A public consultation on designs for the Angmering Sports hub was published in July 2024 and returned 210 survey responses. The results have been reviewed and designs amended to reflect comments received.
A summary of the consultation results and responses to comments can be found below.
The following questions (1-5) relate to the existing Palmer Road recreation ground.
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Everyday | 62 |
| Once or twice a week | 62 |
| A few times a month | 18 |
| Several times a year | 24 |
| Hardly ever | 17 |
| Never | 25 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Football | 60 |
| Cricket | 23 |
| Walking | 94 |
| Basketball | 2 |
| Children’s play area | 52 |
| Informal recreation on the public open space | 27 |
| Sports and social club | 18 |
| Other | 19 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Everyday | 4 |
| Once or twice a week | 39 |
| A few times a month | 12 |
| Several times a year | 19 |
| Hardly ever | 18 |
| Never | 116 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Changing rooms | 40 |
| Toilets | 62 |
| Bar | 47 |
| Meetings/events | 20 |
| Socialising with friends | 38 |
| Other | 8 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Yes | 86 |
| No | 62 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Angmering FC | 9 |
| Littlehampton Town Youth FC | 7 |
| Angmering Cricket Club | 7 |
| Worthing Rugby Club | 4 |
| Rustington Otters FC | 3 |
| Littlehampton Cricket Club | 1 |
| Other | 7 |
The following questions (6-8) relate to the proposed sports hub and access.
It is proposed that the new Angmering sports hub at Palmer Road recreation ground will comprise the following facilities:
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Strongly support | 91 |
| Somewhat support | 31 |
| Neither support or oppose | 4 |
| Somewhat oppose | 8 |
| Strongly oppose | 72 |
| Unsure | 2 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Strongly support | 84 |
| Somewhat support | 25 |
| Neither support or oppose | 13 |
| Somewhat oppose | 4 |
| Strongly oppose | 74 |
| Unsure | 8 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Strongly support | 82 |
| Somewhat support | 29 |
| Neither support or oppose | 20 |
| Somewhat oppose | 6 |
| Strongly oppose | 66 |
| Unsure | 5 |
The following questions (9-12) relate to the facilities proposed on the new sports hub recreation ground.
It is proposed that the recreation ground will comprise a 3G all-weather pitch, natural grass football pitches, an artificial grass cricket wicket, MUGA (multi-use games area) for netball, basketball and other sports, children’s play area, car and cycle parking.
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Strongly support | 90 |
| Somewhat support | 30 |
| Neither support or oppose | 5 |
| Somewhat oppose | 6 |
| Strongly oppose | 75 |
| Unsure | 2 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| 3G all-weather pitch for adult football teams | 32 |
| 3G all-weather pitch for youth football teams | 63 |
| Natural grass pitch for adult football teams | 36 |
| Natural grass pitch for youth football teams | 54 |
| Cricket pitch for adult teams | 30 |
| Cricket pitch for youth teams | 26 |
| MUGA for netball | 6 |
| MUGA for basketball | 13 |
| Children’s play area | 64 |
| Car / cycle parking | 48 |
| Informal recreation on public open space | 64 |
| Other | 27 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Yes | 53 |
| No | 123 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Zip wire | 103 |
| Climbing unit with slide | 112 |
| Swings | 121 |
| Seesaw | 41 |
| Spinning bowl | 12 |
| Trampoline | 67 |
| Balancing beams | 54 |
| Roundabout | 17 |
| Other | 15 |
The following questions (13-14) relate to the new community sports hub building.
It is proposed that the new building will include changing rooms, showers, toilets, flexible hall and community space with food and beverage provision.
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Strongly support | 97 |
| Somewhat support | 28 |
| Neither support or oppose | 10 |
| Somewhat oppose | 5 |
| Strongly oppose | 65 |
| Unsure | 3 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Yes | 72 |
| No | 124 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Impact on residents due to noise/lights | 24 |
| Site layout – issues for cricket matches | 17 |
| Safety of new access route Option 2 /additional traffic | 14 |
| Future site management/security | 9 |
| Site layout – proximity of car park to residents | 9 |
| Site layout – facilities mix | 7 |
| Lack of access for dog walking | 6 |
| Site layout - size of pitches e.g. cricket and 3G | 4 |
| Impact on wildlife | 4 |
| Drainage issues | 3 |
| Oppose the scheme due to cost | 3 |
| Other comments | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Supportive of scheme e.g. provision of new 3G facility, positive impact on local area, keeping people active | 22 |
| General objections | 14 |
| Additional facilities | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Racket sports (e.g. tennis, paddleball, pickleball) | 16 |
| Other ball games (e.g. boules, volleyball, netball, hockey) | 15 |
| Gym/outdoor fitness equipment | 12 |
| Cricket nets, grass cricket wicket and storage | 10 |
| Sheltered seating and storage for cricket matches | 7 |
| Athletics track/all-weather surface for walking | 5 |
| Licensed bar | 5 |
| Skate park/ ramps | 3 |
| Swimming pool | 3 |
| Boxing | 2 |
| Exercise classes | 2 |
| Youth club | 2 |
| Snooker/pool table | 2 |
| Public toilets and changing places toilet | 2 |
| Climbing/bouldering wall | 1 |
| Rugby | 1 |
| Sky sports tv | 1 |
| Storage for football teams | 1 |
| Walking football | 1 |
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| 12 years and under | 4 |
| 13-18 years | 11 |
| 19-25 years | 22 |
| 26-39 years | 61 |
| 40-60 years | 76 |
| 61-74 years | 26 |
| 75+ years | 6 |
(All personal information will be collected and stored in line with General Data Protection Regulations, GDPR)
125 responses:
| Response | Number of responses |
|---|---|
| Social media | 43 |
| Arun District Council website | 21 |
| Word of mouth | 90 |
| Poster / banner | 8 |
| Email / letter | 47 |
| Angmering Parish Council website | 20 |
| Other | 16 |
Approached the following National Governing Bodies (NGBs) for comments and received following responses
Football Foundation:
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB):
Sport England is happy to comment further as plans are progressed.
