The Playing Pitch & Outdoor Sports Strategy (PPOSS) for Shropshire builds upon the preceding assessment report. It provides a clear, strategic framework for the maintenance and improvement of existing playing pitch and accompanying ancillary facilities up to 2038 (in line with the Local Plan Review).

The strategy has been developed to provide:

• A vision for the protection, enhancement and provision of playing pitches and outdoor sports
• A number of aims to help deliver the recommendations and actions
• A series of strategic recommendations which provide a strategic framework for the improvement, maintenance, development and, as appropriate, rationalisation of the playing pitch stock
• A series of sport-by-sport recommendations which provide a strategic framework for sport-led improvements to provision
• A prioritised area-by-area action plan to address key issues on a site-by-site basis.

A PPOSS delivers the evidence required to ensure that sufficient land is available to meet existing and projected future outdoor sport requirements. Its robust evidence base should inform and be implemented into planning policy and other relevant corporate strategies to enable local policies, planning and sport development criteria to work efficiently and effectively. 

The strategy and action plan recommend a number of priority projects for Shropshire which should be realised over the Local Plan Review period. They provide a framework for improvement and, although resources may not currently be in place to implement them, potential partners and possible sources of external funding. 

The following types of outdoor sports facilities were included in the assessment and strategy:

• Football pitches (including 3G pitches)
• Cricket pitches
• Rugby union pitches (including 3G pitches)
• Hockey artificial grass pitches (AGPs)
• Tennis / netball courts
• Bowling greens

It should be noted that both the assessment report, strategy and action plan were created before the pandemic and resulting initial lockdown occurred. The documents use the Sport England Playing Pitch Strategy methodology from stage A to stage D, and therefore the supply and demand analysis for each of the sports and the strategic recommendations made are accurate based on information collated in 2019. The action plan will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. The strategy will be reviewed 12 months from when it was adopted to take into account the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it’s had on clubs and facilities.