Sport England to retain statutory consultee role.

Sport England will retain their statutory consultee role for planning following a Government review.

The consultation, the results of which were announced today, began in November last year, following the publication of the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill earlier in 2025.

The Bill proposed removing our statutory consultee role on any planning application affecting playing fields and community sport but, following the consultation, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have decided we will retain our role, with some amendments.

In response to today’s news, our chair, Chris Boardman, issued the following statement.

“We welcome the Government’s decision to retain Sport England’s role as a statutory consultee on the most significant planning applications affecting playing fields and community sport.

“The places where we play, move and come together shape the health of our nation."

“At a time when inactivity contributes to one in six deaths, and more than 20% of children leave primary school obese, protecting opportunities to be active has never been more important."

“Once a playing field is lost, it is rarely replaced, which is why independent expert advice on the biggest planning decisions remains vital."

“We’ve always supported the Government’s ambition to deliver more homes and boost economic growth."

“These changes ensure our expertise is focused where it can make the greatest difference, for healthy communities today and for the generations that follow.”

Our role as a consultee involves giving expert advice to help ensure opportunities to be active are protected alongside development.

Under the changes announced by Government, we’ll continue to be consulted on the most significant planning applications affecting playing fields and community sport. In contrast, the range of applications referred to us will be narrowed so that our expertise is focused where it adds the greatest value.

The revised arrangements are intended to focus our involvement on the highest-impact cases while supporting a more efficient planning system.

We’ll continue to work closely with Government, local authorities and developers to help create places that support both housing growth and opportunities for sport and physical activity.