Introduction
This Open Space Sports and Recreation Strategy (OSSR) Action Plan sets out how Chorley Council plans to invest in our open spaces over the next ten to fifteen years. This includes recreation grounds, parks, playing pitches, allotments and other open spaces which are available for use by the public. By taking a strategic approach, we can make the best use of our existing assets and ensure the delivery of our regeneration priorities, targeting investment to where it is needed and working with our partners to attract grant funding and resources needed to make it happen. The strategy action plan focuses on sites that need to be improved or sustained to ensure they remain fit for purpose and continue to benefit the residents of our borough, whilst also seeking to address issues of a lack of supply of certain typologies.
Access to open space and opportunities for sport and recreation are important for physical and mental health and wellbeing, improving the quality of life for our residents and visitors. Green spaces also provide natural infrastructure that enables communities to deal with floods and contribute to combatting climate change whilst providing wildlife habitats, open space for amenity, recreational sporting facilities and beautiful parks.
The OSSR Strategy Action Plan is a summary document which pulls together the strands from the suite of technical evidence documents produced by consultants, Knight Kavanagh Page (KKP). This technical evidence has two main functions. Firstly, it informs the local development plan, guiding the location for new provision and the requirement for developer contributions towards open space. Secondly, the evidence supports investment decisions and guides how we manage our open spaces in Chorley, which are then shaped into the local OSSR Strategy Action Plan.
KKP undertook comprehensive assessments across Central Lancashire as part of the preparation for the new Central Lancashire Local Plan, producing very detailed, technical documents which cover the three Boroughs of Preston, Chorley and South Ribble. As evidence documents, consultants worked very closely with a very wide variety of stakeholders across the three districts including all the sports clubs, teams, site users, National Governing Bodies as well as parish councils and elected members in order to produce robust, accurate data.
The full suite of technical documents is available to view on the council’s website by clicking on the links below:
- Central Lancashire Open Space Assessment
- Chorley Council Open Space Study Standards Paper
- Central Lancashire Playing Pitch Strategy Assessment Report
- Central Lancashire Strategy and Action Plan.
The council are required to undertake these studies in order to support the development of the emerging Central Lancashire Local Plan and these will inform the investment of the councils’ resources both in terms of staff time but also capital funding, such as that collected from developer contributions. The evidence supports:
- preparation of policies
- site allocation processes
- development of an Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP).