Planning Permission for Pump Tracks and Splash Pads

Who is building them

Pump tracks and splash pads have become two of the most requested facilities in parks and open spaces. Town and parish councils, community groups, schools, holiday parks, farm attractions and garden centres are all building them, often with grant funding that comes with a deadline.

That deadline is the reason to think about planning early. Funders frequently expect planning permission to be in place, or at least confirmed as unnecessary, before they release money, and construction contracts are often tied to the approved drawings.

Do they need planning permission?

Usually, yes. Shaping the ground into the rollers and berms of a pump track is an engineering operation, and a splash pad normally comes with a plant room, pipework, drainage connections and often fencing, shade structures, seating or toilets. These are all development that needs planning permission unless a permitted development right applies.

Councils, including parish and town councils, have limited permitted development rights for small ancillary buildings, works and equipment on land they own or maintain (Part 12, Class A of the General Permitted Development Order). Some small play installations fall within them. A full-size pump track or a splash pad with a plant room usually goes beyond what the right was intended for, and some councils have applied for permission or a lawful development certificate to be certain. Community groups, schools and private operators do not have this right at all.

Pump tracks: what the council will look at

• Noise and activityWheels on tarmac, voices and gatherings, particularly in the evening. Distance from homes and sensible siting within the park matter more than anything else.
• Anti-social behaviourNeighbours often raise it. Natural surveillance, sightlines from paths and the views of the police designing-out-crime officer help answer it.
• LightingMost pump tracks are unlit. Adding floodlighting brings light spill, ecology and amenity questions.
• DrainageAsphalt tracks are impermeable. Show where surface water goes, and check the flood zone: an outdoor sport and recreation facility is generally treated as water-compatible, but it must not make flooding worse elsewhere.
• Trees and ecologyEarthworks near trees need an arboricultural assessment, and losing grassland or other habitat will normally trigger mandatory 10% biodiversity net gain unless an exemption applies.
• Playing fieldsIf the track takes part of a playing field, Sport England is consulted. Facilities that benefit sport are often supported, but the loss of pitch space has to be justified.
• Design standardsCouncils and funders will expect the track to be designed by a specialist to recognised standards. British Cycling and Sport England publish facility guidance.

Splash pads: what the council will look at

• Water supply and drainageWill the system recirculate and treat water, or run to waste? Recirculating systems use far less water but need a plant room and filtration. Where water will be discharged, it needs to be agreed with the water company.
• The plant roomUsually a small building or kiosk, sometimes buried. Its size, siting and appearance are assessed like any other building.
• Noise and hoursSplash pads are busy and loud on hot days. Opening hours and distance from homes are common conditions.
• Parking and toiletsA popular splash pad can draw visitors from a wide area. Councils will ask whether there is enough parking and whether toilets and changing facilities are needed.
• Heritage and settingMany parks are in conservation areas or are registered parks and gardens. Even shade canopies can need permission there.
• Drought resilienceIn dry summers, water restrictions may affect operation. A water-efficient system strengthens both the planning case and the business case.

Green Belt and countryside sites

Many parks, holiday parks and farm attractions are in the Green Belt. Under the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026), appropriate facilities for outdoor sport and recreation, and material changes of use for outdoor sport or recreation, are not inappropriate in the Green Belt, provided the impact on openness is minimised and there is no significant conflict with Green Belt purposes (Policy GB7). A low-profile pump track or splash pad sits comfortably within that policy. Plant rooms, fencing, lighting and parking need more care. The same approach applies to padel courts and stables.

A sensible order of work

• 1. Check the siteOwnership, planning history, flood zone, trees, heritage designations and whether the land is a playing field.
• 2. Confirm whether permission is neededIf you think permitted development applies, get it confirmed, ideally with a lawful development certificate, before you rely on it for funding.
• 3. Engage earlyTalk to neighbours, the ward councillor and, for larger schemes, the council through pre-application advice.
• 4. Commission the right evidenceUsually a design and access statement, drainage strategy, tree survey, ecology and BNG assessment, and noise assessment where homes are close.
• 5. Align with the funding timetableAllow at least eight weeks for the council's decision after validation, plus time to prepare the application and discharge any conditions before work starts.