Angela Rayner’s war on Britain’s playing fields

With the world on fire – not to mention large swathes of the North Sea – it is understandable that some of the scurvier implications of Angela Rayner’s stonking planning bill, aimed at streamlining all development, from roads and power stations to housing, might have gone unnoticed. Which is a pity, because it’s not very pretty. To make sure everything goes swimmingly, it seems that those objecting to any developments too much will have to keep their trap shut. Among the bodies that won’t have to be consulted any more is an outfit called Sport England, which may have its faults but is dedicated to promoting grassroots sport.

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Now, of course we need housing – and houses have to go somewhere, though a bigger reason for the housing crisis seems to me to be occupancy rather than not enough houses. Anyway, I doubt whether pushing Sport England aside will do much except reduce the number of playing fields. Rayner appears to be incensed because plans for flats in Bradford were delayed over fears that they could be hit by balls from a nearby cricket club. The government says it is reducing bureaucracy, but in nearly 99 per cent of planning cases in which Sport England was involved, the organisation responded within the 21 days needed, and in nearly three quarters of the cases where it raised objections, the development went ahead but with better provision for young people to be active.

I am sure all this stuff was focus-grouped to hell by the government, but if they have found anyone anywhere who has said ‘I don’t like playing fields’, well, my name is Angela Rayner.