planning obligations strategy

SupplementaryPlanning Document

PlanningObligationsStrategy

March 2010March 2010

Front cover picture by Simon Bunn.

This publication has been produced by:Environment and PlanningCambridge City CouncilThe GuildhallCambridgeCB2 3QJ

Tel: 01223 457000Can be downloaded from www.cambridge.gov.uk

Printed on recycled paper. Please recycle.

1. Introduction and purpose and key aims of Strategy 5

2. Planning Context 9

3. Methodology for Calculating and Applying Contributions to Community Infrastructure 153.1 Transport 163.2 Open Space and Recreation 223.3 Community Facilities 313.4 Waste 373.5 Other potential development – specific requirements 39

4. Planning Obligations Strategy/Requirements for the Areas of Major Change 41

5. Monitoring and Review of Planning Obligations and Expenditure of Contributions 44

6. Practical Points for Preparing and Completing Planning Obligations 47

7. References 48

Appendix A: Methodology for Selecting and Applying Planning Obligation Contributionsto Potential Projects 50

Appendix B: Basis for Calculation of Open Space Costs 57

Annex 1: Education Section from the 2004 Planning Obligations Strategy 63

CONTENTS PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

Contents

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INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE AND KEY AIMS OF STRATEGY PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

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1.1 Cambridge is experiencing increasedpressure from the development of landfor housing, commercial and other uses.These development pressures and theincrease in density of new developmentschemes are trends that will continue intothe foreseeable future, given thatCambridgeshire has one of the fastestgrowing economies and populations inBritain. The East of England Plan wasadopted in May 2008, and identifies theCambridge Sub-Region as a majorgrowth area, setting a number of specificpolicies for the sub-region (Policies CSR1– CSR4). This Plan supersedes theprevious Regional Planning Guidance forEast Anglia (RPG6) and the majority ofpolicies from the Cambridgeshire andPeterborough Structure Plan (2003).Thirteen policies from the Structure Planremain extant. In response to this growthstrategy, a number of large-scaledevelopments are coming forward acrossthe sub-region, including SouthernFringe, North West Cambridge,Cambridge East and the Station Area,within the City/spanning the SouthCambridgeshire District Councilboundary in some cases, andNorthstowe, Cambourne and OrchardPark, within the South CambridgeshireDistrict Council area.

1.2 Cambridge itself is also an importantcentre for employment, services,government, healthcare and shoppingand is nationally and internationallyimportant for its higher education,knowledge-based industries and tourism.Located within an hour of London and

30 minutes of Stansted, it is centrallylocated on the main transport routeswithin the East of England Region.

1.3 A consequence of this significant level ofgrowth and development is increasedpressure on the physical and socialinfrastructure of the City and thesurrounding area. For example, newresidential development will increasedemand for school places andcommunity facilities, and add to thenumber of people using open spacesand recreational facilities. Newcommercial development, andparticularly large-scale developmentssuch as Addenbrookes 20/20, willincrease the number of people travellinginto and around the City and withoutappropriate mitigation may significantlyadd to congestion and pressure onpublic transport, car and cycle parkingand public safety. Pressure oninfrastructure is likely to increase as aresult of the level of new developmentproposed within the City and thesurrounding area. In order to ensure thatnew developments are developed in asustainable manner they will be expectedto address the needs of new residentsand occupiers and mitigate the impactthey may have on the infrastructure ofboth the City and sub-region.

1.4 The delivery of new or improvedinfrastructure to support newdevelopment in a timely and phasedmanner will be an important element inensuring the appropriate and sustainableimplementation of new growth not only in

1. Introduction and Purposeand Key Aims of Strategy

Cambridge but within the whole of theCambridge Sub-Region. Cambridge CityCouncil, alongside SouthCambridgeshire District Council, are inthe process of commissioning a JointInfrastructure Study. The main aims of thisstudy are:

To establish the existing capacity ofinfrastructure provision in Cambridgeand South Cambridgeshire;To identify what infrastructure will berequired in order to serve proposedgrowth in Cambridge and SouthCambridgeshire to 2027;To inform the City Council's CoreStrategy, South Cambridgeshire's CoreStrategy and Planning ObligationsStrategy, and either the variable tariffwork or Community Infrastructure Levy;andTo maximise the planning obligationsbenefits of development for the newand existing communities.

1.5 Planning obligations (also known broadlyas Section 106 agreements,) are a keymechanism in the planning system foraddressing the impact new developmentcan have on the infrastructure of anarea, although Unilateral Undertakingsand in some instances, conditions,including Grampian conditions can servethe same purpose in appropriatecircumstances. The Government iscurrently reviewing the Section 106system and a number of CentralGovernment consultations, research,guidance notes and other publicationshave been undertaken/produced over thelast few years. Further detailedconsideration of these publications isprovided in Section 2.1. Circular05/2005 is the current key source ofguidance on the use of planningobligations.

1.6 Part II of the 2008 Planning Act providesfor the introduction of a CommunityInfrastructure Levy (CIL). Local authoritieswill be empowered, but not required, tocharge a CIL on most types of newdevelopment in their area. Localauthorities can choose the CIL rate thatthey wish to set, but must set this out in anew legal document (a 'chargingschedule'), which is independentlyexamined to ensure that it isevidence-based and appropriate for thelocal area. The levy will be based on aformula, which relates the size of thecharge to the size and character of thedevelopment paying it. The proceeds ofCIL will be spent on local and sub-regional infrastructure to support thedevelopment of an area. However, thiswill not replace the need for mainstreampublic funding. The CommunityInfrastructure Regulations 2010 were laidbefore the House of Commons on 10February 2010 and will, subject toapproval by MPs, come into force on 6April 2010. CIL remains outside thescope of the Planning ObligationsStrategy, but will be considered inrelation to work on the Core Strategy andrelevant local and sub-regionalinfrastructure studies.

1.7 The City Council has been instrumentalin using planning obligations as a meansof securing improvements toinfrastructure through securing ofprovision or contributions from newdevelopments to help ameliorate theimpact of development on theenvironment in terms of both theirimmediate impact on the environmentand their strategic impact on the widerCity infrastructure. It has achieved thisthrough successful application of itsPlanning Obligation StrategySupplementary Planning Guidance 2004and the associated four Area CorridorTransport Plans, which include provisionfor standard charges to be applied in

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE AND KEY AIMS OF STRATEGY

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appropriate circumstances for a variety ofinfrastructure requirements. ThisSupplementary Planning Documentrepresents the review of the 2004Planning Obligation Strategy, while theArea Corridor Transport Plans arecurrently being reviewed byCambridgeshire County Council. Thesereviews reflect recent CentralGovernment and Sub-Regional guidance,advice and policy and in accordancewith the Cambridge Local Plan 2006 andthe Council's Local DevelopmentScheme.

1.8 The 2006 Cambridge Local Plan formspart of the existing development plan forCambridge and provides a planningstrategy to 2016 and beyond. Whilst theCity Council are in the process ofpreparing a Local DevelopmentFramework for Cambridge, which willincrementally replace the 2006Cambridge Local Plan, the Planning andCompulsory Purchase Act 2004 makesprovision for Councils to retain theirLocal Plan policies beyond a three yearperiod by application to the Secretary ofState who has directed that most of theCambridge Local Plan's policies willremain in force from 20 July 2009. TheCity Council has however adopted JointArea Action Plans for Cambridge Eastand North West Cambridge.

