ACCORDING to Horsham District Council’s Planning Policy Guidance Note 17 (PPG17), Rudgwick is above the basic requirement of sports halls at 348 per cent.
This appears to be due to Pennthorpe School having four badminton courts (discounted to three in the guidance due to the limited community use of a school) yet the same 2005 document states there is no future community use of the school’s facilities.
This means a school that cannot be used by the community is given the same weighting as a sports hall as Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre, which also has three courts.
Broadbridge Heath was deemed to have 751 per cent provision, according to the report due to be updated in six months’ time, due to the leisure centre and Farlington School, which the County Times revealed on December 8 was almost totally booked out for the next year.
The sports halls identified are the 19 on the map previously published in the paper, a number of which, including Pennthorpe School, the council failed to identify.
At that time Cox Green resident Paul Kornycky was surprised to find a sports hall listed in his village.
Among those counted are Brinsbury College in Pulborough, which the document states has no community use, contributing to Pulborough being above the basic requirement for sports halls at 207 per cent.
Washington is deemed to benefit from Windlesham House School’s four badminton courts, giving it a rating of 504 per cent, although the school can only be used outside of term time.
Tanbridge House School and Millais School in Horsham, are included although the document said there was no future community use, as well as Towers School in Upper Beeding where at the time a karate group used the hall but this is no longer available.
Itchingfield stands at 658 per cent due to the nearby Bluecoats Sports, Health and Fitness Club at Christ’s Hospital, where membership is required.
The centre has 11 badminton courts but the guidance makes no discount due to this being a private club with very limited community use.