Infrastructure delivery

IN1: Infrastructure delivery 1. The level of infrastructure required to support development will be determined having regard to the existing level of infrastructure provision; relevant standards set out in this Local Plan; and The Council’s latest Infrastructure Delivery Plan. 2. Development proposals must ensure that appropriate infrastructure is provided to support the scale and nature of the development. 3. Development will be permitted only where adequate infrastructure capacity is already in place, or where the development delivers or secures the infrastructure necessary to fully mitigate its impacts. 4. The delivery and phasing of development must coincide with the timely provision of necessary infrastructure. 5. Where infrastructure cannot be delivered in a timely manner, land must be safeguarded to enable future delivery. 6. Infrastructure must be planned for and delivered holistically where two or more development sites/areas have shared or linked infrastructure needs. Impacted parties must demonstrate cooperation and collaboration and provide evidence of agreements made to show that the infrastructure needs will be met. 7.361 Planning for sustainable growth relies on ensuring that new development is supported by the infrastructure needed for communities to function well. The NPPF emphasises the importance of planning for infrastructure alongside new development and the Local Plan plays a key role in identifying what infrastructure is required and how it will be delivered. This policy provides the framework for coordinating development with the right infrastructure at the right time. The Topic Paper on Infrastructure and Community Facilities sets out how the Council engaged with infrastructure stakeholders to assess infrastructure requirements for the Local Plan. It also explains the framework for their delivery. 7.362 As development comes forward, it can generate additional demand for facilities such as schools, healthcare, transport, open space, utilities and digital connectivity. Without appropriate provision, this can lead to increased pressure on existing facilities. It is important therefore to ensure that development either makes use of suitable existing infrastructure where capacity exists or contributes towards new or improved provision where necessary to mitigate its impacts. 7.363 Different developments will affect infrastructure in different ways, and a range of measures may be needed to address these impacts. In practice, this might include on-site works, off-site works, or securing land for future community facilities. Financial or non-financial planning obligations may also be used where appropriate. These measures should be proportionate so that obligations relate directly to the scale of the impacts being created. Planning obligations are an established mechanism for securing both financial contributions and direct delivery of infrastructure. Some types of infrastructure, such as wider transport improvements, strategic drainage works or larger community facilities, serve more than one development site or area. In such cases, pooling contributions can be necessary to assemble sufficient funding and is most relevant where several developments rely on the same piece of infrastructure or where delivery requires a coordinated approach. 7.364 Where an infrastructure project depends on multiple partners or funding sources, applicants should demonstrate how their contributions align with other programmes or responsibilities. This helps ensure that delivery is realistic and coordinated, and that developments are not delayed by unclear roles or funding gaps. 7.365 Infrastructure requirements should be based on up-to-date evidence. This may include standards and information in this Local Plan, the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP), topicbased assessments and discussions with infrastructure providers and statutory bodies. 7.366 Timing of delivery is a critical element of good planning. Applicants should therefore set out how infrastructure will be phased, including what they will deliver directly and what depends on external providers. Clear triggers, such as occupation thresholds or completion of phases, help ensure that infrastructure is available when it is needed and prevents unnecessary pressure on existing services. 7.367 In some cases, infrastructure cannot be delivered immediately because detailed design, funding or provider-led programmes will only come forward later. Safeguarding land allows development to proceed without compromising future opportunities to deliver key infrastructure. Obligations may secure land reservation or transfer, providing certainty that the land will remain available if needed. Where safeguarding is required, master planning can be used to explain how the safeguarded land fits within the wider site layout, including access, movement, service corridors and relationships with open spaces and development parcels. The length of the safeguarding period should reflect the expected build-out of the development and the likely timescales of infrastructure providers. 7.368 Larger developments or areas with multiple landowners frequently require shared or strategic infrastructure, such as main access roads, utility upgrades, walking and cycling networks, public transport links, or community and green infrastructure. To support coordinated delivery and avoid piecemeal arrangements, the policy expects collaboration between applicants. This might involve joint master planning, common design principles, agreed phasing strategies and/or cost sharing arrangements. 7.369 Buckinghamshire is a predominantly rural county with a dispersed settlement pattern. As such, car travel remains an essential and integral part of everyday life for many residents and businesses and the road network plays a critical role in supporting connectivity, access to services and economic activity. Further detail on requirements for transport and digital infrastructure is set out in Policy SP10. Healthcare and education infrastructure IN2: Healthcare and education infrastructure 1. Development proposing 10 or more dwellings will be required to provide healthcare and education infrastructure necessary to meet needs arising from the development, either through on-site provision of new or improved infrastructure or from contributions secured through planning obligations. 2. Healthcare contributions will be calculated in accordance with the methodologies set out in Appendix O. 3. Education contributions will be calculated using a robust and up-to-date methodology based on evidence of pupil yield, school capacity and cost of provision, consistent with Department for Education (DfE) guidance. 7.370 Healthcare and education infrastructure is essential to support sustainable communities, and planned growth will increase its demand. New development must therefore mitigate its impacts through appropriate provision or contributions. The Infrastructure and Community Facilities Topic Paper describe the Council’s work on the need for new schools and with healthcare providers. It sets out how the impacts of Local Plan growth were assessed and the actions needed to mitigate those impacts. 7.371 On-site provision of new or improved healthcare and education facilities will be identified and secured through site-specific allocation policies and/or the Council’s Infrastructure Delivery Plan. Where on-site provision is not explicitly required, financial contributions towards healthcare and education infrastructure to mitigate the impacts of development will be secured. 7.372 Healthcare contributions will be calculated using the Council’s locally defined methodology set out in Appendix O. 7.373 This ensures a consistent and transparent approach to identifying the scale of impact and level of mitigation required. This work has been based on information about primary healthcare needs from the Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB) and from the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust which provides acute and community healthcare in Buckinghamshire. 7.374 For education, the Council will apply a consistent methodology based on Department for Education (DfE) guidance on securing developer contributions. This approach uses locally derived pupil yield evidence to estimate the number of places generated by development, considers the capacity of existing schools, and applies appropriate cost assumptions to identify the level of contribution required. Contributions will only be sought where additional places are required, having taken account of forecast school capacity, and will be proportionate to the scale and nature of the development.