We are delighted that our open letter led by our fantastic President Jill Scott MBE has been published by the BBC and the Guardian, with signatures from 88 leading sporting figures and organisations – including Sir Mo Farah CBE, Ed Clancy OBE and Tessa Sanderson CBE.
At present, Sport England is a statutory consultee when planning applications impact playing fields, acting as a crucial safeguard in the planning system and providing vital oversight. However, the government is looking to remove them from this position as part of proposed planning reforms.
Playing fields are a lifeline for many communities, boosting both physical health and mental wellbeing, and providing somewhere for children and young people to practise sport and play together.
Our recent Green Space Index data found that almost half of people in Great Britain live more than a ten-minute walk from their nearest playing field. If more playing fields are lost and this access worsens, it could have negative consequences for the wellbeing of many communities across Britain.
While we support the government's growth agenda and the need for new housing, it must not be at the expense of the spaces that make communities liveable, healthy and cohesive. Permanent legal protection of these spaces has never been so important; we must ensure they are not lost forever.
Read the open letter below.
Jill Scott MBE
President, Fields in Trust
Helen Griffiths FRSA
Chief Executive, Fields in Trust
December 2025
We are deeply concerned that proposed planning reforms could remove the statutory protections that help safeguard England’s playing fields and sports facilities. These spaces are not just playing fields – they are vital infrastructure for health and wellbeing, community sport, and children’s play.
Playing fields are irreplaceable. Once built on, they are gone forever, 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.
Data from Fields in Trust, which provides the UK’s only proven legal model to safeguard parks, playgrounds, and green spaces forever, has found that almost half of Britain already lives more than a 10-minute walk from a playing field, with the poorest areas continuing to lose most green spaces to development or closure. Since it was established in 1925, the organisation has helped protect nearly 3,000 green spaces in perpetuity, and as it enters its second centenary, this mission remains critical.
We therefore call on policymakers 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.
Sincerely,
Jill Scott MBE
Former footballer, 2022 Women's Euros Winner and Fields in Trust President
Helen Griffiths FRSA
Chief Executive of Fields in Trust
Signed:
Alex Yee MBE, Triathlete and Olympic Champion
Ama Agbeze MBE, Former netballer and Commonwealth Champion
Clare Bishop, Former triathlete and Paralympic Champion
Danny Crates, Former sprinter and Paralympic Champion
David Wheeler, Former professional footballer
Ed Clancy OBE, Former cyclist and Olympic Champion
Eilish McColgan, Middle- and long-distance runner, Commonwealth Champion and Olympian
Jason Leonard OBE, Former England rugby player and 2003 Rugby World Cup Winner
Matthew Fleming, Former England cricketer and former President of the MCC
Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE, Former rower, Olympic Champion and SportsAid Trustee
Sir Mo Farah CBE, Former long-distance runner, Olympic Champion and Youth Sport Trust’s National School Sport Champion
Tessa Sanderson CBE, Former javelin-thrower, Olympic Champion and President of Women in Sport
Tom Bosworth MBE, Former race walker, Commonwealth Champion and Olympian
Thurstan Bannister, son of Sir Roger Bannister
Paul Critchley, CEO of Active Cornwall
Matt Evans, CEO of Active Devon
Jason Fergus, Director of Active Essex
Kirsty Dunleavy-Harris, CEO of Active Gloucestershire
David Gent, CEO of Active Humber
Liz Davidson-Kennett, Partnerships Director of Active Kent and Medway
Eve Dewsnap, Director of Active Norfolk
Andy Taylor, CEO of Active Partnerships
Adam Blaze, CEO of Activity Alliance
Jamie Cook, CEO of Angling Trust
Dr Amanda Gummer, Chair of Association of Play Industries (API)
Sue Storey, CEO of Badminton England
Chad Ehlertsen, CEO of British American Football
Jon Dutton OBE, CEO of British Cycling
Jim Eyre, CEO of British Equestrian Federation
Kathy Morris, National Lead of British Inline Puck Hockey
Andy Gratwick, Managing Director of British Kite Sports
Peter Brooke, CEO of British Orienteering
Sarah Finney, Director of British Roller Sports Federation
Diana Hunter, Chair of British Rowing
Ruth Daniels, CEO of British Triathlon
Justine Baynes, CEO of British Wheelchair Basketball
Craig Anthony, CEO of British Wrestling
Andy Dalby-Welsh, CEO of Croquet England
Richard Gould, CEO of England and Wales Cricket Board
Chris Jones, CEO of England Athletics
Mike Bain, CEO of England Handball
Rich Beer, CEO of England Hockey
Fran Connolly, CEO of England Netball
Baroness Sue Campbell, Chair of England Netball and former Chair of UK Sport
Mark Williams, CEO of England Squash
Vince Mayne, CEO of England Touch
Victoria Gosling OBE, CEO of GB Snowsport
Brett Nicholls, CEO of Get Berkshire Active
Mark Winder, CEO of Goalball UK
Jason Brisbane, CEO of Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby
Hayley Lever, CEO of Greater Manchester Moving
Graham Duxbury, CEO of Groundwork
John D. O'Callaghan, Partnerships Director of Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership
Carolin Göhler, President of Landscape Institute
Nick Bitel, CEO of London Marathon Group
Alex Welsh, CEO of London Playing Fields Foundation
Emily Robinson, CEO of London Sport
Scott Lloyd, CEO of LTA
Justine Blomeley, CEO of Merseyside Sport
Chris Holmes, CEO of Northamptonshire Sport
Calum Osborne, CEO of Nottingham Forest Community Trust
Ashley Metcalfe, CEO of Paddle UK
Elizabeth Duggan, CEO of Parkrun
Eugene Minogue, CEO of Play England
Robert Udwin, Council member and former President of The RFU
Sir James Wates CBE, Chair of The RFU
Clare Morley, CEO of Rise North East
Sara Sutcliffe MBE, CEO of Royal Yachting Association
Abi Ekoku, interim CEO of Rugby Football League
James Hope-Gill, CEO of Skateboard GB
Jane Knowles, CEO of Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership
Lisa Wainwright MBE, CEO of Sport and Recreation Alliance
Annette Hufton, Chair of Movement and Dance Division Sport and Recreation Alliance
Mike Chamberlain, CEO of Sport Birmingham
Richard Shaw, CEO of Sports & Play Construction Association
Tim Lawler MBE, CEO of SportsAid
Mark Lawrie OBE, CEO of StreetGames
Andy Salmon, CEO of Swim England
Paul Ratcliffe, CEO of The British Mountaineering Council
Debbie Hewitt MBE, Chair of The FA
Geoff Webb, CEO of The Grounds Management Association
Fiona Howie, CEO of Town and Country Planning Association
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive
Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics
Stephanie Hilborne OBE, CEO of Women in Sport
Ali Oliver MBE, CEO of Youth Sport Trust
You can read the consultation and respond with your views via an online survey here. You can also sign Sport and Recreation Alliance’s petition here.
Read the BBC Sport article. Read the Guardian article.