Open space review

What is open space?

Open space can be a park, an allotment, an area of natural beauty, a nature reserve, an area of open land near housing or the roadside, a cemetery, a playing pitch or even a rail trail or a children’s play area.

Is open space just land owned by the council?

No, open space can belong to the council, a private organisation or an individual. The only condition is that the land must be open for use by the community.

How much open space is there in the East Riding of Yorkshire?

We identified 2142 individual open spaces that measured 2839 hectares, or an area the size of 2,028 Premier League football pitches.

Why measure open space?

The government’s policy objectives for open space were set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. Our main objective was to undertake a full assessment of local need and to measure all open space within the East Riding:

National Planning Policy Framework (external website)

What was the outcome of the open space review?

Our long term goal is to deliver networks of accessible high-quality open spaces for sport and recreation. In undertaking the review we were able to set new minimum standards for open space provision to meet the needs of all residents of the East Riding. The new standards will assist planners and developers in providing the right open space in the right location.

Where can I find more information on the open space review?

There are four documents that provide information on open space in the East Riding of Yorkshire:

Open Space Review (pdf 11mb)

Playing Pitch Strategy 2019-24 (pdf 9.59mb)

Playing Pitch Strategy 2019-24 Stage C: Assessment Report (pdf 12mb)

Area Supply Reports 2020 (pdf 1.6mb)

How much open space should be provided with new housing?

The amount of open space (outdoor playing space) which should be provided as part of new housing developments is set out in the Supplementary Planning Documents and varies between different locations across the East Riding.

Should open space from new development be adopted by the Council, the developer should notify us when the site is ready for inspection using the LT 1 pro-forma. Two hard copies of this pro-forma and any additional information should be sent to the Environmental Services team using the address on the pro-forma:

LT 1 pro-forma (docx 62kb)