The Indoor Facilities Strategy for the Hackney council (HC) was developed in the context of opportunities for new facility development, a significant under supply of both sports halls and swimming pools, lack of available land, and reducing resources. The need for additional facility provision is however tangible as a result of significant population growth, and the existing ageing facility portfolio. SLL led on the development of the Indoor Facility Strategy for Hackney, with 4g developing the PPS.

The strategy assessed a wide range of indoor facilities in the Borough (HC, education, private and voluntary sectors), following the SE guidance 2013; this included detailed quality audits, assessment of supply and demand, analysis of the Facility Planning Model, stakeholder consultation, and assessments of quality, accessibility and availability, plus GIS mapping. The audits and consultation specifically identified the extent and nature of access to education facilities in the Borough.

Our approach was to identify all facilities in Hackney, including location, type, ownership and scale. We quality audited all key HC facilities, plus those on education sites to understand the extent of community accessibility available and identify any opportunities to increase this. We consulted widely with schools, stakeholders, clubs, NGBs and neighbouring local authorities, to develop a picture of existing supply and demand for provision. We then analysed supply v demand, to highlight both existing gaps in provision, and future need. Future need was assessed using future planning models, and linked to the population growth in the Borough, plus proposals for new housing development, and the specific opportunity to re-develop Britannia Leisure Centre, and extend London Fields Lido.

We checked and challenged the FPM analysis for the Borough and updated where appropriate, so that the supply v demand analysis reflects the actual situation on the ground; what this highlighted was the extent of existing provision but the lack of community pay and play access to the majority of education facilities. The main need moving forward is for both sports halls and swimming pools; the need is not just additional provision, but to do with the quality of existing facilities, some of which are old and no longer fit for purpose e.g. Kings Hall Leisure Centre, and facility capacity e.g. Clissold Leisure Centre

The Strategy identifies options to address the current and future need for facility provision, summarises the local strategic priorities, and recommendations and sets out a detailed Action Plan.