1.9 The main purpose of the PlanningObligation Strategy SupplementaryPlanning Document is to provide aframework for securing the provision of:

New infrastructure or improvements toexisting infrastructure generated by thedemands of new developments;Measures to mitigate the adverseimpacts of developments and;Addressing the needs identified toaccommodate the projected growth ofCambridge and, where appropriate,the surrounding area.

1.10 The objectives of the Planning ObligationStrategy Supplementary PlanningDocument are to provide clarity and toenable a more comprehensive andstreamlined approach to the negotiationand use of planning obligations. It seeksto achieve this by:

Drawing together existing practice onplanning obligations;Supplementing policies and proposalsof the development plan in relation tothe use of planning obligations inCambridge;Providing a framework for theapplication of key planning obligationrequirements and the expenditure offinancial contributions collectedthrough planning obligations.

1.11 It is not intended that the PlanningObligation Strategy should attempt tocover every possible circumstance thatmay need to be included in a planningobligation. This would be impossible assites, developments and circumstancesvary greatly and many planningobligations will therefore need to bedevelopment-specific in nature and maybe unique to the individual development,for example, contaminated land issues,archaeological mitigation measures,occupation restrictions, historic buildingrestoration requirements. Suchrequirements would need to be assessedon a case-by-case basis, taking intoaccount the specific nature of individualdevelopments and relevant plan policies.Instead, the Planning Obligation Strategyfocuses on the use of planningobligations to secure provision, measuresor contributions to address the likelyimpact of proposed development on thephysical and social infrastructure of theCity. It will provide a starting point fornegotiations on planning obligations inrelation to community infrastructurewhich is fair and equitable and whichtakes into account the circumstances of

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each site. In determining planningapplications the Council will, in eachcase, need to consider its planningobligation requirements in the context ofthe tests set out in Circular 05/2005.

1.12 Nevertheless, for the reasons set out inparagraph 1.10 above, it should benoted that, for any individual planningapplication, other development-specificplanning obligation requirements mayalso be applicable, in addition to the keyplanning obligation requirements coveredby this Supplementary PlanningDocument. With regards to affordablehousing, specific reference should bemade to the Council's adoptedAffordable Housing SupplementaryPlanning Document (2008). Planningcontributions related to public artprovision are dealt with by the Council'sadopted Public Art SupplementaryPlanning Document (2010).

1.13 For outline applications, where thenumber of units is not specified,contributions will be based on thenumber of dwellings in the indicativelayout, or agreed with the Council,provided this number complies with theLocal Plan Policy 5/10 on dwelling mixand strategic mix set out in theAffordable Housing SupplementaryPlanning Document, when relevant. Insome cases, the impacts and howcontributions may mitigate them are lesspredictable and can only be establishedthrough site specific investigation andnegotiation. Where the precise level ofdevelopment in an outline permissionrequires subsequent approval, theobligation will include clauses allowingfor a proportionate increase in the scaleof contributions and specify an agreedformulae to calculate this additionalelement, and appropriate triggers will beagreed on a site by site basis.

1.14 As mentioned above in paragraph 1.8,the 2006 Cambridge Local Planconstitutes a "saved" plan under the oldplan-making system. Under the Planningand Compulsory Purchase Act 2004,which introduced the replacement LocalDevelopment Framework system, aSustainability Appraisal was mandatoryfor all Supplementary PlanningDocuments. As this SupplementaryPlanning Document has been producedon the basis of the "saved" Local Plan,which wasn't subject to the fullSustainability Appraisal processincorporating the requirements of the SEADirective, it was subject to the fullSustainability Appraisal process. ASustainability Appraisal thereforeaccompanies this SupplementaryPlanning Document.

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE AND KEY AIMS OF STRATEGY

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National Context

2.1 A planning obligation is a legalagreement made under Section 106 ofthe Town and Country Planning Act1990. It usually relates to an aspect of adevelopment that cannot be secured byimposing a planning condition (althoughsometimes forms of Grampian conditionscan be used to secure certain types ofplanning obligations such as highwaysimprovements) or by other statutorycontrols. Unilateral planning obligationsin the form of Unilateral Undertakingscan also be offered as an alternative.The City Council normally advocates theuse of standard Unilateral Undertakingson straightforward applications, whereplanning obligations requirements areknown/identified at the outset. This helpsto streamline the process and is inaccordance with the advice contained inparagraph B36 of Circular 05/2005 inthis respect. However, UnilateralUndertakings are unlikely to beappropriate for large or more complexdevelopments. Planning obligations are aproper and recognised part of theplanning system; they can both improvea development and help it to go ahead,and in addressing the impacts of thedevelopment on the infrastructure of anarea can bring local benefits. Planningobligations should not be used when theuse of planning conditions would suffice.

2.2 Circular 05/2005 is the current keysource of Government guidance on theuse of planning obligations. It states thatplanning obligations are agreements"intended to make acceptabledevelopment which would otherwise be

unacceptable in planning terms" and thatthey can be used to "prescribe the natureof the development (e.g. by requiring thata certain proportion of housing isaffordable) or to secure a contributionfrom a developer to compensate for lossor damage created by a development(e.g. loss of open space) or to mitigate adevelopment's impact (e.g. throughincreased public transport provision)."Planning obligations may used to secureon-site and off-site infrastructurerequirements.

2.3 Circular 05/2005 advises that planningobligations should only be sought whenthey meet all the five tests set out below:

(i) relevant to planning;(ii) necessary to make the proposed

development acceptable in planningterms;

(iii) directly related to the proposeddevelopment;

(iv) fairly and reasonably related in scaleand kind to the proposeddevelopment; and

(v) reasonable in all other respects.

2.4 Where planning obligations are used tosecure compensation for loss of ordamage to a feature or resource nearby,for example a landscape feature ofbiodiversity value, open space or right ofway, there should be some relationshipbetween what is lost and what is to beoffered. Circular 05/2005 advises that a"reasonable obligation will seek to restorefeatures, resources and amenities to aquality equivalent to that existing beforethe development."

PLANNING CONTEXT PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

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2.5 Specific advice is given on maintenancepayments. The Circular states that"Where contributions are secured throughplanning obligations towards theprovision of facilities which arepredominantly for the benefit of the usersof the associated development, it may beappropriate for the developer to makeprovision for subsequent maintenance."However, in situations where "an asset isintended for wider public use, the costs ofsubsequent maintenance and otherrecurrent expenditure associated with thedeveloper's contributions should normallybe borne by the body or authority inwhich the asset is to be vested. Wherecontributions to the initial support ("pumppriming") of new facilities are necessary,these should reflect the time-lag betweenthe provision of the new facility and itsinclusion in public sector funding streamsor its ability to recover its own costs . . ."

2.6 The Circular advises that contributionscan either be in kind or in the form of afinancial contribution, which may be inthe form of a lump sum or endowment ora series of phased payments over aperiod of time. Contributions may bepooled where the combined impact of anumber of developments creates theneed for infrastructure. The use offormulae and standard charges whereappropriate is encouraged but where thisapproach is followed the formulae/levelof standard charges should be publishedin advance in a public document.

2.7 In order to provide clarity and certainty todevelopers, local authorities should seekto include as much information aspossible in their published documents inthe Local Development Framework. TheCore Strategy should include generalpolicies about the principle and use ofplanning obligations. More detailedpolicies applying the principles should beset out in the Development ControlPolicies and Site Specific Allocations

Development Plan Documents with anyfurther guidance included inSupplementary Planning Documents.

