Runnymede’s Places

Leisure

Runnymede has a variety of leisure facilities, including Egham Orbit, Royal Holloway Sports Centre, Runnymede BMX Club, and other school facilities. Sports facilities including playing fields, tennis courts and golf courses. Other leisure facilities comprise of playing spaces for children and adolescents, and allotments for the community.

The following map highlights Runnymede’s open spaces and leisure facilities.

The population of Runnymede is relatively affluent, which is traditionally associated with higher than average participation in sport and physical activity. Adult participation rates are high in Runnymede, and rates of club-based, formal sports activity are relatively high in the Runnymede area. However, there is significant demographic variation depending on gender, socio-economic group, age, health conditions, and ethnicity.

Leisure Headlines

There are 12 allotment sites in Runnymede, nine of which are managed by the Council, and three are self-managed. The waiting list for new/expanded allotment plots stood at 319 as of December 2025. The Council is encouraging a move to self-management for all of its sites.

  • 5 manned parks with football pitches available for letting during the season.
  • 4 staffed parks with a pitch available for cricket letting during the season.
  • 4 staffed parks with bowling greens available for letting during the season.
  • 11 park tennis courts available across 5 venues.

Voluntary sector sports clubs provide and run a range of mostly smaller facilities.

The proportion of adults who are active for at least 150 minutes per week in Runnymede are well above the regional and national averages, but there are significant demographic variations in participation rates.

Demand for football and cricket pitches has increased substantially since 2018. Quality and quantity of pitch provision need to be improved. There is a deficit community-accessible padel tennis courts to meet growing demand.

What does this mean for the Local Plan?

The new Local Plan, as far as it is able to do so and without repeating national decision-making policies (NDMPs), should retain/strengthen and/or implement policies/actions which facilitate access to a network of high-quality open space and opportunities for sport and physical activity, to support the health and wellbeing of the local community. NDMPs will safeguard and enhance existing provision.

The new Local Plan should set out standards for outdoor recreational land, including for play, sport, informal recreation and allotments, and set out the facilities and contributions expected from development, including as part of allocations for major housing and mixed-use sites. These policies must be based on a thorough understanding of the local needs for such facilities and opportunities available for new/improved provision.

Land could be specifically allocated for community facilities and public service infrastructure to meet needs.

Sources of further baseline information:

Detailed baseline information, an analysis of existing conditions and future trends, and how this information will inform the new Local Plan, can be found in the following evidence base:

Sources of other useful information: