During 2007/8, KKP produced a facilities development plan for the City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council to underpin its LDF and BSF planning, making recommendations for rationalisation, development and expansion.

Via detailed demographic and market appraisal and facility condition analysis, KKP referencing the City's Sport and Active Lifestyles Strategy (2007 - 2012) developed an integrated strategy and planning policy for indoor and outdoor sports provision across Wakefield. Via an extensive review and revision process, the strategic policy documentation incorporated:

A clear outline of key issues and challenges for Wakefield

Local issues centre on poor health; prevalent coronary heart disease and respiratory diseases and at the time of the report, Wakefield recorded the second highest level of childhood obesity in the UK.

Access was a particular issue; with limited public transport, particularly later in the day and in the evenings, affecting people's ability access to sports facilities and services.

In terms of specific facilities, Lightwaves Pool, and Knottingley Sports Centre and Pool were nearing the end of their useful life. Conversely, Normanton Pool is a good model of a local community facility the only primary drawback being the fact that it is a stand-alone pool. KKP also identified limited access to community sports and leisure facilities in the Minsthorpe area.

A clear framework for practical action

In order to meet identified deficiencies in provision and retain the quantity of provision, a number of recommendations were made in relation to rationalisation, protection and improvement of existing stock:

• Rationalisation - it was recommended that Minsthorpe Pool be decommissioned if equivalent water space can be retained within Minsthorpe, ideally at the Sports College. Complete loss of provision would create a significant gap in the area. 
• Protection - KKP suggested investigating the opportunity for Wakefield College to take on management of the Lightwaves facility. The College was seeking alternative premises for sports provision and classroom space. This would retain the sports hall (and potentially the boxing facility and fitness suite) but allow development of the swimming pool hall to create new classroom space. 
• Improvement - increased provision should be focused on incorporating a 25m x 6 lane swimming pool and eight badminton court sports hall in the Glasshoughton development to cater for the loss of Castleford and Pontefract pools plus provision of (at least) one 25m x 6 lane swimming pool and a four badminton court sports hall at the Thornes Park development to compensate for loss of leisure provision at the College and the closure of Lightwaves Leisure Pool.

Local minimum provision standards

KKP also recommended local minimum provision standards providing the City with a contemporary, informed view of indoor sport facilities and the tools to facilitate speedy and successful negotiation of developer contributions. This will be achieved by development of supplementary planning documents, to resist unsuitable planning applications for development and ensure effective planning.

As specified in The Companion Guide to PPG17, these local standards included:

• A quantitative component (i.e., how much provision is needed).
• A qualitative component (i.e., condition).
• An accessibility component (e.g., travel distances, cost).

Minimum acceptable size was also included as a guide to facility development. Minimum provision standards were set for sports halls, swimming pools, fitness provision and indoor bowling facilities. Setting aspirational but appropriate targets, they were based on identification of current and future demand and premised on the calculation of effective catchment areas.

Key study findings were brought together in KKP's proposed sports facilities model on the basis of evidence identified through consultation and application of our in depth consultancy experience of facility planning. The model detailed the appropriate placement of facilities across Wakefield, linking to assessment of the demand for those facilities and covering the range of participation types to assist the Council's aim is to achieve a sustainable network of sports facilities to support future development of recreational activity and performance sport.

Lisa Dodd, Service Director-Sport at Wakefield MDC was pleased with the quality of KKP's work and the detail of the planning elements. She said,

"KKP filled gaps left by previous data and strategies and provided us with a comprehensive, robust evidence based platform to inform the development of the City's LDF and its future facilities plans."