2.8 Other recent Central Governmentcommissioned studies and guidance onthe use of planning obligations haveconcentrated on reviewing best practiceand recommending ways of streamliningprocedures to generate improvements inthe system. These have included:

Planning Obligations: PracticeGuidance (Communities and LocalGovernment (CLG), August 2006);Model legal agreement prepared bythe Law Society (CLG, August 2006);Valuing Planning Obligations inEngland (Sheffield University andHalcrow Group on behalf of CLG,May 2006);A group of documents produced bythe Audit Commission including:Securing Community Benefits throughthe Planning Process, Value for MoneySelf-Assessment Guide, CorporateAwareness Checklist: and Route Mapto Improved Planning Obligations(August 2006): all focused onimproving performance on Section106 agreements.

The City Council provided information,including access to its database for theValuing Planning Obligations in EnglandStudy and was cited in two of the casestudies of best practice in the PlanningObligations: Practice Guidancedocument.

2.9 Central Government highlighted itsintention to introduce changes to thecurrent Section 106 system in Section 46of the Planning and CompulsoryPurchase Act 2004 and in a number ofsubsequent consultation documents, thelatter of which have focused on theintroduction of the Planning GainSupplement. However, Planning Gain

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD PLANNING CONTEXT

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Supplement was not taken forward by thegovernment, and instead they areintroducing the Community InfrastructureLevy.

2.10 In addition to Circular 05/2005,guidance relevant to the use of planningobligations has been provided in otherGovernment circulars and planningpolicy guidance notes/statements. Theseinclude:

PPS1 – to promote outcomes in whichenvironmental, economic and socialobjectives are achieved together overtime; Planning Policy Statement: Planningand Climate Change – Supplement toPPS1 – sets out how planning, inproviding for new homes, jobs andinfrastructure, should help shapeplaces with lower carbon emissionsand resilient to the predicted effects ofclimate change;PPG2 – to offset the loss of, or anyimpact on, any amenity on a site priorto development, to provideopportunities for outdoor sport andrecreation near urban areas and tosecure nature conservation interest;PPS3 – to create sustainable, inclusive,mixed communities in all areas, withgood access to jobs, key services andinfrastructure;PPS4 – to help achieve sustainableeconomic growth;PPS9 and its Good Practice Guide– to promote sustainable developmentand to conserve, enhance and restorethe diversity of the country's wildlifeand geology and sets of key principlesto ensure that the potential impacts ofplanning decisions on biodiversity andgeological conservation are addressed. PPS10 – to protect the environment byproducing less waste and providesufficient opportunities for new wastemanagement facilities.

PPG13 – to seek contributions tomeasures to assist public transport,walking and cycling;PPG17 – to promote the importance ofopen spaces, sport and recreationprovision and the contribution that theymake to the quality of life.PPS23 – to mitigate the impact ofpotentially polluting developments asfar as possible, in order to ensure thesustainable and beneficial use of land.

Regional/Sub-Regional Guidance

2.11 The adopted East of England Plan waspublished in May 2008. Some of the keypolicies from this Plan that specificallyapply to Cambridge are:

Policy SS3: Key Centres forDevelopment and Change – identifiesCambridge as one of the main areaswhere new development should beconcentrated;Policy E1: Job Growth – sets the targetfor net growth of Jobs inCambridgeshire at 75,000;Policy E3: Strategic EmploymentSites – identifies the CambridgeSub-Region as a centre for world-classresearch and development;Policy E4: Clusters – identifiesenvironmental technologies and ICTclusters as relevant to the Cambridgearea;Policy E5: Regional Structure of TownCentres – identifies Cambridge as aregional centrePolicy E6: Tourism – identifies the needfor sustainable tourism for Cambridgeas a historic city Policy H1: Regional Housing Provision2001 to 2021 – states that theminimum dwelling provision forCambridge and Peterborough that stillneed to be built (April 2000 to March2021) is 79,390, of which Cambridge


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City figure is 16,700 (1,110 annually– although additional dwellings willhave been built since the Plan waspublished). Policy T5: Inter Urban Public Transport– states that inter-urban publictransport should be focussed onRegional Transport Nodes that includesCambridgePolicy ENV6: The Historic Environment– sets out how Cambridge should haveplans, policies, programmes andproposals to protect, conserve, whereappropriate enhance the historicenvironmentPolicies for the Cambridge Sub-Regionto 2021 and beyond are set out inSection 13: CSR1: Strategy for theSub-Region, CSR2:Employment-Generating Development,CSR3: Green Belt and CSR4: TransportInfrastructure.

Following the adoption of the East ofEngland Plan, the majority of the policiesin the Cambridgeshire and PeterboroughStructure Plan (2003) have fallen away,with the exception of thirteen policies.The following extant policies from theStructure Plan are particularly related tothe provision of development-relatedinfrastructure:

P6/1: Development-related Provision;P8/10: Transport Investment Priorities;P9/8: Infrastructure Provision;P9/9: Cambridge Sub-Region– Transport Strategy.

Cambridge Local Plan 2006

2.12 Chapter 10 of the Cambridge Local Plan2006 sets out how the proposals andpolicies of the Local Plan will beimplemented to fulfil the objectives of thePlan, including through the use ofplanning obligations. Policy 10/1Infrastructure Improvements is the key

Local Plan policy in this respect.It states that:

"In order to secure the development ofsustainable communities, and to mitigatethe adverse impacts that newdevelopment may have on the localcommunity and infrastructure of the Cityand the Cambridge Sub-Region,developments which directly improve orprovide contributions for the provision orimprovement of the following physicaland community infrastructure will bepermitted: transport, public open space,indoor and outdoor recreational facilities,community facilities, waste recycling, thepublic realm and public art andenvironmental aspects.

Infrastructure provision and improvementswill be secured through planningobligations."

2.13 Paragraph 10.10 of the Local Plan statesthat:

"The large-scale nature of some of theallocations identified in the Local Plan issuch that they are likely to be required toincorporate new community infrastructure(for example, schools, communityfacilities) for new residents in addition toaddressing the impact they may have onthe existing infrastructure."

This is particularly relevant to Section 4of this Supplementary PlanningDocument.

2.14 The City Council's strategy forimplementation through use of planningobligations is set out in Paragraph 10.11which states that:

"The City Council will:

Update its guidance for infrastructureprovision in accordance with its LocalDevelopment Scheme; and


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Identify through further planningguidance agreed for the Areas ofMajor Change and larger allocations,any additional infrastructure that theywill be required to provide or contributetowards.

In doing so account will be taken ofGovernment guidance, the RegionalSpatial Strategy, the Structure Plan, anyjoint Sub-Regional Strategy for developer

contributions and other relevantdocuments including the AnnualMonitoring Report."

2.15 Although Policy 10/1 is the key generalplanning obligations-related Local Planpolicy, a number of other topic-specificpolicies are also relevant to the provisionof specific community and transportinfrastructure:


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Policy Numbers Policy TitleSubject

Transport

Open Spaceand Recreation

CommunityFacilities

Public Realm

Waste andRecycling

InfrastructureRequirementsWithin theAreas ofMajor Change1

8/38/58/7

3/73/8

4/25/135/146/2

5/135/14

3/7

3/12

9/29/39/59/69/89/9

Mitigating MeasuresPedestrian and Cycle NetworkPublic Transport Accessibility

Creating Successful PlacesOpen Space and RecreationProvision Through New DevelopmentProtection of Open SpaceCommunity Facilities in the Areas of Major ChangeProvision of Community Facilities Through New DevelopmentNew Leisure Facilities

Community Facilities In the Areas Of Major ChangeProvision of Community Facilities Through New Development

Creating Successful Places

The Design of New Buildings

Phasing of Areas of Major ChangeDevelopment in the Urban ExtensionsSouthern FringeNorthern FringeLand Between Huntingdon Road and Histon RoadStation Area

1 For Infrastructure Requirements related to Cambridge East and land between Madingley Road and Huntingdon Road,see the Cambridge East Area Action Plan (2008) and North West Cambridge Area Action Plan (2009) respectively.

