Spelthorne Borough Council


Back to Contents

9	Community Needs

	STRATEGY

	Summary
9.1	The strategy for meeting community needs is to ensure that development provision meets the needs of all sections of the community and that new developments that add to requirements for infrastructure and services contribute to necessary improvements.

	Relevant Objectives

	8.	To ensure provision is made for the needs of all sections of the community.
	9.	To ensure necessary infrastructure and services are provided.
	12.	To contribute to tackling the specific problems faced by areas of relative deprivation in the Borough.

	Explanation
9.2	New development should be supported by provision of services and facilities to meet the needs of the local community. Services include utilities such as water, sewerage, gas and electricity. They also include public services like education, health services, leisure centres, libraries and museums, together with emergency services and a wide range of care facilities. These are often referred to as the local ‘infrastructure’. There are also other facilities including clubs, societies, places of worship and leisure activities that meet the particular needs of specific sections of the community. Facilities also include open space and play areas.
9.3	Paragraphs 2.17 to 2.20 explain that, other than some areas of the Borough where there is a shortage of open space, there are no significant existing gaps in infrastructure provision. There is a small projected fall in overall population over the plan period which has a bearing on people-related services in particular, such as schools. Existing needs must continue to be met and the strategy is based on making provision for the key services to meet the needs of the community, including retention of those services and facilities that meet a local need. Policy CO1 sets out the detailed criteria that will be applied and Policy CO3 deals with the specific issues involved in providing open space.
9.4	The strategy also requires that new developments which add to requirements for services and infrastructure contribute to necessary improvements. There are already policies within this DPD dealing with the main requirements arising from new development, namely provision for affordable housing (Policy HO3), provision for any additional open space (Policy CO3) and any transport impacts (Policy CC2). Some developments may generate the need for site related adjustments to infrastructure to enable connections to facilities such as sewers or the creation of new accesses which will be provided as part of the development at the developer’s expense. In seeking contributions account will be taken of the cumulative impacts of smaller developments that may not add to requirements on their own, but will create extra requirements when taken together with other schemes. Spelthorne has a high proportion of relatively small developments and the approach seeks to capture the cumulative impact of these schemes. Policy CO2 makes a general requirement on developers to meet the infrastructure requirement of their schemes.
9.5	Supplementary guidance will be prepared within the proposed Development Control Policies Supplementary Planning Document to explain in more detail the sort of facilities that are required as outlined above. It will confirm that any requirements must be in accordance with Circular 5/2005 and other policies of this DPD and any requirements will relate only to those needs generated by the development which are justified. The guidance will also explain the administrative and legal arrangements necessary for planning obligations. The Council is not proposing a uniform tariff system of contributions under current legislation.
9.6	The Government is pursuing, through the Planning Act 2008, its intention to introduce a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) some time after March 2009. It will empower, but not require, local authorities to impose a charge on most types of new development. The Government believes that CIL should only be used to fund new infrastructure and not to remedy existing deficiencies. The provision of affordable housing will continue through the existing system of negotiated planning obligations and not through CIL. The Council will review its position on payments for infrastructure provision once the legislation is enacted.

	Strategic Policy SP5: Meeting Community Needs
	The Council will ensure provision is made for services and facilities to meet the needs of the community. It will also seek to retain existing services and facilities that meet a local need or ensure adequate replacement is provided.
	New developments that individually or cumulatively add to requirements for infrastructure and services will be expected to contribute to the provision of necessary improvements.

	DETAILED POLICIES

	Providing for Community Facilities
9.7	Policy CO1 sets out the approach to considering proposals for new facilities serving the community and proposals for improvements to existing facilities. It also covers the approach to proposals that involve the loss of such facilities.
9.8	For the purposes of the policy community facilities include schools and other education facilities, health and social care facilities, libraries, museums, cultural facilities, emergency services, advice centres, clubs, societies, places of worship, sport and leisure activities, youth facilities and community centres.

	Policy CO1: Providing Community Facilities
	The Council will seek to ensure community facilities are provided to meet local needs by:
	a)	supporting the provision of new facilities for which a need is identified in locations accessible to the community served,
	b)	supporting improvements to existing facilities to enable them to adapt to changing needs,
	c)	resisting the loss of existing facilities except:
		i.	where it is demonstrated that the facility is no longer needed, or
		ii.	where it is established that the services provided by the facility can be provided in an alternative location or manner that is equally accessible to the community served.

	Infrastructure Required by New Development
9.9	Some types of development can require additional ‘infrastructure’. This can include community facilities, open space, transport related services and services such as sewage disposal. Where development may lead to needs outside the application site the developer will be expected to assess these. Where requirements are demonstrated to be essential for the development to proceed, the provision of that ‘infrastructure’ will be required to be provided or, as appropriate, contributions made to their cost. Developers will be expected to enter into appropriate legal agreements.

	Policy CO2: Provision of Infrastructure for New Development
	The Council will require developers to provide or contribute in a timely way to the cost of infrastructure required as a result of any development they bring forward.

	Providing for Open Space in New Development
9.10	Policy CO3 deals with provision of open space in new developments whilst Policy EN4 deals with the protection of existing open space. Further guidance on the application of policy relating to the provision of open space and amenity areas will be set out in a Supplementary Planning Document (see paragraph 12.7).
9.11	Open space and play areas are important facilities within all residential areas and the policy seeks to ensure that any local deficiencies in open space provision will be addressed in the consideration of proposals for new development. If provision for open space within a development is not possible or appropriate, either because the site is too small or because it is not a good location for providing communal open space, then a commuted payment will be required towards improving provision off-site. This would be in the form of a new site or, where it is agreed that would not be possible, by improving an existing site within the locality so as to increase its usability.
9.12	The second part of the policy requires all larger developments of family housing to provide an element of on-site open space incorporating appropriate children’s play equipment. A commuted sum to provide funding for on-going maintenance will also be required. Family housing is potentially any housing with two or more bedrooms but excludes accommodation designed specifically for older people.
9.13	Where development includes provision of open space to serve a wider area, the open space should be accessible to the wider area and not just occupants of the new development.

	Policy CO3: Provision of Open Space for New Development
	Where any new housing is proposed in areas of the Borough with inadequate public open space, or where provision would become inadequate because of the development, the Council will require either the provision of new on-site open space or a financial contribution towards the cost of new off-site provision. If on or off-site provision is not feasible the Council will require a contribution in the form of a commuted payment to improve existing sites to enhance their recreational value and capacity.
	In new housing developments of 30 or more family dwellings the Council will require a minimum of 0.1ha of open space to provide for a children’s play area. Such provision to be increased proportionally according to the size of the scheme.


Top