ALLERDALE LEISURE STRATEGY
2015-2019
DRAFT FOR CONSULTATION V1.3
Allerdale Leisure Strategy 2015 - 2019
Foreword
Allerdale Borough Council recognises that leisure and cultural activities are an important part of people’s lives; it provides a
platform for delivering health benefits; is a basis for education and skills development and can be a time for social interaction
between families, friends and communities. As a Local Authority, Allerdale has a significant role to play in developing and
enhancing the lives of their residents through a vibrant leisure offer.
Within the Council’s Commitment to Local Communities 2012-2015, the Council has made a strong commitment to improve the
opportunities for participation in Leisure activities, encouraging people to make positive choices and improve quality of life among
all sectors of the community.
The Council, working with our with external partners, are integral in the realisation of this commitment and the Strategic Aim set out
below to create an area Borough which is a great place to live, work and visit.
Councillor Mark Fryer
Portfolio Holder for Sports Development
Councillor Mike Heaslip
Portfolio Holder for Locality Services
Introduction
The Local Authority is a key provider of sport, art and leisure opportunities, and the work of the Council is broad and varied,
covering everything from parks and open spaces to leisure centres and pitches.
This strategy is intended to provide direction for sport and leisure development in Allerdale through direct influence within its own
projects and leisure facilities but also through the Council’s work as an enabler, to develop and enhance provision across all areas,
supporting independent enterprises, community groups and Town and Parish Councils.
It has been driven by the Council with input from local residents, public, private and voluntary sector organisations. Regional and
national governing bodies have been crucial in providing the right focus as have a number of key supporting strategies, reports
and action plans. These have helped inform the strategy and are intended to be read as one with this strategy and are attached as
appendices.
We are reliant on the continued work our partners to achieve the aspirations set out within the strategy.
Where are we now?
Allerdale has a higher proportion than the national average of both men (44.8%) and women (52.1%) who do not manage any
physical activity per week, only 31% of adults manage once per week and only 16.6% achieve reach the recommended 5 x 30
minutes each week. (Active People survey and PHE 2012/13).
Allerdale has a mixture of venues and sports pitches, the quality and access of these are variable which is inhibiting use and
therefore participation. There is work to do to improve capacity of grass pitches and training sites, updating pools and sports halls
and improving the programming of these sites, so that the usage for developing sports activities is maximised.
However, we are not starting from scratch. The Council has committed to investing in new sports facilities in Workington and there
is over £200,000 being spent on new sporting activities across the Borough through the Make a Move project. There are also
proposals in north Allerdale to improve access to swimming pools and sports pitches where there is a need to consider the longer
term investment requirements.
Opportunities to engage in leisure activities within Allerdale are diverse, ranging from exploring the Lake District and coastal parks
to participating in classes and programmes within the many leisure centres, clubs and community settings. Allerdale continue to
strive to develop the physical infrastructure of parks, playing pitches and sports facilities and the natural environment contributing
towards a healthier sustainable future.
However, we acknowledge that there are inequalities across the sector in terms of access, affordability, appeal, choice and quality.
Allerdale Borough Council has always formally recognised the vital contribution that leisure has to improving health and wellbeing
and going forward, as part of the Council Plan 2015-2019;
“We aim to help people live healthy and active lives by ensuring access to quality health services and
affordable sports, arts and leisure activities”
We want everyone in Allerdale to have the opportunity to access and benefit from participation in sports and leisure, as part of a
fulfilling and active lifestyle whether for health, to develop skills, or just for fun!
Overarching Strategic Objective
To work with partners to provide
high quality sport and leisure
facilities, vibrant programmes of
activity and enjoyment of the
natural environment.
A Coordinated Approach
The aim of the Leisure Strategy is to consolidate, coordinate and align the main strategies, plans and activities that are currently
supporting the community in Allerdale. These being: the Playing Pitch Strategy, Indoor Facilities Strategy, Open Space
Assessment Report and the Active Allerdale Strategy, together with their respective Action Plans. These documents are attached
as Appendices.
The Council always seeks to work together with appropriate partners and there will be cases where the Council will not be
responsible for delivery and will need to work in partnership with public, private and voluntary sector bodies, commissioning
services or projects where appropriate
Playing
Pitch
Strategy
Indoor
Facilities
Strategy
(Allerdale Borough
Council)
(Allerdale Borough
Council)
[Appendix A]
[Appendix B]
Open Space
Standards
(Allerdale Borough
Council)
[Appendix C]
Active
Allerdale
Strategy
(Active Allerdale
Partners)
[Appendix D]
How does the Leisure Strategy fit with the Draft Council Plan 2015-19?
The Council Plan is a four year document, setting out the key priorities and areas of activity for the Council up to 2019. The Plan
states; ‘Sports, arts and leisure activities can have a significantly positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing. In addition to
the health and wellbeing benefits from participating in sporting and cultural activities, local festivals and events can also play a
significant role in supporting and boosting the local economy.’
The Plan is supported by a series of supporting strategies and action plans detailing what we will do to meet our objectives. One of
the five key priority themes for the council, within the Draft Council Plan 2015-19, is ‘Improving Health and Wellbeing’.
Improving health and wellbeing
We aim to help people live healthy and active lives and reduce health
inequalities
Our focus will be on:

