Charity's warning over loss of sports pitches
RiseA charity has warned proposed changes to planning rules affecting playing fields could cause "irreparable damage" to communities.
Planning authorities are currently required to consult with Sport England on such developments, but the government is considering stripping the body of this right.
Health and wellbeing charity Rise said the government's proposals could lead to north-east England losing sports pitches and playing fields and be especially detrimental to "women, girls and under-represented groups who already face barriers to participation".
The government said it was determined to speed up planning permissions and claimed other "strong protections" for playing fields exist.
Clare Morley, from Rise, said abolishing the safeguarding measure undermined opportunities for people to improve their health or carve out careers in sport.
"The North East is a sporting powerhouse and the move will put at risk the development of our future sporting stars," she said.
"Once these spaces are gone, they are gone forever."
Sport England recently used its role to open up the sports facilities at Hexham's Queen Elizabeth High School to the wider community after the school was rebuilt.
It also helped secure new facilities for the school, including a floodlit hockey pitch, a football pitch and improvements to its rugby pitch, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The proposal to reduce Sport England's powers was included in a wider set of changes on which a consultation ended on 13 January.
Removing the role of Sport England in planning applications, along with similar duties of the Gardens Trust and the Theatres Trust, is expected to lead to 3,000 fewer planning consultations being carried out each year.
A government spokesperson said: "There are already strong protections in place for playing fields which we are proposing to keep."
