Exclusive: Council admits breaking planning rules in passing care home on sports field

The Government agency made its comments after it emerged that West Berkshire Council had not approached it before granting planning permission last year for a 24-bed secure care home on land owned by Newbury Rugby Club, off Monks Lane.
Sport England is charged with protecting sports provision and must be formally consulted on any planning applications that affect playing fields.
Its broadside could impact the council’s proposed Sandleford housing scheme, as Newbury Rugby Club has already sold land for £100,000 “with more to come” for a crucial new road through its ground that would link Monks Lane to the intended 2,000-home site.
Coming just days ahead of a crucial public hearing into the council’s core strategy which will examine in detail the council’s housing strategy, its intervention could not only have serious implications for the Sandleford housing scheme, it could also have reverberations on the financially troubled rugby club, which sold the land for the £3.5m care home for £320,000.
The club has also sold a £100,000 plot to developers Skilldraw (a syndicate of Sandleford landowners) for the access route to Sandleford, with the promise of more to come, depending upon the development. Another five-acre site within the rugby ground had also been earmarked for the Sandleford scheme, as confirmed by club officers.
Charles Johnston, property director at Sport England, said: “We are very disappointed that West Berkshire Council failed to meets its obligation to consult Sport England on plans to develop part of a playing field at Monks Lane.
“We must be consulted on all planning applications affecting sports playing fields, even where no current playing pitch will be lost.”
“We have raised our concerns with the [West Berkshire] council and will be asking for an assurance that we will be consulted on all future planning applications affecting playing fields.
Peter Dickinson, the head of communications at Sport England, added: “We could well have objected. We would have needed to know about it within six months for a judicial review, but it’s gone well beyond that now.
Mr Dickinson added: “When Sport England objects, the local authority may then refer the matter to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who has the choice of whether to call it in, or to decide to allow the local decision to stand.
“It is rare for things to go ahead after our objection, but it has happened.”
Peter Norman, leader of the SayNotoSandleford campaign, said “The fact that due process was not followed by the council in considering the disposal, planning application, and building of The Priory (care home) frankly beggars belief.“
Referring to the strip of land sold by the rugby club and earmarked for an access road to the Sandleford site, Mr Norman argued that: “Should Sport England rightfully object to this further loss of playing field, then a crucial piece of the Sandleford jigsaw would be missing, with no link road to the Southern part of the proposed estate.
He said: “Without this access it is doubtful that the Sandleford project could be delivered within the plan period of West Berkshire’s core strategy.
“As a taxpayer, I am shocked that West Berkshire Council has not followed due process to protect a community asset, or even thought to enter into discussions with Sport England.
“It was not the job of its constituents to bring it to Sport England’s attention, though they are to be applauded.” A spokesman for West Berkshire Council, Keith Ulyatt, said: “We did not consult with Sport England as we should have done. They are a statutory consultee. This was down to human error. We are however comfortable that there has been no negative impact following the loss of the area.”