Planning Permission for New Sports Facilities at a North London High School
Through negotiation, planning permission was granted for new MUGA sports pitches on a protected playing field at a North London High School, despite local objection.
PLANNING APPROVALSBRENTLONDON
Andrew Ransome
8/10/20263 min read
In 2026, I secured planning permission from the London Borough of Brent for a new Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), a relocated cricket practice facility, and associated fencing and floodlighting on the school's playing field.
Brent Council's Planning Committee resolved to grant permission, bringing to a close a process that had run for well over a year, involved two rounds of public consultation, and required careful, evidence-led negotiation to overcome formal objections from neighbouring residents.
The outcome secures a genuinely transformative facility for the school: two new all-weather pitches for football and hockey and a re-provided cricket square.
The Planning Challenge
The playing field at the High School is designated as protected open space under Brent's Local Plan.
Paragraph 104 of the National Planning Policy Framework only permits building on protected playing fields where the loss is proven to be surplus to requirement, is replaced by equivalent or better provision elsewhere, or where the benefits of alternative sports provision clearly outweigh the loss of what currently exists.
There was no realistic route to arguing the field was surplus to requirement, and no obvious equivalent site to relocate the loss.
That left the third limb of the test: demonstrating that the benefits of what we were proposing clearly outweighed the loss of the existing, natural grass pitch.
This shaped the entire strategy for the application.
Rather than treating Sport England's involvement as a hurdle to be cleared, we worked with them from an early stage, because their support in confirming the scheme met Exception E5 of their playing fields policy was going to be central to demonstrating policy compliance.
Building the Planning Case
The existing playing field had a real weakness that became the foundation of the case. It waterlogged badly for much of the winter, leaving large areas unsafe for competitive sport .
That single fact underpinned the argument that the value of the land for sporting use was already compromised, and that all-weather pitches would deliver a genuine uplift in usability, curriculum delivery and community access.
Sport England, the Football Foundation and England Hockey, confirmed there was real local demand for the facilities.
Overcoming Local Objections to the Sports Facility
Getting a scheme that satisfied the council's planning officers, and the concerns of neighbouring residents required negotiation.
The local residents raised concerns that ranged from noise and light pollution to the height of the ball stop fencing, the impact on the Conservation Area, and scepticism about the true nature and scale of the scheme.
Where objectors questioned the noise assessment, the underlying methodology, drawn directly from Sport England's own acoustic guidance for artificial pitches, was set out transparently.
Each concern was addressed on its merits.
Over the course of the application:
The football and hockey pitch locations were adjusted away from residential boundaries to satisfy neighbouring concerns.
Lighting controls were tightened, with seasonal restrictions introduced to protect bat foraging routes and hibernation periods along the southern hedgerow.
A 2m acoustic fence was added around the hockey pitch.
An area of biodiversity grassland was added to strengthen the ecological case.
Each of these changes was a direct response to a specific technical or community concern.
The Planning Outcome
Brent Council resolved to grant planning permission.
Protected playing fields sit behind one of the more demanding tests in the planning system, and a scheme that simply proposes a facility upgrade will not clear it.
What succeeds is a case built around demonstrable need, a rigorous and current evidence base.
Planning Application Advice
Considering new sports facilities, a MUGA, or other development on a protected playing field? If you're a school, landowner or developer looking to bring forward similar proposals, I can help you build a robust case to secure the outcome you need.
Andrew Ransome MRTPI - Email: andrew@andrewransome.co.uk
About me
Andrew Ransome is a Planning Director and a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), with more than two decades of experience in town planning.
He specialises in delivering strategic planning solutions for complex developments across both rural and urban environments, helping clients navigate planning challenges and unlock development opportunities. Connect with Andrew on Linkedin.
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Get in touch for planning advice: Email: andrew@andrewransome.co.uk
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