LUC helps Sport England balance biodiversity gains with future of playing fields

LUC has supported Sport England in developing updated guidance to help sports clubs, schools, local authorities and developers deliver biodiversity net gain (BNG) on playing fields without compromising their long term use for sport.

The guidance addresses a key challenge created by mandatory BNG in England: how to enhance biodiversity on sports and leisure sites while ensuring they remain fit for purpose and flexible for future sporting needs.

Introduced under the Environment Act 2021, BNG requires most developments in England to deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity. For playing fields, however, poorly planned measures can reduce space for pitches, restrict future expansion or reconfiguration, and create longer term safety and maintenance issues.

Commissioned by Sport England, the guidance translates BNG legislation and policy into practical advice for sport sites, providing a practical step by step guide through the process from site selection and consultation through to establishing a biodiversity baseline, planning, legal securement and long term monitoring.

A key principle of the guidance is that biodiversity should be considered from the earliest stages of the planning and design process, ensuring enhancements support the long term use of the site. To futureproof playing fields and sports facilities, the guidance encourages applicants to focus BNG measures in areas unlikely to be required for current or future sporting use, such as site boundaries, fringe spaces, steep or difficult terrain, entrances and car parks.

Measures can include native planting, wildflower habitats, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), rain gardens and, where appropriate, green roofs and walls.

Drawing on the experience of stakeholders involved in the planning, design and management of sports sites, the guidance provides practical advice and lessons learned to help applicants avoid common mistakes, including planting too close to sports facilities and committing land that may be needed for future sports development to long-term biodiversity management.

Jacqueline Whitworth-Allan, associate director of landscape architecture at LUC, said: ‘Biodiversity net gain presents a significant opportunity to make sports sites richer, more resilient environments, but it needs to be delivered in a way that recognises how those sites actually work.

‘Playing fields are not static spaces. Pitches may need to be rotated, repositioned or expanded over time, while safety, drainage and maintenance all need to be considered. A biodiversity intervention that looks positive today can create problems in future if those requirements are not factored in.

‘Our work with Sport England has focused on turning policy into practical guidance – helping applicants identify where biodiversity measures can deliver the greatest benefit without limiting sporting capacity. By considering BNG early, there is a real opportunity for nature and sport to work alongside one another rather than compete for space.’

View the full guidance here.