall write to him.

§ Lord Gisborough
My Lords, in the late 1940s and early 1950s much land was taken over by councils in order to provide playing fields under a scheme which was related to the population of the town. Would it not be wholly wrong for that land, which was just adequate then, to be at risk when most of those towns have since expanded in population?

Viscount St. Davids
My Lords, the register of recreational land which was set up last October lists some 24,000 sites. It suggests that only 404 sites out of that total have sought planning permission and of those only 130 came from LEAs.

§ Lord Howell
My Lords, perhaps I may remind the Minister that that register has still not been published; that we know that 1,600 sites are under threat; and that, even worse, the public utilities, British Telecom and British Rail, are now disposing of very valuable, important sports sites.

Noble Lords
Question!

§ Lord Howell
It is three years since Mr. Robert Atkins, the Minister, decided to initiate consultations, the result of which we still do not know. If the Government cannot call in these applications and stop 773 this rot, will they consider a moratorium on the sale of this land until they have decided on their policy? Can the Minister tell us when we are likely to know what action the Government are taking to back up the Prime Minister, who quite rightly wants more team sports in schools?

Viscount St. Davids
My Lords, the Government are considering this issue as part of the current review of the role of sport in schools. The Government are committed to games and sports in schools.

§ Lord Orr-Ewing
My Lords, could my noble friend do everything possible to give this matter priority? In every aspect, not least world soccer, we are shown to be slumping in the way that we encourage young people to take part in active sports, team sports, in every school in this country. After all, Britain was the founder of most of the sports that are now world sports. It is shaming that we cannot any longer compete at Wimbledon and in world soccer and the like. Sport must be encouraged with help from the Government. If there are difficulties at present, let us for goodness sake tackle them, with legislation if necessary.

Viscount St. Davids
My Lords, in answer to my noble friend I should say that the Prime Minister himself is conducting a review of sports in schools and will consider all the issues that have been raised.

§ Lord Ewing of Kirkford
My Lords, would the real answer be to appoint Charlton as Sports Minister?

Viscount St. Davids
That is a very good suggestion, my Lords.

§ Lord Donoughue
My Lords, does the Minister agree that recently there has been support on all sides for increased sport in schools; and, although the new curriculum does not provide for sufficient sport, it does provide for more? Will the Minister explain to the House how we can have more sport in schools with fewer sports fields?

Viscount St. Davids
My Lords, I do not think it is a case of more sport and fewer playing fields. As I have said, the evidence is that the number of sports fields that are disappearing due to planning consent is very, very small.

§ Baroness Macleod of Borve
My Lords, following what my noble friend Lord Orr-Ewing said, does the Minister agree that one fundamental and very important part of this argument about sports fields and about schoolchildren playing and indulging in sports is that the end product, if they do not have something to do in their spare time, is juvenile delinquency? Will the Minister therefore use his good offices to see that all children, wherever they are and in whatever school, have sports to play?

Viscount St. Davids
My Lords, it is part of the Government's education policy to ensure that sufficient sport is played in schools and that there are facilities on which the sports can be played.