Infrastructure is considered carefully as part of the Local Plan process. Infrastructure is a collective term for services, facilities and structures such as roads, electricity, sewerage, water, schools, leisure centres, health provision and open spaces that people need to live happy, healthy and safe lives. Alongside the preparation of the Local Plan, the Council gathers evidence from a range of organisations and infrastructure providers to understand what is needed to support additional growth while maintaining and enhancing the natural environment. This evidence will be set out in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) in support of the next Local Plan.
The Local Plan has to take into account the impact that new development will have on the existing services or infrastructure that people use. For example, a new housing development might mean more cars on the road, more children needing to go to school or more people needing to register at the doctors.
The Local Plan and IDP will identify what new infrastructure will be needed to support the people who will be living or working in these new areas. The Local Plan will then require any developers wishing to build in these areas to either deliver these measures themselves or provide the money for them to be delivered. This could include things like new bus routes, parks, road improvements such as roundabouts and new junctions, new health care facilities and new schools.
There are some things that the Local Plan can’t ask for money for. New development in the Plan cannot address existing problems with services. For example, if there are parking problems outside a school at drop off time, developers can’t pay to address that problem. In addition, developers’ money cannot be used to provide new staff, like nurses or teachers.