Sustainable Development

2.16 Sustainable development has beendefined by Central Government in the UKSustainable Development Strategy (2005)as:

Living within environmental limits;Ensuring a strong, healthy and justsociety;Achieving a sustainable economy;Promoting good governance;Using science responsibly.

2.17 Sustainability is a key theme of the visionand strategy for development inCambridge and is promoted indevelopment plans relevant to the Cityincluding the Cambridge Local Plan2006. The Sustainable Design andConstruction Supplementary PlanningDocument was adopted by the CityCouncil in May 2007. This documentprovides guidance on policies that relateto sustainability in the Cambridge LocalPlan 2006, and covers a range ofsustainability issues including climatechange adaptation, energy, transport,waste and water pollution. It is intendedthat this document will assist applicants inproducing a Sustainability Statement andSustainability Checklist to demonstratecompliance with appropriate policies.

2.18 The Planning Obligation Strategy seeksto incorporate and promote the principleof sustainable development in two mainways. Firstly, it seeks to identify thepotential impacts of new developmentson the physical and social infrastructureof the City. Secondly, it seeks to mitigatethe identified impacts of newdevelopments through adopting asustainable approach to the expenditureof any contributions received through theplanning obligation system, for example,supporting transport measures by meansother than the private car.

2.19 As required, this Supplementary PlanningDocument is supported by aSustainability Appraisal.


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3.0.1 For the purposes of this strategy, the termcommunity infrastructure is intended tocover the physical and socialinfrastructure required to support a newdevelopment and mitigate its impact. Theareas included are:

Transport (Section 3.1)Open space and recreation(Section 3.2)Community facilities (Section 3.3)Waste (Section 3.4)Other potential development-specificrequirements (Section 3.5)

Affordable Housing is now covered bythe Council's Affordable HousingSupplementary Planning Document(adopted January 2008). Public Art isdealt with by the Council's Public ArtSupplementary Planning Document(adopted January 2010).

During the consultation period, the CityCouncil received a representationcontaining significant revisions to theeducation section of the SupplementaryPlanning Document from CambridgeshireCounty Council. As a result of this issueand the policy-making processes, theeducation section in the SupplementaryPlanning Document needs to beamended and further discussions andconsultation on the education section ofthe Supplementary Planning Documentare required before adoption. As such,the education section of this Strategy isyet to be resolved. In the meantime, the

education section in the 2004 PlanningObligations Strategy will continue toapply until it is superseded by the revisededucation section. The education sectionof the 2004 Planning ObligationsStrategy is attached to this SupplementaryPlanning Document as Annex 1. Onadoption of the revised education sectionat a subsequent Environment ScrutinyCommittee, Annex 1 will be replaced.

3.0.2 Each of these areas is considered belowand sub-divided into three main topics asfollows:

a) Policy framework and establishing theimpact of new development.

This varies according to the type ofinfrastructure in question.

b) Methodology for calculating financialcontributions and their application todevelopment proposals.

Both the methodology for calculatingfinancial contributions in relation tomitigating the impact of newdevelopment on physical and socialinfrastructure and how it is applied todevelopment proposals varies accordingto the type of infrastructure in question.This reflects the different types of impactnew development will have on differenttypes of infrastructure. Where possible,this Strategy sets out the methodology forcalculating the off-site contributionrequired, where it has been established

3. Methodology for Calculating andApplying Contributions to CommunityInfrastructure

that on-site provision in kind is notfeasible/practical/appropriate. However,in some cases, as individual impacts ofpotential developments will vary sosignificantly, they will need to beconsidered on their individual merits. Insome cases, a contribution will berequired from each new unit developedbut for other types of infrastructure,contributions will only be required fromdevelopments above a specifiedthreshold.

c) Framework for expenditure ofcontributions

Circular 05/2005 states that planningobligations should not be used solely toresolve existing deficiencies ininfrastructure provision. Nor cancontributions be used tosubstitute/replace existing local authorityfunding. Contributions will be used tomitigate the impact of new development,either alone or in conjunction withfunding from other sources. Whererelevant, the expenditure of contributionsmay include design and procurementfees incurred as part of theimplementation of projects. Furtherinformation on how potential projects forfunding using planning obligationcontributions are selected andcontributions secured from individualdevelopments are allocated towardsthem can be found in Appendix A of thisStrategy – "Methodology for selecting andapplying planning obligationscontributions to potential projects."

3.1 TransportPolicy Framework andEstablishing the Impact of NewDevelopments

3.1.1 The transport system in Cambridge isunder pressure as a result of the level ofdevelopment in the city, demand foraccess to the city centre and physicalfactors such as the limited capacity for allmodes of travel. Traffic flows on radialroutes into the city are high, with cars,taxis and delivery vehicles accounting fora high percentage of traffic flows. Thesituation leads to severe congestionproblems on some sections of the radialand ring road routes, hampering publictransport reliability and increasing safetyproblems in particular for pedestriansand cyclists. New development in the cityand on the outskirts of the city willincrease these problems if measures arenot taken to control and address them.With no infrastructure improvements atboth local and strategic levels,congestion, the reliability of travel by allmodes, air quality and safety will getworse. Therefore it is important thatmeasures are taken to mitigate theadditional impact of new developmentson the city's transport infrastructure.

3.1.2 Key transport objectives for Cambridgeare set out in a range of local andregional documents. The RegionalSpatial Strategy contains the RegionalTransport Strategy, which provides aregional framework for the delivery oftransport investment and policy priorities.The Regional Transport Strategy has thefollowing objectives:

To manage travel behaviour and thedemand for transport to reduce therate of road traffic growth and ensure

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the transport sector makes anappropriate contribution to reducinggreenhouse gas emissions;To encourage efficient use of existingtransport infrastructure;To enable the provision of theinfrastructure and transport servicesnecessary to support existingcommunities and developmentproposed in the spatial strategy;To improve access to jobs, servicesand leisure facilities.

The Cambridgeshire Local Transport Plan(LTP) 2006 – 2011 sets out howCambridgeshire County Council, in itsrole as the Highways Authority, plans tospend government funding for transportin the County. The LTP includes adetailed transport programme ofschemes to improve transport facilities,reduce road accident casualties, andprovide some of the additional capacityfor travel in Cambridgeshire that will berequired to cater for the growth that theCounty is experiencing (including specificmeasures for Cambridge). These localtransport objectives tie in with regionaland sub regional transport policies andobjectives. Other key documents relatingto the City's transport objectives include:

Department for Transport Circular02/2007: Planning and the StrategicRoad NetworkCambridgeshire County Council LongTerm Transport Strategy (2006 – 2021)Cambridgeshire County CouncilHighway Network ManagementPolicies and Standards (October 2009)

3.1.3 Chapter 8 of the Cambridge Local Plan2006 (Connecting and ServicingCambridge) has the following objectives:

To minimise the distances people needto travel, particularly by car;

To maximise accessibility for everyone,particularly to jobs and essentialservices;To minimise adverse effects of transporton people and the environment;To ensure adequate provision ofsustainable forms of infrastructure tosupport the demands of the City;To promote a safe and healthyenvironment, minimising the impact ofdevelopment upon the environment.