You said:
Concern about the impact on residents due to noise/lights
We did:
You said:
Concern about the location of the cricket pitch in relation to building and request for practice nets
We did:
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The design plans have been amended in response to the comments received which can be found here. Accessible text descriptions of the boards are located under each image. Select an image to see it in a larger size.
The project aims to improve the existing facilities and has been designed to include:
Key
The image shows a site layout plan of the new sports hub which includes the existing recreation ground and the extension to the north. The new area includes the following:
The new extension is separated from the existing recreation ground by a line of trees. Some of these trees will need to be removed to create space for the new cricket pitch. New planting is shown in other parts of the site. A container is also shown on this boundary which would be used for storage of sports equipment.
The existing recreation ground is the widest part of the new sports hub, and includes the following:
The new community sports hub has been designed as an upgrade to existing facilities. The building will include:
There a ground floor layout plan of the new community sports-hub building which is designed in two parts.
The right-hand (north) side of the building includes the main door which leads in from the car park past an office on the right. The lobby area leads to the flexible hall and community space, also off to the right. There is a servery which has access points with the lobby and main hall. The adjacent kitchen can also serve people outside the building. A corridor turns to the left past the toilets on the left and internal store on the right. At this point there is a door which leads to the changing rooms.
The left-hand (south) side of the building includes four changing rooms for sports teams (two on either side of the central corridor). There are also changing areas for match officials, a disabled changing space and a physio room. There is a small internal store and team lockers. A door leads outside to the pitches. There are two further stores and a plant room which are externally accessed.
Palmer Road Recreation Ground is a large public open space in north Angmering, and currently includes a sports pavilion, grass football pitches, a cricket wicket, and children’s play facilities. It has been identified as a strategic priority within the Local Plan for the provision of a community sports hub.
The recreation ground is currently managed by Angmering Parish Council under lease from Arun District Council and is sub-leased to ASRA – Angmering Sports and Recreation Association.
Our Playing Pitch Strategy (March 2019) assessed the pitches and changing facilities to be of poor quality but that the site overall should be developed as a multi-sport hub site with investment focused on improving grass pitches, upgrading the changing facilities and the provision of one or two 3G pitches.
The Football Foundation’s Local Football Facilities Plan (May 2019) has identified Palmer Road as a priority project to deliver a key site for football, with opportunities for funding to significantly enhance and extend the current provision.
Outline planning approval (A/122/19/OUT) was granted in 2020 for up to 160 homes north of Palmer Road recreation ground, on land which is not strategically within the Arun Local Plan but is within the Neighbourhood Plan provision. As part of the planning permission the section 106 agreement requires land to be made available for the expansion of current sports pitch provision to form the sports hub to the south of the residential development on Palmer Road recreation ground.
A report is being presented to Policy and Finance Committee on 24 October to update on the public consultation results and revised plans. The committee will be asked to endorse the plans and that these are submitted for a planning application.
Surveys have been taking place throughout the month, information from these are helping the project team currently working on the draft designs.
The consultation image boards are available here in both PDF and image format. Accessible text descriptions of the boards are located under each image. Select an image to see it in a larger size.
Angmering sports hub consultation boards [pdf] 16MB
Welcome to the public consultation for the Angmering sports hub. Arun District Council is excited to share the proposals for the Angmering sports hub project. This is your opportunity to view the plans and tell us what you think. Feedback from the consultation will inform the development of the preferred design.
Palmer Road Recreation Ground is a large public open space in north Angmering, that currently includes a sports pavilion, grass football pitches, cricket wicket, and children’s play area. It has been identified as a strategic priority within the Local Plan for the provision of a community sports hub, with 3G pitch, improved grass pitches and upgraded changing facilities.
The proposal aims to:
The project relies on land to the north of the recreation ground being transferred to the council from the developer, Redrow. The planning agreement for the housing development required that the additional land would be used for new pitches as part of the sports hub layout.
The cost of the sports hub is estimated to be approximately £10m. The council is due to receive approximately £3m in developer contributions allocated from local housing developments. Grant applications will also be made to sports organisations, although it is not certain how much funding could be available. Options for the remaining funding will be considered when more detail is known about the design of the sports hub.
