COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

QUESTION NO. 6

QUESTION: Councillor Peter Kavanagh

"To ask the Chief Executive in relation to the South Dublin County Council's Sports Pitch Strategy, which states a detailed needs assessment has also been produced that provides a full evidence base for the analysis and a clear methodology for the project. The needs assessment contains a detailed strategic review of relevant local regional and national policy.

Is the needs document a separate document and if so, where is it? Can it be supplied?"

REPLY:

The needs assessment was a technical working document that was used to inform the development of the Sports Pitch Strategy. It examined the following:

The strategic context for the Sports Pitch Strategy in SDCC and the context in relation to National and Local Policies, analysis by site ownership, analysis by major sport and facility insight from specific Governing Bodies. The conclusion of the Needs Assessment is detailed within the Sports Pitch Strategy Report. It is not intended to supply the needs assessment as a separate document as it was a technical document used to develop the strategy; however the main points are set out below:

The methodology adopted to develop the Sports Pitch Strategy is as set out below:

The assessment methodology adopted for the Strategy follows the published guidance from Sport England. The guidance used is the 2013 version, Playing Pitch Strategy Guidance – An Approach to Developing and Delivering a Playing Pitch Strategy.

The findings in the strategy are based on data collected from several credible sources, including but not limited to:

• Local authority and public policy strategic documentation;
• Stakeholder consultation, including SDCC, Sport Ireland, relevant National Governing Bodies of Sport, key user clubs; and
• Site visits, undertaken at all strategically important sites across the Study Area.

The main relevant national, regional and local policies (examined in early 2019) were as summarised below:

Project Ireland 2040

Project Ireland 2040 is the Government’s overarching initiative for future planning and development. It is comprised of the National Planning Framework to 2040 and the National Development Plan 2018-2027. These documents set out the priorities for economic, environmental and social development to 2040.

The policy has 10 goals which are named as National Strategic Outcomes. The seventh outcome is Enhanced Amenities and Heritage which:

“will ensure that our cities, towns and villages are attractive and can offer a good quality of life. It will require investment in a well-designed public realm, which includes public spaces, parks and streets, as well as recreational infrastructure…This is linked to and must integrate with our built, cultural and natural heritage, which has intrinsic value in defining the character of urban and rural areas and adding to their attractiveness and sense of place.” – National Planning Framework to 2040.

The National Development Plan 2018-2027 outlines in more detail the aims, objectives and strategy behind this outcome and indicates that total funding allocated across culture, heritage and sports is in excess of €1 billion. In terms of sport over €100 million has been allocated for the Sport Capital Programme (SCP) which should cover the next 4 years.

The SCP is the primary means of providing Government support to sports clubs and organisations for development works. It is primarily designed for small-scale projects with the maximum grant in the most recent round of funding being €150,000.

Dublin is identified as a key area in the plan due to its economic significance, growing population, role as an infrastructure hub and on-going appeal to people from within and outside Ireland. With Dublin a number of Strategic Development Zones (SDZs) were identified of which Adamstown and Clonburris are located with the South Dublin County. These zones have a specific Planning Scheme or Masterplan which provide a legal framework for phased development of residential, retail, community uses and related infrastructure. Adamstown is designed around the concept of the walkable neighbourhoods and is located close to high-quality public transport links.

In May 2019 An Bord Plenala decided, under the provision of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, to approve the making of the planning scheme for Clonburris. This SDZ will offer a planning scheme that represents a shared outlook for the future growth of this important site at the heart of South Dublin County which addresses the need for new housing in Dublin.