3.1.4 The key Local Plan policies are:8/3 (Mitigating Measures) – requiresthe provision of suitable mitigatingmeasures from developments likely toplace demand on the transport system.Financial contributions will be soughttowards improvements in transportinfrastructure in the wider area affectedby increased development, inparticular to support public transport,cycling and walking. This will be inaddition to any identified necessarysite-specific measures. A staff travelplan will be required fornon-residential developments.8/5 (Pedestrian and Cycle Network)– requires funding for high qualityphysical provision of walking andcycling routes, both within andadjacent to the development site.Existing routes should be retained andimproved where possible.8/7 (Public Transport Accessibility)– requires that all developments withinthe urban extensions must be served bya high quality public transport servicewithin a 400m walk. Developers willbe required to ensure the provision ofservices from the first occupation ofdevelopment for a period of up to 5years.


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9/2 (Phasing of Areas of MajorChange) and Phasing Table– sets out the key necessary transportinfrastructure requirements for thedevelopments within the Area of MajorChange, including phasingassumptions.9/3 (Development in the UrbanExtensions) – sets out the strategy forinfrastructure provision within theUrban Extensions, with reference to theuse of planning obligations as amechanism to ensure provision of andcontributions towards key categories ofinfrastructure provision, includingtransport.9/5 (Southern Fringe), 9/6 (NorthernFringe), 9/8 (Land betweenHuntingdon Road and Histon Road)and 9/9 (Station Area) – set out theprinciples for developments within eachof the Areas of Major Change,including development – specifictransport objectives and infrastructurerequirements.

Reference should also be made totransport policies contained within theCambridge East Area Action Plan (2008)and the North West Cambridge AreaAction Plan (2009).

3.1.5 The key objectives of the CambridgeshireLocal Transport Plan 2006 – 2011(Cambridgeshire County Council arecurrently preparing LTP3) are:

To create a transport system that isaccessible to all;To protect and enhance the built andnatural environment;To develop integrated transport and topromote public transport, walking,cycling and other sustainable forms oftransport;To make travel safer;To maintain and operate efficienttransport networks;

To provide a transport system thatsupports the economy and the growingpopulation of the County.

3.1.6 The Southern Corridor Area TransportPlan (SCATP) was adopted asSupplementary Planning Guidance to theCambridge Local Plan 1996 in January2000 and a revised version was adoptedin July 2002. The Eastern Corridor AreaTransport Plan (ECATP) was adopted asSPG in November 2000 and a revisedversion was adopted in July 2002. TheNorthern Corridor Area Transport Plan(NCATP) and Western Corridor AreaTransport Plan (WCATP) were adopted asSPG in March 2003. The Area TransportPlans are companion documents to thisStrategy and set out in detail themechanism by which contributions will besought from new developments towardsthe provision of new transportinfrastructure to mitigate the impact ofnew development. The Area CorridorTransport Plans are currently under reviewand revised versions of the documents ora combined single document, in the formof technical guidance will be produced tosupport the Cambridge Local Plan 2006.This revised technical guidance, onceadopted, will remain as a companiondocument to the Planning ObligationStrategy.

3.1.7 The Cambridge Walking and CyclingStrategy 2002 was adopted by the CityCouncil in July 2002. It promotestransport policies and actions, which givepriority to environmentally friendly modesof transport. A key element of thestrategy is the design of safe andcontinuous Walking and Cyclingnetworks.


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3.1.8 The Protection and Funding of Routes forthe Expansion of the City Cycle NetworkGuidelines, which were adopted in July2004, identify potential new cycle routesto and from and within the UrbanExtensions to be funded through planningobligations.

The Need for Transport InfrastructureImprovements

3.1.9 New developments can give rise to aneed for transport improvements in anumber of ways and it is important forthe purposes of this Strategy that they areclearly distinguished.

3.1.10 In the case of many developmentschemes, specific works andimprovements will be required eitheron-site or off-site to mitigate the directimpact of the development scheme onthe transport network and to make theproposed development acceptable, forexample, improvements to junctions,provision of traffic lights and pedestrianor toucan crossings, local traffic clamingor the introduction of parking restrictionson surrounding streets. These can becategorised as development-specifictransport works and are normallyrequired to be implemented as part ofthe development scheme.

3.1.11 Development schemes that give rise to asignificant increase in trip rates are likelyto have an impact on Cambridge'sstrategic transport infrastructure wellbeyond the site and its immediatesurroundings. The Local Transport Planseeks to stabilise traffic and then reducenon-sustainable forms of transportentering the city. In order to mitigate theimpact of new development of thestrategic infrastructure of the city,improvements and investment arerequired on a strategic level to reducedependency on the private car and

achieve a reduction in traffic levels. Suchimprovements could include theexpansion of park and ride sites,improvement of the citywide cyclenetwork and introduction of real timeinformation on public transport routes.Other smarter choice measures aimed atshifting peoples travel behaviour towardsmore sustainable options are set out inthe Department for Transport's SmarterChoices strategy. These measures includethe use of school, workplace andindividualised travel planning,improvements to public transport andmarketing services such as travelawareness campaigns, setting upwebsites for car sharing schemes, supportfor car clubs and encouragement ofteleworking. It is considered appropriatethat the development schemes that giverise to significant increases in trip ratesshould be required to contribute to thesestrategic improvements. In view of thescale of many of the improvements,contributions from a number ofdevelopments may need to be pooled inorder to implement the improvements.

3.1.12 In addition to improvements to transportinfrastructure, travel plans are aneffective way of promoting andco-ordinating travel by means other thanthe private car among employees ofnon-residential developments. Travelplans aim to reduce car usage, increasethe use of public transport, walking andcycling and deliver sustainable transportobjectives.


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Methodology for CalculatingFinancial Contributions andTheir Application toDevelopment Proposals

Development-sspecific improvements

3.1.13 These depend on the nature and scale ofthe development scheme proposed andwill vary from site to site. Most planningapplications are accompanied by atransport assessment which is used toasses the application and decide ifspecific on-site and off-site measures arerequired to make it acceptable Thesecould range from provision of new roadand public transport infrastructureprovision for the Areas of Major Changedevelopments, pedestrian and cyclistaccess to the site, local on-street parkingcontrols as well as improvements to thephysical highway network. Other localtransport-related issues may arise fromthe public consultation carried out on theplanning application and these will needto be assessed by planning and transportofficers in the context of the siteproposals.

3.1.14 Development-specific improvements aredirectly related to the developmentproposal and are required in order toaddress immediate impact. They aretherefore an integral part of thedevelopment scheme. The developer isnormally required to implementdevelopment-specific improvements aspart of the development scheme.Alternatively, the developer may chooseto contribute a sum of money to the localhighways authority to implement the workon the developer's behalf, for example,the provision of a signalised pedestriancrossing. Where a developer decides toimplement improvements in this way, theywill be required either to develop acosted-up scheme in consultation with

the local highways authority orcommission the local highway authorityto design and implement the scheme.

Strategic transport improvements

3.1.15 Contributions will be required from alldevelopments within the areas defined inthe Area Corridor Transport Plans (andany subsequent technical guidance thatmay replace them in the future), whichgenerate in excess of 50 additionalperson trips to and from the site on adaily basis. Trip rates for the mostcommon types of development areprovided in the Area Transport Plans.Where a development does not falldirectly within a use class set out in theArea Corridor Transport Plans, levels oftrip generation will need to be treatedmore flexibly and be agreed between theapplicant and the Council. This iscurrently the case in terms ofdevelopments which can be defined asessential public infrastructure with a localneed i.e. clinical development atAddenbrooke's Hospital and certaineducational uses.