Helping to make sure that people have access to high quality healthcare

Working with partners to create healthier communities

Providing access to quality, affordable leisure and cultural activities

Maintaining a safe and clean environment

Ensuring access to suitable and safe housing

Protecting and promoting health and wellbeing
As can be seen above, the ‘Improving Health and Wellbeing’ theme has a number of outcomes that we want to achieve, three of these
will be delivered through the Allerdale Leisure Strategy, its component parts and the related action plans.
Allerdale Borough Council
Plan 2015-19
Improving health and wellbeing
We aim to help people live healthy and active
lives and reduce health inequalities
Our focus will be on:

Helping to make sure that people have access to high
quality healthcare

Working with partners to create healthier
communities

Providing access to quality, affordable leisure and
cultural activities

Maintaining a safe and clean environment

Ensuring access to suitable and safe housing

Protecting and promoting health and wellbeing
STRATEGIC FOCUS 1 – Playing Pitch Strategy
Allerdale has a diverse community and it is vital that there is an appropriate mix and spread of both outdoor and indoor facilities to meet
the needs of these local communities.
There is a need to improve and enhance the provision of sport and leisure activities in Allerdale and to do this it is not only the activity
that is important, but also the appropriate environment in which this activity takes place. Sites must meet appropriate standards and take
into account current usage and also plan for future demand. The physical environment for leisure in Allerdale is varied and wide-ranging
and increasing public awareness of existing facilities is vital to the continued improvement of health and well-being in the local area.
Objectives
Objective 1
Tasks:
To protect the existing supply of sports
facilities where it is needed for meeting
current or future needs
Enhance local planning policy and protect sports facilities.
Secure tenure and access to sites for high quality, development
minded clubs, through a range of solutions and partnership
agreements.
Maximise community use of outdoor sports facilities where there is a
need to do so.
Objective 2
To enhance outdoor sports facilities
through improving quality and
management of sites
Improve quality
Adopt a tiered approach (hierarchy of provision) to the management
and improvement of sites.
Work in partnership with stakeholders to secure funding
Establish an approach to securing developer contributions.
Objective 3
To provide new outdoor sports facilities
where there is current or future demand to
do so, depending on funding and
resources
For further detail and explanation please see appendix 1
Rectify quantitative shortfalls in the current pitch stock.
Identify opportunities to add to the overall stock to accommodate both
current and future demand.
STRATEGIC FOCUS 2 – Indoor Sports Facilities Strategy
Objectives
Tasks:
Objective 1
To protect the existing supply of sports
facilities where it is needed for meeting
current or future needs
Ensure Allerdale has an appropriate mix and spread of county,
community and neighbourhood sports facilities programmed to meet
the needs and aspirations of strategic stakeholders and local
communities
Objective 2
To enhance indoor sports facilities through
improving quality and management of sites
Define and implement a Borough-wide community use policy
Take a more strategic approach to facility programming on a Boroughwide basis
Objective 3
To provide new indoor sports facilities
where there is current or future demand to
do so
For further detail and explanation please see appendix 2
Commit to key facility development projects to replace or bring facilities
up to standard
STRATEGIC FOCUS 3 – Open Space Standards
Allerdale is well served by many and varied areas of open space, this includes amenity space, parks/ gardens, play areas, natural and
semi natural green space. A high proportion of these are of high quality and high value.
However the community’s ability to access green space is not just determined by physical barriers of location, proximity and quantity. It is
a more complicated issue, with common barriers including poor standards of maintenance, poor local infrastructure, lack of transport,
lack of information/ awareness and in some areas, open spaces can become a centre of attraction for anti-social behaviour resulting in a
concern over personal safety.
Key strategic partnerships are important for delivering our objectives. There are a number of organisations that we will be working with to
ensure that we achieve our objectives. For example working in partnership with the LDNP and supporting the Lake District as the
Adventure Capital of the UK plan. We also have a significant Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Solway Coast AONB) that we will
seek to capitalise on support
Objectives
Tasks:
Objective 1
Ensure low quality sites in analysis areas
are prioritised for enhancement
