Purpose

To present the Thanet Indoor Built Sports Facilities Strategy report compiled by an approved external consultancy, The Sports Consultancy. The strategy provides an up-to-date audit of supply and demand for indoor sports provision across the district up to 2040 and proposes strategic actions to be undertaken between 2026 and 2040.

Decision

Cabinet agreed the following:

1. The formal adoption of the Thanet Indoor Built Sports Facilities Strategy to shape future sports facility investment and underpin the emerging Local Plan.

Reasons for the decision

The current indoor built sports facilities baseline relies on historical data and required updating in alignment with Sport England's Assessing Needs and Opportunities Guidance. Adopting the strategy establishes a single, robust evidence base that enables the Council to attract grant funding, secure Section 106 developer contributions linked to population growth, address critical infrastructure deficits (such as an acute shortage of public water space), and support preventative healthcare outcomes across Thanet's communities.

Alternative options considered

Cabinet considered not formally adopting the Thanet Indoor Built Sports Facilities Strategy and retaining the previous strategic arrangements. This was rejected because relying on obsolete facility capacity data limits the Council's ability to demand Section 106 developer contributions or access newly established central funding pots, while locking in a severe decline in public water access by 2040.