3.1.16 The mechanism by which contributions tostrategic improvements are calculated isset out in detail in the Area TransportPlans (and in any future technicalguidance that may replace them). Briefly,contributions are calculated by dividingthe total cost of the development-relatedtransport schemes proposed in that areaof the city by the total number of newtrips that are estimated to be generatedby the developments in each area. Theindividual Area Transport Plans (and anysubsequent technical guidance that mayreplace them in the future) should bereferred to for the details of thecalculations of contributions.


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3.1.17 Contributions based on this formula willbe calculated from the total transportimpact that a new development ispredicted to have. This is represented bythe total number of trips (by all modes oftravel) that will be generated by suchdevelopments. In most cases, the existingtrip generation from the site should besubtracted from this figure to give the netincrease in trips generated. This figureshould then be multiplied by thecontribution per trip to give a grosscontribution.

Smarter Choices

3.1.18 The Department for Transport's "SmarterChoices – Changing the way we travel"recommends that the following types of'soft measures' are considered fordevelopments that are shown to have asignificant impact on the transportnetwork:

Workplace and school travel plans;Personalised travel planning, travelawareness campaigns, and publictransport;Information and marketing;Car clubs and car sharing schemes;Teleworking, teleconferencing andhome shopping.

For further guidance on travel planning,reference should be made to Departmentfor Transport's "Making Residential TravelPlans Work: Guidelines for newdevelopment" and "Good PracticeGuidelines: Delivering Travel Plansthrough the Planning system".

Framework for Expenditure ofContributions

Development – specific improvements

3.1.19 Where a developer has made a financialcontribution to the local highwayauthority to implement an item oftransport infrastructure directly related toa specific development, the timing ofimplementation will be clearly specified inthe Section 106 agreement relating tothe development. Implementation is likelyto be related to the implementation ofthe development.

3.1.20 Each Area Transport Plan (andsubsequent technical guidance thatreplaces them in the future) includes a listof schemes to which contributions forstrategic transport improvements will beallocated. The programme of schemesand their prioritisation will be kept underreview by the County Council and CityCouncil. Schemes will be prioritisedaccording to their impact on reducinguse of the private car within the relevantareas and reviewed on a periodic basis,taking into account any additionalguidance adopted by the City Council orCounty Council such as the CambridgeWalking and Cycling Strategy.

3.1.21 In view of the large-scale nature of thestrategic transport improvements, alonger-term programme is envisaged fortheir delivery. As some of the largerprojects identified may requirecontributions from a number ofdevelopments in order to fully implementthem, in most cases an expenditureperiod of 10 years will be specified inplanning obligations in order thatsufficient funds can be built up to fundprojects.


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3.2 Open Space andRecreationPolicy Framework andEstablishing the Impact of NewDevelopments

Outdoor and Indoor Sports Facilities, InformalOpen Space, provision for Children andTeenagers and Allotments

3.2.1 Open space is an essential part of ournatural resource base and is needed toprovide for the outdoor recreation needsof its residents as well as making asignificant contribution to the setting,character, amenity and biodiversity of theCity. It can include commons, recreationgrounds, Historic Parks and Gardens,sites with nature conservationdesignation, outdoor sports facilities,provision for children and teenagers,semi-natural green spaces, allotments,urban spaces, cemeteries, greencorridors and country parks. Such spacesare important for providing recreationalopportunities, wildlife habitat and cycling,equestrian and pedestrian access as wellas for their environmental significance.Many open spaces fulfil more than onefunction. For example, allotmentprovision will also enhance amenity andbiodiversity and natural green spaces arevaluable for children's play. Open spaceprovision could also be used for thestorage/recycling of water to benefitflood protection and encouragesustainable drainage systems. However,open space used in this way must bedesigned to be enjoyed and used by thepublic if it is to contribute towardsmeeting the standards.

3.2.2 Over the years there has been somegradual erosion of open spaces withinCambridge. With the increasing pressurefor development in the City, it isparticularly important that its greenspaces are protected and enhanced andthat new public open spaces are created.Even in areas that contain existing areasof open space, there may be issues inrelation to the quantity, size and qualityof the open space and the size of thepopulation within their catchments. Theremay still be a need for further provisionof or improvements to public open spacewithin those areas. New residentialdevelopment and, in some cases,non-residential development, unless itprovides sufficient open space as anintegral element, can exacerbate thepressure on existing open spaces inCambridge. The City Council willnormally expect all appropriatedevelopment to contribute to meeting theadditional demand for open space itcreates, either on site, or through acommuted payment to provide new openspace or improve existing open spaceprovision in the vicinity of thedevelopment or in relation to somecategories of open space provision, suchas outdoor sports facilities, to contributetowards provision that may providerecreational use for residents/other usersacross a wider area of the city or acrossthe city as a whole.

3.2.3 PPG 17: Sports and Recreationrecognises the importance of openspaces, sport and recreation provisionand the contribution that they make tothe quality of life. It states that LocalPlans should include policies requiringrecreational facilities to be provided asan integral part of major newdevelopments. Open Space Standardsshould be set locally and based onassessments of needs and opportunities.PPG17 also attaches great importance tothe retention of recreational and open


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space in urban areas, because demandis concentrated there.

3.2.4 The key policies in the Cambridge LocalPlan 2006 are:

3/7 (Creating Successful Places)– seeks the provision of clearly distinctpublic and private spaces.3/8 (Open Space and RecreationProvision Through New Development)– seeks provision of public open spaceand sports facilities from residentialdevelopments in accordance with theCity Council's adopted standards as setout in Appendix A of the Local Planand the Open Space and RecreationStrategy 2006. Seeks provision of openspace from non-residentialdevelopments where appropriate.4/2 (Protection of Open Space)– seeks to resist development thatwould be harmful to the character ofor lead to the loss of open space ofenvironmental and/or recreationalimportance unless the open space usescan be satisfactorily be replacedelsewhere and the site is not importantfor environmental reasons.5/13 (Community Facilities in theAreas of Major Change) – seeks toensure provision of appropriatecommunity facilities (including indoorsports provision) in conjunction withdevelopment within the Areas of MajorChange.5/14 (Provision of Community FacilitiesThrough New Development) – seeks toensure that new developments thatlead to an increased demand forcommunity facilities provide orcontribute to the provision ofappropriate community facilities(includes indoor sports provision). 6/2 (New Leisure Facilities) – wheresports facilities are provided througheducational development communityuse may be sought through planningobligations.

9/3 (Development in the UrbanExtensions) – sets out the strategy forinfrastructure provision within theUrban Extensions, with reference to theuse of planning obligations as amechanism to ensure provision of andcontributions towards key categories ofinfrastructure provision, including openspace and recreation facilities.9/5 (Southern Fringe), 9/6 (NorthernFringe), 9/8 (Land betweenHuntingdon Road and Histon Road)and 9/9 (Station Area) – set out theprinciples for developments within eachof the Areas of Major Change,including development – specific openspace and recreation objectives andinfrastructure requirements.

Reference should also be made to openspace policies contained within theCambridge East Area Action Plan (2008)and the North West Cambridge AreaAction Plan (2009).

Categories of Open Space Provision

3.2.5 The City Council's standards for theprovision of open space and recreationfacilities are set out in Appendix A of theCambridge Local Plan 2006 and arebased on five types of provision:

Outdoor Sports Facilities– includes playing pitches, courts andgreens.Indoor Sports Provision– formal provision such as sports hallsand swimming pools.Provision for Children and Teenagers– equipped children's play areas andoutdoor youth provision.Informal Open Space Provision– informal provision includingrecreation grounds, parks and naturalgreen spaces.Allotments (applies to the UrbanExtensions only).


