Sport facilities can’t cope with demand, say report

SPORT and leisure facilities in the Henley area are oversubscribed, a report has found.

New facilities are needed and many of the existing ones require upgrading.

South Oxfordshire District Council is carrying out a public consultation on its playing pitch strategy and a leisure facilities assessment and strategy.

This assesses the need for new pitches and leisure facilities across the district as well as identifying which of the existing ones need protecting, upgrading or expanding.

The report found:

• More resources are needed to help sports clubs meet demand, such as new pitches and the installation of lighting so facilities can be used outside peak times.

• The Henley leisure centre swimming pool, sports hall, gym and studios are “uncomfortably busy” during peak periods.

• Henley does not have a publicly accessible multi-use games area.

• There are no climbing walls or parkour facilities in South
Oxfordshire.

• Gymnastics clubs in Henley have long waiting lists.

• The capacity of the 11-a-side football pitches at the YMCA and Jubilee Park must be enhanced by improving maintenance and the 3G pitches at the YMCA and Henley Rugby Club must be protected.

The report also says that Henley Tennis Club can’t meet demand and needs lighting on its three unlit courts to increase use and the possibility of indoor tennis should be explored.

Henley Rugby Football Club needs another grass pitch with lighting unless it can be guaranteed more use of the pitches at The Henley College.

Henley Hockey Club needs more use of the facilities at Jubilee Park.

Lighting is required at Rupert House School for the outdoor netball courts used by Henley Hawks Netball Club to enable use all year round.

The report found the problem of facilities unable to meet demand also existed outside Henley.

In Sonning Common, the commitment to build a nine-a-side football pitch at Memorial Park needed support.

The village also needed a full-size 3G football pitch at the Bishopswood sports ground used by Rotherfield United Football Club.

In Goring, the commitment to build a seven-a-side 3G floodlit football pitch at Sheepcot recreation ground needed support. In Chalkhouse Green two to four full-size grass pitches would be needed to serve Reading Abbey Rugby Club.

The cricket clubs in Checkendon, Gallowstree Common, Peppard Common and Stoke Row and Goring needed more capacity as they are growing.

The changing room facilities needed to be enhanced at Bishopswood sports ground and Harpsden football ground and new changing facilities were needed in Chalkhouse Green to support the growing women’s and girls’ teams.

Goring Tennis Club and Stoke Row’s sports and leisure club need to refurbish their clubhouses.

The report was welcomed at a meeting of Henley Town Council but criticised for making recommendations which were unrealistic financially.

Councillor Laurence Plant said: “Where’s the pot of gold? I mean, it’s all wonderful and it’s a brilliant shopping list but chuck us the pot of gold and streamline our planning permission. We would do all of it if we had the money.”

Cllr Plant, a specialist sports chiropractor, claimed the report was “pretty poor” intellectually. He said: “It doesn’t sound like they’ve done anything other than contact the clubs and ask, ‘What would you like?’

“They haven’t done any sort of objective measures of the space that we have. There’s just, oh, cricket, what would you like? Hockey, what would you like?

“I mean, it’s written first hand from each club’s point of view and all they’ve done is throw it into a document.”

Councillor Michelle Thomas said: “I want to see how they’re going to back it up with actual action and resource.

“They talk about protect, enhance, provide, but there’s no substance behind those words. What resources are they going to give us to be able to deliver this? Are they proposing CIL money? Are they proposing officer time? Are they proposing consultants’ time?

“It’s great that they recognise the need and that it’s getting really desperate out there. We’ve got the youth now in Henley having to go all over the place because we don’t have the capacity. They recognise that this is the same across the whole of South Oxfordshire.”

In the report, the district council said it wasn’t seeking to define what funding was available as the strategy covered an extensive period of time when changes would occur.

It recommended that clubs should discuss funding opportunities with organisations such as Sport England and local councils.

The consultation ends on Wednesday (April 17). To take part, visit https://theconversation.southandvale.
gov.uk/planning/south_pps_lfs_
consultation