New Football Foundation 'PlayZone' approved for Southwick neighbourhood of Sunderland

Plans for new football and basketball facilities in Southwick to help “tackle inequalities” around access to sport have been given the green light.

Sunderland City Council’s Planning and Highways Committee, at a meeting this week, approved plans for the old sports area near Southwick Community Centre.

The plans will see land at Church Street redeveloped into a state-of-the-art facility with a ‘polymeric surfaced area’, new perimeter fencing, LED floodlights and ancillary equipment.

The pilot scheme is part of the Football Foundation’s PlayZones Programme which aims to “tackle inequalities in physical activity and access to high-quality facilities in targeted areas”.

Community engagement has already been undertaken by Southwick Neighbourhood Youth Project, which leases the development land and the adjacent youth centre from the council, to help inform the proposals.

Council planning officers, in a report prepared ahead of the Planning and Highways Committee meeting, said the site was in a “poor state of repair” and could not “fulfil its original intended use as a venue for sporting activity”.

New plans to revamp the sports court aim to provide community benefits and “encourage active and healthy lifestyles in a sustainable location”.

The PlayZone plans were formally discussed by city councillors at a meeting on Monday, March 4, at City Hall.

Councillors heard the facility had been unused for around five years and that the new development was acceptable at the location, subject to conditions around noise and light pollution.

To help reduce noise from the development, conditions were recommended for controlling the hours of use, as well as the erection of an acoustic fence and submission of a noise management plan.

It is expected that the floodlighting system would have an “automatic cut-off switch” at night, as well as the development using an electronic access system to “provide bookable access”.

A council report adds the proposed hours of use would be 8am until 9pm on “any given day”.

After being put to the vote, the plans won unanimous support from members of the Planning and Highways Committee.

Councillor Michael Dixon welcomed the “exciting proposal” for the PlayZone and added that “anything is better than what [the site] is at the moment”.

Councillor Iain Scott added the scheme would bring an area designated for sport back into use, while providing “safe and sustainable play for children”.

The applicant is listed in a submitted planning application as ‘Sunderland City Council (Active Sunderland)’.

According to supporting documents linked to the plans, the Football Foundation provides funding towards the community-led spaces with an aim of “investing in areas with the greatest need”.

A design and access and planning statement submitted with the planning application lists the specific groups the Football Foundation are “prioritising” as part of the PlayZones scheme.

This includes ”lower socio-economic groups, women and girls, disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, and ethnically diverse communities”.

The design and access and planning statement adds: “The development aims to tackle inequalities in participation in sport and activity in the area.

“The proposal would be of considerable benefit to the local community groups, through the provision of a new facility in a previously derelict sporting area.

“The new facility has been designed with the aim of minimising impact to local residents / environment where possible, with drainage / fencing / floodlighting / access all designed with construction best practices in mind”.

Southwick ward councillors have welcomed progress on the PlayZone scheme following Monday’s planning decision.

Southwick Labour Action Team, posting on social media, said the development would “provide inclusive and accessible outdoor facilities and give young people in the area access to much-needed space”.

Councillor Kelly Chequer, Southwick ward councillor, added: “These fantastic new plans for the site will provide community benefits and encourage active and healthy lifestyles in a sustainable location.

“It means a further significant investment into Southwick of between £200,000 – £250,000”.

Information about the Playzones Programme can be found on the Football Foundation’s website at: footballfoundation.org.uk/playzones-programme