Recreation Strategy for Liss

Liss Parish Council is committed in its 2022-23 Action Plan to work with partner organisations and local residents to develop and implement a village wide strategy for recreational facilities. Following discussions with key partners, including Newman Collard Playing Fields Trust, the Crossover Youth Centre, 1st Liss Scouts, Liss Athletic Football Club and Liss Forest Residents Association. The strategy has been open for public consultation and views are still welcome as the strategy evolves. Please click here for a summary of the strategy for the village, last updated January 2023.

A strategy is needed because:

A prime objective of the Liss Neighbourhood Plan is to enhance community life through community and sports provision.
With 150 planned new households, we must provide for a growing and changing population.
More housing in the village means a chance to invest from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which housing developers pay to the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA).
Some of this CIL funding comes to the Parish Council and we need to prioritise how to invest this on behalf of the village - on both recreational and other improvements, including particularly improvements to the village centre.
Most of the CIL funding stays with the SDNPA and the strategy will help LPC and partner organisations compete to receive some of this funding.

We think that the strategy should be based on the following principles:

We will achieve more if key partners work together, rather than each working in isolation.
We should aim for a fair balance between each area of the village and different groups in the local population, and for inclusivity and sociability.
New facilities must be consistent with the design principles set out in the Village Design Statement and the Liss Neighbourhood Plan.

Projects that are already happening:

Renewal of the dilapidated children’s play area at West Liss is about to get under way (paid for from SDNPA and LPC CIL funding).
A new Petanque terrain has been created at Liss Forest Recreation Ground.
Moveable football goals have been installed at West Liss Recreation Ground and are on offer to Newman Collard Playing Fields.
Liss Athletic Football Club have put together a funding package to replace the floodlights at Newman Collard.
A new sports wall for basketball and football is about to be installed at Newman Collard. • Installation of a Trim Trail as phase 1 of creating Mill Road Community Garden, with a play tunnel to follow.
Existing recreation facilities and open spaces are being publicised and promoted and we plan to do more of this.

Projects in the Pipeline* include

A Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) for people of all ages being planned by the Newman Collard Playing Fields Trust to include a multisport pitch for football, basketball and hockey, ‘free-game’ equipment for the younger age range (3+) with a ‘surprise basketball goal’ and fenced pitch area with goals for all-age football and hockey, ‘Sunshine Cricket’, outdoor activities for nursery children, walking football and other re-ablement activity for elderly and disabled people.
Outdoor fitness equipment areas for adults and older teenagers at both West Liss Recreation Ground and Newman Collard Playing Fields to include to include ‘workout’ equipment such as a vertical climbing wall/net, hurdles, monkey bar, balance beam, over/under bars, double turbo challenge and suspension multi training system.
Informal recreational facilities for teenagers at West Liss Recreation Ground to be co-designed with young people themselves with support from the Crossover youth centre, informed by people’s reactions to a pump track which LPC is hiring for the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
Extending Liss Forest Recreation Ground’s basketball area which has been proposed by the Residents Association.
Improving playing fields drainage at both Newman Collard and Liss Forest

*subject to consultation, funding and more detailed planning

Our pipeline of projects reflects what we’ve previously heard from the community:

Outdoor exercise facilities for both adults and young people were identified as a gap in provision during consultation to inform the 2013 Liss Parish Plan.
Consultation in 2016 to inform recreational provision in the village identified lack of provision for teenagers, and also opportunities for social interaction.
Recent discussions with key stakeholders have confirmed the need to fill gaps in provision for both teenagers and adults. In particular, discussions with the Crossover, Bohunt School, family support services, the police and others have identified a need for more informal recreational facilities for young people.
In a recent poll of local residents, an overwhelming 88% supported installation of provision of outdoor fitness equipment, with 75% of those saying they would use it.

Both Newman Collard Playing Fields Trust and LPC have put in applications to the SDNPA for this year’s allocation of CIL funding. We should hear the outcomes in October and LPC will then decide what to invest from the village’s own CIL funds to create the necessary funding packages. Projects which get the go-ahead will be the subject of more detailed consultation.