Department for Transport, Tourism and Sports – National Sports Policy 2018-2027

The National Sports Policy outlines the Government’s aims for community and elite sport in Ireland. It’s overriding vision is that:

“People will be inspired, their lives enriched, their enjoyment enhanced, and their quality of life improved as a result of their own active or social participation in sport and as a result of success by our top sports people in competition. All entities in our sporting community will be highly regarded for the quality of their staff and volunteers, their standards of governance, ethics and accountability, and their spirit of collaboration including with partners beyond the sporting sector.” – National Sports Policy 2018-2027

The document has three high level goals against which success will be ultimately measured:

• Increased Participation: A significantly higher proportion of Irish children and adults from all sectors of society are regularly involved in all forms of active and social participation in sport
• More Excellence: There are more Irish athletes and teams systematically and fairly achieving world-class results at the highest level of international competition
• Improved Capacity: We will have “fit for purpose” Irish sporting bodies (NGBs, LSPs and clubs) with strong leadership, ethics and governance at all levels, professionals and volunteers suitably trained and developed, and modernised working methods and systems. There will be greater levels of cooperation within and across sport, and between sport and other sectors.

The role of clubs and NGBs has been emphasised in this strategy with evidence that one third of all adults are members of sports clubs, with a significant number acting as volunteers. Additionally, the majority of adults that take up a new sport do so at a sports club or organisation. However, there is a recognition that there is a current trend towards more informal and individual participation and that clubs/ organisations are traditionally better at engaging some social groups better than others.

Whilst there is recognition of the important role that clubs and organisations play in community support there is also a belief in a need to identify additional mechanisms for increasing participation in sport.

Local Authorities are seen as key stakeholders due to their management of public parks and open spaces which play a significant role in the supply of sports pitches. Moreover, sport and recreation are often important issues in County and Local Area Development Plans, and LAs have more capability to engage community members beyond the traditional boundary of sports club environments.

The LAs will work in tandem with Local Sports Partnerships to increase participation in sport, focusing on ‘hard-to-reach’ groups. As part of this role each LA will be expected to create a Local Sports Plan which aligns with the aims of the National Sports Policy.

 In terms of provision, one of the key actions identified in the policy is to conduct periodic, nation-wide audits of sports facilities. These are to include both publicly- and privately-owned sites and act as a guide for decisions on sports capital projects. LAs will take a lead on conducting the audits at a local level and these will feed into a national database of sports facilities.

The Sports Leadership Group – Sports Action

A key output from the National Sports Policy 2018-2027 is the creation of the Sports Leadership Group. This group is comprised of 15 key stakeholders from Government departments, Sport Ireland, the wider sports sector, Local Government, the Leisure Sector, and the Volunteer Sector. The group’s first meeting was held towards the end of 2018 and their first task is to draft a Sports Action Plan which is due later in 2019.

The plan will address each of the action points from the National Sports Policy, agree a timeline for each item and subsequently drive the successful implementation of the actions.

 Student Sport Ireland – Strategic Plan 2017-2020

Working in partnership to enhance student health and well-being through increasing participation in sport and physical activity in the third level colleges in Ireland.

Student Sport Ireland (SSI) is recognized by Sport Ireland as the governing body for the third level sport in Ireland. Colleges and universities invest more than 1 million euro annually in the provision of sport and physical activity through personnel, equipment, capitation and grant funding.

This strategic plan recognises that increased participation levels among those in third level education can have positive benefits on the student experience.

The guiding principles of the strategic plan are to:

• Partnership - Collaborate with third level colleagues, sporting organisations and stakeholders to develop stronger,
• more effective partnerships though connectivity, networking and priority joint efforts.
• Sustainability - Implement financially sustainable income strategies ad actions that are appropriate at both organisational and stakeholder levels including defining and sharing best practice
• Advocacy – Influence and enable decision makers within colleges and to prioritise policies, regulations and resources for third level sport and physical activity, at all levels.
• Transformation – Inspire and motivate students to enable them to transform with integrity and self-belief as role models for the future
• Research and Evaluation – Implement an evidence-based work programme and act on research findings. Ensure that impact evaluation is part of all its work programme and new programmes have such evaluation mechanisms built into them from the beginning. 