To enhance the quality to the applied standards (as identified in the
Open Space Standards Paper) especially if the site is deemed to be of
high value to the local community.
Objective 2
Ensure all sites assessed as high for
quality and value (as identified in the open
space standards paper) are protected
Identify, protect and enhance sites which
would help to reduce open space typology
gaps in specific analysis areas
Recognise areas with surpluses in open
space provision and how they may be able
to meet other areas of need
The need for additional allotment and
cemetery provision should be led by future
projected demand
Sites within this category should be viewed as being key forms of open
space provision and Allerdale Borough Council will look to retain and
enhance sites of this classification
Allerdale Borough Council will adapt these sites through formalisation
and/or greater provision of features linked to certain types of open
space.
For sites identified as low value and/or low quality and value in analysis
areas, a change of primary typology should be considered
Objective 3
Objective 4
Objective 5
For further detail and explanation please see appendix 3
For cemeteries provision should be determined by demand for burial
space. For allotments, waiting list numbers, rather than the application
of a standard, is more appropriate to determine the need for new
provision
STRATEGIC FOCUS 4 – Active Allerdale Strategy
Being active is one of the biggest contributors towards good health and wellbeing, but it does more than that; taking part in sports teams,
exercise classes, running, walking and other active pursuits form part of what makes people who they are; it prepares people to deal with
other aspects of life and can create a social environment that supports both on and off the court.
Even with these advantages, not everyone engages in sports and physical activity. The Council and the Active Allerdale Partnership
through this strategy, will bring together the passion and willingness of its individual organisations to create the right environments to get
more people, more active, more often
Objectives
Objective 1
Tasks:
Identify key partners that can help to
develop and deliver a range of activities to
support the Vision
Develop a strategic, proactive Active Allerdale network
Ensure a high quality service delivery
Increased understanding of who is delivering what, when, where and
for who
Maximise the use of available resources through partnering with
appropriate organisations
Objective 2
Objective 3
Opportunities to access inclusive,
affordable, high quality venues and
activities in the right places
Creative activities and opportunities to
Ensure that partner strategies, action plans and activities are aligned
throughout Allerdale (for example; West Cumbria Coastal Adventure
Sports Scoping Study, Solway Coast AONB Management Plan,
Cumbria Tourism/LDNP Adventure Capital Strategy)
Develop appropriate, community lead activities
Support sites to increase their knowledge of their surrounding
communities and increase their accessibility accordingly
Integration of outdoor activities in programmes and maximise on the
adventure tourism market
Joint focus on target groups;
reduce inequalities in sports provision





Low participation
Teenage girls
Adults living in rural areas
Disabled/Mental health
Low income
Encourage creative thinking when developing delivery for target groups
in line with low participation target groups
Objective 4
Maintain and develop the role of the club
as a key service for sports delivery
Recognition of achievements of organisations, groups, participants,
volunteers through media channels and awards
Planning for successful encouragement of active
participants/coaches/volunteers
Supporting retention methods for players/coaches/volunteers
Clear opportunities for volunteers, workforce development and CPD
opportunities
Supporting high quality service provision and club management (Club
Mark)
For further detail and explanation please see appendix 4
What success will look like….
 Reduction in health issues caused by excessive weight in children and adults
 Increased physical activity in adults and young people across all sections of the community
 Greater utilisation of green space and the physical environment
 Improved quality of leisure facilities
 More Sporting Festivals and Events
 Improved and enhanced delivery of activities by creating key partnerships with providers
 A raised profile of leisure and sport activities in the Allerdale area
 Allerdale will be in a strong position to maximise opportunities available through external development and funding schemes
 Improve links between school sport, community sport (club links) and NGB sport structures providing player pathways.
 Use leisure and sport as a recognised tool to provide enhanced interventions in Allerdale such as health, anti-social behaviour,
quality of life etc.
APPENDICIES
APPENDIX A – Playing Pitch Strategy
APPENDIX B – Indoor Facilities Strategy
APPENDIX C – Open Space Standards Paper
APPENDIX D – Active Allerdale Sport and Physical Activity Strategy