The programme to construct the sports hub will depend on how much funding is available. Options to build the sports hub in phases will be considered.
The public consultation results will be used to update the sports hub plans and prepare a planning application for the scheme. The planning application needs to be submitted in autumn 2024 to enable the land north of the recreation ground to be legally transferred to the council in spring 2025.
Aerial photo of the existing site:
The image shows an aerial view of the existing recreation ground and a rectangular area adjacent to the west end of the northern boundary. Together these will form the area of the new sports hub with the boundary indicated by a dotted line. To the north of the sports hub two areas of development are shown. The first is a large area of residential development which is currently under construction and will be accessed from Arundel Road. The second area is a future commercial development and sits next to the northern boundary of the sports hub on the eastern side.
Photographs of the existing site:
The photograph shows the rear of the existing sports and social club, which is a single-story timber building. Next to the building is a small car park and metal storage container.
The photograph shows the existing sports and social club which is a single-story timber building, with a covered veranda and steps leading to the sports pitches.
The photograph shows the existing cricket wicket and a football pitch beyond.
The photograph shows a view north across the recreation ground. The sports and social club is on the right of the picture with existing flood lighting and a basketball court behind. In the centre of the picture there are grass pitches with trees in the distance along the north and west boundaries.
The project aims to improve the existing facilities and has been designed to include:
The image shows a site layout plan of the new sports hub which includes the existing recreation ground and the extension to the north. The new area includes the following:
Number 1 – is a cricket pitch, located in the centre of the extended area.
Number 2 - is a grass adult football pitch measuring 100m x 64m on the west of the site
Number 3 - shows 4 grass youth 5-a-side football pitches in a block, each measuring 37m x 27m. They are located on the east of the site.
The new extension is separated from the existing recreation ground by a line of trees. Some of these trees will need to be removed to create space for the new cricket pitch. New planting is shown in other parts of the site. A container is also shown on this boundary which would be used for storage of sports equipment.
The existing recreation ground is the widest part of the new sports hub includes the following:
Number 4 – shows 2 grass youth 7-a-side football pitches, each measuring 55m x 37m. These are located on the west of the site.
Number 5 – is a 3G all-weather pitch with associated flood lighting is in the centre of the existing recreation ground, and west of the community building. There is a spectator viewing area to the east and additional viewing bank areas formed around the edges of pitches.
Number 6 – is a multi-use games area which can be used for netball, basketball and other sports is located east of the community building and car park.
Number 7 – is a car park with a total of 109 parking spaces also includes 6 blue badge spaces and 25 electric vehicle spaces. This is immediately east and south of the community building.
Number 8 – shows the location of a play area to the north of the multi-use games area.
Number 9 – is the community sports hub building sitting centrally between the 3G pitch, play facilities and car park, in a north-south orientation. There is planting around the building and a seating area to the west.
Number 10 – shows 2 grass mini football pitches, each measuring 30m x 20m, which are located in the far east of the recreation ground.
Three photographs showing examples of what a new play area might include.
A photograph showing a play area with a castle-themed climbing unit and balancing equipment.
A photograph showing a climbing unit in a play area. The timber unit has three platforms and a slide.
A photograph showing a timber climbing unit in a play area which is wheelchair accessible and includes interactive play panels.
A photograph showing an example of a multi-use games area. The playing surface is light green and marked out for different sports and surrounded with dark green metal fencing with a goal unit at each end.
A photograph showing an example of a 3G all-weather pitch with flood lighting around the perimeter and goals at each end.
A photograph showing an example of a car park with a concrete and grass surface. The sports hub car park will be managed by Arun District Council.
The new community sports hub has been designed as an upgrade to existing facilities. The building will include:
There a ground floor layout plan of the new community sports-hub building which is designed in two parts.
The right-hand (north) side of the building includes the main door which leads in from the car park past an office on the right. The lobby area leads to the flexible hall and community space, also off to the right. There is a servery which has access points with the lobby and main hall. The adjacent kitchen can also serve people outside the building. A corridor turns to the left past the toilets on the left and internal store on the right. At this point there is a door which leads to the changing rooms.
The left-hand (south) side of the building includes four changing rooms for sports teams (two on either side of the central corridor). There are also changing areas for match officials, a disabled changing space and a physio room. There is a small internal store and team lockers. A door leads outside to the pitches. There are two further stores and a plant room which are externally accessed.
View 1 shows an external image of the new building viewed from the car park. The single-story building has a pitched roof and is mostly constructed using bricks, with an alternative vertical cladding material shown in smaller sections. Windows for the changing rooms are narrow and positioned at a high-level. The car park is surrounded by low planting.
View 2 shows an external image of the new building viewed from the sports pitches. In addition to the brick and cladding, the elevations on the north and west sides of the building include large windows. They are full height between the floor and roof line with views across the site. There is a patio area to the west of the building with tables and chairs set out. A low hedge surrounds the building and patio.
View 3 shows an internal view of the flexible hall space which has timber flooring. The pitched roof with exposed framework and lighting can be seen. Large windows provide views across the site and the external patio.