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3.2.6 Relevant adopted technical guidance thatsupports the Local Plan is set out below:

Open Space and Recreation Strategy2006 – sets out the vision for openspace and recreation provision inCambridge, guidance on type ofdifferent provision required in differentdevelopments and schemes forenhancing existing open space. Guidance for Interpretation andImplementation of the Open SpaceStandards – this was originally adoptedby the Planning Committee in January2000 and has been updated on anumber of occasions. The latestupdate has been produced inconjunction with this SupplementaryPlanning Document. The Guidance isbased on the requirements in Policy3/8 of the Cambridge Local Plan2006 and the Council's open spacestandards and is designed to ensure aconsistent approach to the provision ofopen space as part of newdevelopments, either on site or througha contribution made towards theprovision or improvement of openspace elsewhere. Cambridge Sports Strategy2009 – 2013 – set out the vision forthe provision of diverse high qualitysports services which are accessible toall Cambridge citizens and whichmake a major contribution to a healthythriving community Green Infrastructure Strategy for theCambridge Sub-Region(Cambridgeshire Horizons 2006.Adopted as technical guidance by theCity Council following Strategy ScrutinyCommittee on 10 July 2006) – sets outa Sub-Regional strategy for thecreation of new green infrastructureand the enhancement of existinglandscapes over the next 20 years. Italso provides guidance for any openspace strategies prepared for theUrban Extensions. The Strategy was

informed by the Strategic Open SpaceStudy (Cambridgeshire County CouncilMarch 2004) and it includes aschedule of Sub-Regional greeninfrastructure projects. A Major Sports Strategy for theCambridge Sub-Region(Cambridgeshire Horizons 2006)– sets out a vision for the creation of anetwork of high quality community andspecialist sports facilities within theCambridge Sub-Region that willenhance quality of life of existing andnew communities (includes majorsub-regional sports facilities andspecialist sports facilities provision).Whilst not adopted as technicalguidance by the City Council, theStrategy was endorsed by the CityCouncil at Strategy Scrutiny Committeein June 2006 and by CommunityServices Scrutiny Committee inNovember 2006 It is relevant to theUrban Extension developments and toEast Cambridge, in particular.However, its wider implementationwould need to be through theintroduction of a Sub-Regionaltariff/standard charge or potentially theCommunity Infrastructure Levy. As yet,there are no adopted/finalised systemsin place for applying thesesuggested/proposed mechanisms fordelivery of major and specialist sportsinfrastructure.Nature Conservation Strategy(Cambridge City Council) – adoptedas technical guidance in September2006 – describes the present natureconservation situation within the city,sets out a vision for biodiversity andactions for the enhancement of natureconservation and biodiversity.


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Methodology for CalculatingFinancial Contributions and theirApplication to DevelopmentProposals

3.2.7 The Guidance for Interpretation andImplementation of the Open SpaceStandards sets out the methodology bywhich the City Council's open spacestandards are applied to newdevelopment and, where relevant, howcontributions in lieu of on-site provisionthrough a planning obligation arecalculated.

Residential development

3.2.8 The open space standards are applicableto all residential units created as a resultof development regardless of whether

they result from new-build orconversions. Where the proposal relatesto the conversion of existing units tocreate additional units or theredevelopment of an existing residentialsite, the open space standard will beapplied to the number of additionalbedrooms created through conversion orredevelopment. The standards do notapply to existing residential units that arebeing extended but where no additionalunits are being created. The number ofpeople is taken to be the same as thenumber of bedrooms, except for onebedroom units which will be assumed tohave 1.5 people and bedsits which willbe assumed to be 1 person units. Table1, which is taken from Appendix A of theCambridge Local Plan 2006, sets out theopen space standards for residentialdevelopments.


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StandardType of Open Space

Outdoor Sports Facilities

Indoor Sports Facilities

Provision for Children and Teenagers

Informal Open Space

Allotments

1.2 hectares per 1,000 people

1 sports hall for 13,000 people1 swimming pool for 50,000 people

0.3 hectares per 1,000 people

1.8 hectares per 1000 people)

0.4 hectares per 1,000 people (Urban Extensions only)

Table 1 : Open Space Standards

3.2.9 Certain types of residential developmentwill not always need to meet the fullstandard as shown in Table 2 below.Open space requirements for otherspecialist housing not specifically referredto in Table 2 will be considered on itsown merits.

# Provision for children and teenagers will not be sought for those parts of developments consisting of one bedroom units.

+ Retirement housing is any accommodation in Class C3 where there is an age restriction of over 55. The standards donot apply to nursing homes within Class C2.

* Full Provision will not be sought if the accommodation is directly linked to a College by a Section 106 agreement and itcan be shown that adequate provision of outdoor or indoor sports facilities is made by that College. Although suchprovision will not meet the definition of public space, it is accepted that if adequate provision is made by the College,students will be unlikely to use public sports facilities.

** Full provision will not be sought if the development is on a College campus and it can be shown that adequateappropriate open space is provided by the College such that students are unlikely to make significant use of other informalopen space.


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PrivateResidential/HousingAssociation

Outdoor sportsfacilities

Provision forchildren andteenagers

Informal openspace

Indoor sportsprovision

Allotments

Full provision

Full provision #

Full provision

Full provision

Urban Extensions only

Retirementhousing +

Full provision

No provision

Full provision

Full provision

Urban Extensions only

Non-familystudenthousing

Full provision *

No provision

Full provision **

Full provision *

No provision

Familystudenthousing

Full provision *

Full provision **

Full provision **

Full provision *

No provision

Table 2: Application of the Standards

Application of Standards toNon-rresidential development

3.2.10 Paragraph 3.26 of the Cambridge LocalPlan 2006 states that: "Whereappropriate, other non-residentialdevelopment, including major centres ofemployment, may require the provision ofopen space. This will be dealt withthrough masterplanning or design briefs."In addition, paragraph 5.5 of the OpenSpace and Recreation Strategy 2006states that: "retail, employmentdevelopment and community facilities,such as health centres should includeopen space to meet the needs of users ofthe services and employees. This shouldbe particularly considered atAddenbrooke's Hospital, Universitydevelopment and large employment sites."However, as there are no adoptedstandards for open space provisionapplicable to non-residentialdevelopments, each case needs to beconsidered on a site by site basis andsuch provision is only likely to be soughtin respect of large-scale non-residentialdevelopments, including those within theUrban Extensions.

On-SSite Provision – where appropriate

3.2.11 The following section provides guidanceon circumstances where on-site provisionof open space may be appropriate, bycategory.

Outdoor and Indoor Sports Facilities– in most cases within the built upareas of the city it will not be possibleor practical for residentialdevelopments to meet the standardsfor provision of outdoor sports facilitiesand indoor sports on site.Consequently, within the built up areasof the city, these standards aregenerally likely to be met in the form ofcommuted payments towards the

provision of new open space orimprovements to existing openspace/facilities within these categories.However on-site provision isappropriate for the large-scaledevelopments within the UrbanExtensions. The Open Space andRecreation Strategy 2006 gives furtherguidance on specific requirements foroutdoor and indoor sports facilitieswithin these areas. Informal Open Space– it is likely that it will not bepossible/practical to provide sometypes of informal open space, such asurban parks and larger areas ofnatural greenspaces, on site as part ofdevelopments, other than within theUrban Extensions. However, on siteinformal open space in the form ofinformal playspace should be providedas part of housing developments ofmore than 25 units and informalactivity areas as part of housingdevelopments of more than 10 units. Provision for Children and Teenagers– toddler play areas should beprovided on site as part of housingdevelopments of more than 25 units,local play areas should be provided aspart of larger housing developmentscomprising more than 100 units,neighbourhood play areas as part ofthe developments within the UrbanExtensions and youth provision as partof larger housing developments andwithin the Urban Extensions (taking intoaccount that 1 bed units and bedsitswill not normally be required toprovide play areas).Allotments– these should be provided on site aspart of the developments within theUrban Extensions.


