The Suffolk Coastal area is one of the most attractive parts of the country to work in. It includes the towns of Snape, Aldeburgh and Woodbridge as well as a host of smaller villages such as Benhall and Kesgrave. The largest town is the port of Felixstowe which is a key link to Europe and beyond. At Felixstowe Tennis Club it also has some of the best grass tennis courts this side of Wimbledon
We at PLC have enjoyed work there in support of Suffolk Coastal District Council as they draft their new sport and physical activity strategy by compiling both an assessment of playing pitches and of sport and open space facilities. This last category covers a wide range of facilities and amenities including swimming pools, parks, nature reserves, bike tracks and the coast. Unusually, we have also been asked to assess facilities for petanque.
For pure sporting facilities we have been using the newly published Sport England guidance; in other areas we have uses our own methodology developed over a large number of similar studies.
Key to our work is ensuring that people in rural areas have good access to facilities and that planning standards ensure good provision in the future. We have also been asked to advise on consolidating cricket provision in and around Felixstowe to safeguard long term development of the game