Preston Playing Field – grant for new fencing

Preston Playing Fields Charity has recently been awarded funding from East Riding of Yorkshire Council as part of *commuted sums from local housing developments.

Preston Playing Fields Charity is to receive £4,000 in commuted sums to purchase safe top mesh steel fencing to enable the play area within Preston playing field to be fenced off. The erection of fencing around the play area will ensure dogs cannot access this area and dog waste will no longer cause a problem for children using the play area, ensuring it is a safe and clean environment for young people to use.

Six other organisations have also benefited from commuted sums: Skirlaugh Playing Fields Association, Stamford Bridge Playing Fields Association, East Riding Leisure Beverley, Friends of the Beck Driffield, Bridlington Cricket Club and Bubwith Leisure and Sports Centre. The funding will go towards a range of exciting projects to provide improved play and sporting facilities to local residents.

Councillor Gary McMaster, the portfolio holder for Place Shaping including Operational Services, said: “I am delighted with the range of organisations and excellent projects that we have been able to assist across the East Riding through commuted sums provided by local housing developments as a condition of their planning approval. This has continued throughout lockdown, and I look forward to seeing all these exciting projects – and many more- come to fruition in the months ahead.”

*Commuted Sums explained:  Developers are required to provide Outdoor Playing Space as part of all new residential developments above a certain size.  This requirement is highlighted in the East Riding Local Plan, supported by the Supplementary Planning Document.

Outdoor Playing Space is specified as space that is available for sport, active recreation or children’s play. Space must be of a suitable size and design for its intended purpose, accessible and available to the general public.

When a developer cannot provide this within the development itself, a sum of money known as a commuted sum may be paid in lieu of this, by the developer entering into an agreement under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.