# Land at OS 7833 5108, Leigh Sinton (community centre and pitches)

- **Decision:** approved, 2 September 2026
- **Decided by:** Council planning committee: Malvern Hills Northern Area Planning Committee (11-0)
- **Authority:** Malvern Hills (West Midlands)
- **Application reference:** M/26/00885/FUL
- **Procedure:** committee
- **Development:** Community centre, 65-space car park, three grass football pitches, MUGA, outdoor gym and attenuation pond on 5.5 ha
- **Site context:** open-countryside, settlement-edge
- **Green Belt:** no
- **Framework applied:** August 2026 NPPF
- **Determinative policies:** S5(1)(a)
- **Development plan policies:** South Worcestershire Development Plan Review 2026 SWDPR01, SWDPR03, SWDPR11, SWDPR47, SWDPR48, Leigh and Bransford NDP LB/H/6
- **Main issues:** principle outside development boundary, recreation need, highways
- **Tags:** community-facility, outdoor-recreation-facilities, old-wording-slip, council-own-application, officer-rec-followed

## Summary
Malvern Hills DC's own scheme for a community centre and sports ground on 5.5 ha outside the Leigh Sinton development boundary. The land came to the Council through the s106 for the neighbouring housing allocation. It was approved 11-0. The report headlines the August 2026 Framework but reasons entirely through 2024 paragraph numbers and never applies S5, although outdoor sport and recreation is an S5(1)(a) category.

## Issues and findings
- **Principle.** "The site lies outside of the development boundary for Leigh Sinton and in the open countryside wherein new development is strictly controlled" (Report ¶7.1.1). Support comes from SWDPR11 and NDP LB/H/6, which "expressly requires: 'approximately 5.5 hectares of sports and recreation land is provided.' The current application represents the delivery of this identified policy requirement" (¶7.1.7). "officers are satisfied that the principle of this development is supported by the SWDPR and National Planning Policy Framework" (¶7.1.8).
- **Framework references.** "The NPPF at paragraphs 103 and 104 states that…" (¶7.1.6). Highways are assessed against "NPPF paragraphs 115" and archaeology against "NPPF 218". All of these are 2024 numbers with no 2026 equivalents given.

## Planning balance
This was a simple plan-led approval with the principle supported by the NDP allocation. No S5 "substantially outweighed" balance was run.

## What made the difference
The NDP made the sports land a specific requirement of the housing allocation. Whether S5 was applied made no difference to the result.

## Transferable points
- Reports decided in the first weeks after publication can cite the "NPPF Aug 2026" in their policy lists while quoting 2024 paragraphs in the body. Where the Framework reasoning matters, treat this as an error of approach rather than a slip.
- Community sport and recreation outside a boundary fits S5(1)(a) ("outdoor sport and recreation"), so the S5(1) test is approval unless substantially outweighed.

## Policy findings
- **S5(1)(a): not-engaged.** the site is outside the Leigh Sinton development boundary, but the report never applies S5. Principle rests on SWDPR11 and on NDP LB/H/6, which requires about 5.5 ha of sports land alongside the adjoining housing allocation. Outdoor sport and recreation would fall within S5(1)(a).
- **HC7: pass.** assessed under "NPPF paragraphs 103 and 104" (the 2024 numbering) rather than HC1/HC4/HC7

## Key facts
- The land was transferred to Malvern Hills DC under the s106 for the adjoining 52-dwelling allocation; the Council is the applicant
- The report lists "National Planning Policy Framework Aug 2026" but its assessment cites ¶¶103, 104, 115 and 218 of the December 2024 Framework
- The NDP allocation policy requires "approximately 5.5 hectares of sports and recreation land"
- Approved unanimously with two extra conditions, on boundary treatment and retention of trees and hedges

## Sources
- https://moderngov.malvernhills.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=413&MId=3451&Ver=4
- https://moderngov.malvernhills.gov.uk/documents/s40200/Planning%20Report%20-%20M2600885FUL.pdf
- https://moderngov.malvernhills.gov.uk/documents/g3451/Printed%20minutes%2002nd-Sep-2026%2018.00%20Northern%20Area%20Planning%20Committee.pdf?T=1

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Source: https://planningdistilled.org/research/england/nppf-navigator/decisions/malvern-M-26-00885-FUL.html

A summary of a public planning decision, written from the officer report. Not legal advice. © Planning Distilled. Released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): share and adapt freely, with credit to Planning Distilled. Quotations from decision letters, plans and the Framework remain the copyright of their publishers.