Knight Kavanagh & Page has been appointed to develop a sports facilities strategic framework for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland County Sports Partnership (CSP) area.

This is a current key focus area at all levels with regional agencies, sports partnerships and local authorities developing strategic pathways for improvement, investment and protection of sports facilities. This momentum is due to a number of significant factors:

• Condition; a substantial proportion of the facilities presently in place were the result investment that preceded local government reorganisation in the 1970's. Many of these are now in need of refurbishment or replacement.
• The governments Building Schools for the Future programme has the potential to create opportunities for cost effective joint school and community use.
• There is growing recognition in the sector that sports facilities are key to increasing participation and of the need to "sweat its assets".
• The implications of London hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on training camps and sport specific large scale facilities such as 50m pools.

To deliver this project, we apply and build upon Sport England specified models and techniques supplemented by the successful PPG17 and facilities planning methodologies that we employ elsewhere. Added to this is our strong working knowledge of the partnership area and the flexibility of approach required to deliver the best possible Sports Facilities Strategy Framework.

Our approach is challenging and geared to producing a strategy that makes a difference. It will strengthen inter-agency collaboration, encompass the partnership role of all agencies involved in sport and take account of the various delivery mechanisms that apply.

Over the last seven years we have undertaken an extensive range of full PPG17 assignments (encompassing facilities, playing pitches and open spaces) and specific facilities audits and strategies for over fifty clients.

Our portfolio of related strategies covers the length and breadth of the country; from Plymouth, Birmingham, Sunderland and Telford and Wrekin in England to the recent facilities review and options appraisal conducted for Bridgend County Council and our current facilities assessment in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

For further details, please contact David McHendry, Principal Consultant, Email: david.mchendry@kkp.co.uk  

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