Infrastructure Delivery

successor document). SP3 - Infrastructure Delivery 1) To ensure growth is sustainable, all development proposals must secure the infrastructure necessary to support their specific impacts. This requires a comprehensive approach to: a) Address the direct needs of new occupants while protecting the service capacity of existing community networks; b) Mitigate to prevent, reduce, or offset any negative social, economic, or environmental consequences; c) Restore or enhance the value of local assets affected by the development; and d) Guarantee the long-term functionality of new assets by securing necessary funding for their continued operation and upkeep. 2) The council will secure infrastructure through direct onsite works, offsite delivery, or proportional financial contributions. Where strategic infrastructure is required to support wider growth, cross-developer cooperation should be carried out to ensure that shared requirements are met collectively and that cumulative pressures on the local area are effectively managed. 3) Infrastructure must be treated as a prerequisite for development, not a consequence of it. Consequently: a) Proposals must align with the priorities and project specifications detailed within the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP), Local Plan policies and site allocation policies; b) Project timelines should be phased so that essential facilities are operational before the completion of the dwellings or commercial spaces they are intended to serve; and c) Developers should proactively engage with the council and statutory providers to identify and resolve delivery barriers during the pre-application stage. 4) The council presumes that all IDP-specified infrastructure is deliverable. Should a developer claim that these obligations jeopardise the delivery of a major project: a) A comprehensive, viability assessment must be submitted for independent verification, adhering to national standards; b) If a shortfall is evidenced, the council will negotiate a revised contribution schedule that prioritises "critical" infrastructure over "desirable" projects; c) Flexible payment triggers or deferred contribution mechanisms may be explored to ensure site commencement. 5) The council will refuse any application that fails to provide the necessary legal guarantees - through planning obligations or the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) - to secure the infrastructure required. Development that results in an unmitigated deficit of essential services will be considered fundamentally unsustainable. 6) The council will maintain and update supplementary guidance to detail the specific benchmarks, calculation methods, and procedural steps for securing developer-led infrastructure and social value. Reasoned Justification: 4.35 The importance of infrastructure delivery is set out in the NPPF , where it states that local planning policy should make sufficient provision for: • Infrastructure for transport, telecommunications, security, waste management, water supply, wastewater, flood risk and coastal change management, and the provision of minerals and energy (including heat); • Community facilities (such as health, education and cultural infrastructure); and • Conservation and enhancement of the natural, built and historic environment, including landscapes and green infrastructure, and planning measures to address climate change mitigation and adaptation 4.36 National Policy also sets out the importance of joint working between policy -making authorities and relevant bodies to help determine where additional infrastructure is necessary and whether development needs that cannot be met wholly within a particular plan area could be met elsewhere. Local Distinctiveness and Place Shaping 4.37 It is important that all new development, including extensions and alterations to existing buildings and spaces, is designed to respect the existing character of the district and create great places for the community. 4.38 The relationship between buildings, spaces and landscape, as well as detailed design and materials, are all relevant factors. Good design positively influences how people move around settlements, how people interact and how places make people feel. 4.39 The council places a high value on the importance of good design in the built environment and making places better for people. The quality of development and the ability to creat