London Borough of Newham

With one of the highest population growth projections of any local authority in the country, future facility planning was key for the LB Newham project. The borough also has one of the lowest levels of car ownership of any local authority in the UK, therefore understanding how existing sport and leisure facilities were accessible by public transport was imperative for the success and ongoing use of the strategy.

To ensure options were evaluated sufficiently, numerous scenarios were used to calculate the future need across the Borough. The study focused on indoor swimming pools and sports halls, specialist gymnastics facilities, health and fitness, squash courts, outdoor watersports, tennis and bowls. It informed a set of strategic recommendations that are now being taken forward by the local authority, in order to develop high quality and fit for purpose facilities.