How do we continue to safeguard existing community facilities and support the delivery of new facilities in the future?

9.12 There are a range of community facilities throughout the district, which includes local shops, meeting places, libraries, sports venues, cultural buildings, public houses and places of worship. These facilities tend to be well used and provide an important role for communities.
However, Hullbridge library has had its hours cut considerably and now only operates 4 half days a week. This is detrimental to the residents of the village, in particular young children and old people.

SP.4.2, SP 4.3 & SP.4.4
Sport England seeks to ensure that a planned approach to the provision of facilities and opportunities for sport and recreation is taken by planning authorities. We are pleased that it is the council's intention to ensure policies provide adequate sport and recreation facilities as part of new developments. However, the level of provision should be determined locally and should be informed by the emerging Playing Pitch Strategy and Built Facilities Strategy, these documents audit and assess existing provision and identify needs and opportunities in accordance with established guidance. This provides the evidence base for informing relevant local plan policies and allocations. Sport England's aims and objectives are to ensure positive planning for sport, enabling the right facilities to be provided in the right places, based on robust and up-to-date assessments of need for all levels of sport and all sectors of the community. More information on the role can be found within our aims and objectives
https://www.sportengland.org/facilities-planning/planning-for-sport/aims-and-objectives/
and Forward Planning sections of our website
https://www.sportengland.org/facilities-planning/planning-for-sport/forward-planning/
Therefore, Sport England expects the Council to use the evidence base to set out proposals in the plan for protecting, enhancing and providing sport and leisure facilities in response to identified needs. Including the allocation of sites to address any deficiencies, in suitable locations which are informed by the evidence base.