There are four main pillars of Student Sport Ireland:

1. Physical activity, health and wellbeing -
2. Sports Clubs and competitions
3. High Performance
4. Organisation

Sport Ireland – Irish Sports Monitor Annual Report 2017

The Irish Sports Monitor (ISM) is a large population study which uses self-reported data to generate biennial trends in participation in sport and physical activity. Due to changes in methodology from 2015 the results of this survey are only directly compared to the 2015 report rather than more historic findings. It covers a broad range of social and active participation, as well as providing breakdowns by age, employment, disability etc. The ISM provides a tool for evaluating the effectiveness of any interventions, identifying positive or negative trends and can be used to inform future strategy.

43% of the population were found to participate in sport which is the same level as in 2015 (43.1%). The gender participation gap is at its lowest level ever at 4.5% down from 15.7% in 2007. However, there are more persistent differences in participation between those with disabilities, the unemployed, those with lower incomes and those without third level education.

Importantly for this study, 8 of the 10 most popular sports are individual as opposed to team sports. The most popular team sport is soccer followed by Gaelic soccer and hurling/ camogie. When evaluating sports and physical activity in an area it is also important to consider the impact of demographic factors i.e. age, gender, employment and level income. Comparing these figures with demographic profiles in South Dublin will help provide comparison and identify key priorities for future provision. The profiles point to general trends in physical activity participation. Age has an impact on participation with decreasing levels over the course of lifespan for males and females. However, there does appear to be an increase in participation, when compared to 2015, for females aged between 35 and 64.

Working status appears to be another important factor when considering the likelihood of a person participating in sport. The highest levels are amongst students (which supports the finding that activity levels are highest for younger survey respondents) and lowest for those unable to work. In addition, there is a correlation between income level and participation in sport, with higher earners participating to a greater degree. This is significant when considering more localised interventions, barriers to participation and characteristics of sub-areas within the Study Area.

South Dublin County Council – Annual Service Delivery Plan 2019

The Annual Service Delivery Plan 2019 outlines the key aims and targets for a broad range of services in the county. The plan operates in conjunction with a number of other policy documents including the annual budget, corporate plan, county development plan and local economic and community plan.

Those targets relevant to sport are:

• Delivery of a Sports Pitch Strategy and associated delivery of an Astro Pitch Programme
• Manage and maintain Regional and Local Parks and amenities to a high standard and expand participation in the national green flag awards scheme for parks
• Deliver Teenage Facilities at 5 locations
• Continue the expansion of the Allotment Schemes across the County
• Develop additional recreational and sporting facilities through the maximisation of Sports Capital Grants and other funding streams, including the Pavilions Programme, the Dodder Valley Park mount Carmel Development and Lucan Athletics Track.
• Maintain 163 pitches and deliver a Pitch Renovation Programme
• Progress the development of Kiltipper Park
• Delivery of two LIHAF funded parks at Adamstown SDZ, Tandy’s Lane Park and Airlie Park
• Progress Tallaght Urban Regeneration Schemes in the public realm
• Progress plans for Carmac Valley and Corkagh Park under the County Tourism Strategy; commence design and construction of proposals.

These targets indicate areas of significant importance and relevance to the strategy with a number of park renovations, investment in specific facilities and the creation of new open spaces.

South Dublin County Sports Partnership – Strategic Plan 2017-2022

 The South Dublin County Sports Partnership (SDCSP) is one of 29 Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) created by Sport Ireland (previously the Irish Sports Council) whose aim is to promote active participation in sport and physical activity across the entire community, with a particular emphasis on those who are less active.

The partnership is comprised of committee members from national and local stakeholders including from; SDCC, the HSE, NGBs, South Dublin Chamber of Commerce and Institute of Technology Tallaght.

 The plan has three strategic themes with defined actions:

• To Lead! – To upskill sports leaders to ensure that there is a greater introduction to, and pathway in, sport and physical activity
• To Inspire! – To focus on getting those who are least active, more active. This will involve localised plans that can target specific groups or geographic areas.
• To Enhance! – To promote, support and utilise the existing physical infrastructure (parks, mountains, waterways, and community and sports facilities). Also engaging with a variety of agencies and local organisations that are involved in delivery of sport and physical recreation.