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Maintenance of On-SSite provision

3.2.12 It should be noted that in respect of anyopen space provided on site as part of adevelopment, arrangements will need tobe made for its maintenance andmanagement. This will normally involvethe payment of a commuted sum to theCity Council based on the cost ofmaintenance and management for aperiod of 12 years, following itsadoption. The basis of calculation ofcosts of maintenance of the variouscategories of open space is set out inAppendix B.

Basis for Calculation of Costs of Provision

3.2.13 Contributions to the provision orimprovement of open space arecalculated using the number of personslikely to inhabit a development and thecosts basis for provision as set out inAppendix B, which includes costs ofmaintenance for a 12 year period. Acontribution is worked out for each typeof open space where full provision is notmade within the development. Full detailsof the methodology for collectingpayments can be found in the Guidancefor the Interpretation and Implementationof Open Space Standards. A summary ofthe costs is provided below:


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Cost/personCategory of Open Space




Informal Open Space

Allotments (Urban Extensions only)#

Total excluding allotments

£238

£269

£316

£242

£52

£1,117

Cost for 20 x 2 bed houses (40 people)

£9,520

£10,760

£12,640

£9,680

£2,080

£44,680

Table 3: Summary of Open Space Costs

# It is anticipated that allotment provision, where required, will normally be made on site as part of the development.However, if, in exceptional circumstances, off-ssite provision is agreed, the formula referred to above will be used tocalculate the appropriate financial contribution requirement.

Framework for Expenditureof Contributions

3.2.14 In ensuring that Section 106contributions are being effectively used tomeet the open space needs of newresidents and mitigate the additionalpressure they put upon the city'sframework of open spaces andrecreational facilities, account has beentaken of the Improve YourNeighbourhood Programme. Furtherinformation regarding the selection ofprojects is provided in Appendix A.

3.2.15 The framework for expenditure ofplanning obligation contributions forpublic open space is proposed asfollows:

Outdoor and Indoor Sports Facilitiesare considered to be citywideresources and expenditure on thesetypes of facilities will normally be on acitywide basis. Expenditure on Informal Open Spacewill normally be area-based i.e. North,South, East or West/Central, other thanwhere a facility is located close to anarea/ward boundary, in which casefunding may be drawn from more thanone relevant area of the city. Someareas of informal open space such asthe central parks and commons areused by residents across the city andtherefore expenditure in relation tothese types of projects will be on acitywide basis. Expenditure on Provision for Childrenand Teenagers will vary depending onthe specific type of facility in question.The catchment areas for the varioustypes of play area provision are asfollows: Toddler Play Areas – 60metres, Local Play Areas – 240 metres,Neighbourhood Play Areas – 600metres. Again, there may be someinstances where play area projects are

centrally located and therefore have awider, citywide function, in which casesthe expenditure will be on a citywidebasis. Youth provision may have awider catchment area as older childrencan travel independently to usefacilities and their aspirations are verydifferent from those of youngerchildren. It is envisaged that mostexpenditure in relation to youthfacilities would be normally area-based. However, some youth provisionmay have a citywide function e.g.Climbing Boulders, BMX facilities andin those instances expenditure will beon a citywide basis. Allotment provision is only applicablefor the developments within the UrbanExtensions. Consequently, in theexceptional circumstances that suchprovision cannot be secured on site aspart of the development, expenditureof any commuted monies for provisionof allotments will need to be elsewherewithin the area of the specific UrbanExtension that generates therequirement, or close to it, to ensurethat the facilities are accessible to thefuture population within that area.


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3.2.16 It will be important to be able todemonstrate that any contribution foropen space received in connection with aparticular new development will be usedto mitigate the impact of thatdevelopment.

3.2.17 The City Council will seek to identifyopportunities where new public openspace, sports and recreational facilitiescan be provided in order to mitigate theimpact of new development in the city,such as within the Urban Extensions. Assome of the larger projects identified mayrequire contributions from a number ofdevelopments to allow them to beimplemented in full, in some cases anexpenditure period of 10 years will bespecified in planning obligations in orderthat sufficient funds can be built up tofund projects.


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Approach to expenditure Type of open space

Outdoor sports facilities

Indoor sports facilities

Provision for Children and teenagers

Informal Open Space

Allotments (Urban Extensions only)

Normally on a citywide basis unless a pressing need forimprovement for outdoor sports facilities within the locality ofthe development site is identified

Normally on a citywide basis unless a pressing need forimprovement for indoor sports facilities within the locality ofthe development site is identified

Toddler Play Areas – within 60 metresLocal Play Areas – within 240 metresNeighbourhood Play Areas – within 600 metresYouth provision – normally on an area basisAll: or on facilities that would benefit residents across the city

Normally on an area basis or on facilities which will benefitresidents from across the city

Within the specific Urban Extension that generates therequirement

Table 4 : Approach to Open Space Expenditure

3.3 Community FacilitiesPolicy Framework andEstablishing the Impact of newDevelopment

3.3.1 Community facilities are those which helpmeet the varied needs of the residents ofCambridge for health, educational andpublic services as well as social, culturaland religious activities. Education andlibrary provision will be dealt with inAnnex 1 to this Supplementary PlanningDocument and, as such, any moniescollected towards community facilities willnot be used for the provision ofeducation or library facilities. For thepurposes of the Cambridge Local Plan2006, community facilities are defined asuses falling within Class D1(non-residential institutions) of the UseClasses Order, with the exception ofuniversity teaching accommodation. Inaddition, the following sub-categories ofClass C2 (residential institutions) areconsidered to be community facilities:hospitals, residential schools, colleges ortraining centres. University teachingaccommodation, language schools andtutorial colleges are specifically excluded,as these do not cater for a primarily localmarket.

3.3.2 Core uses within Class D1 which formthe basis of community facilities includepremises used for:

The provision of traditional andcomplementary medical or healthservices, except for the use of premisesancillary to the home of the consultant;The provision of education;A crèche, day nursery or playgroup;Place of worship or religiousinstruction;

A museum or other building to displayworks of art for public viewing (alsosee the Public Art SupplementaryPlanning Document);A community centre, public hall ormeeting place;A public library.

3.3.3 In addition, other community facilitiesthat fall outside the D1 or C2 use classesinclude facilities for the emergencyservices, public toilets and courtbuildings.

3.3.4 Provision for education and life-longlearning is discussed in Annex 1 of thisSupplementary Planning Document. Assuch, to avoid double-counting, moniestowards community facilities will not bespent on provision of education andlife-long learning facilities. Communityfacilities are delivered by a wide range ofstakeholders including the City andCounty Councils, voluntary groups,religious organisations and groups,primary care trusts and hospital trustsand other bodies.

3.3.5 In order to develop a robust process fordetermining areas of deficiencies incommunity facilities where additionalpopulation will add to existing pressures,a number of projects and studies havetaken place. These include:

Mapping community facilities in thecity in 2001;Mapping youth facilities and services inthe city;Completion of a report on "CommunityFacilities in Cambridge: A Study ofFuture Provision and Planning" byMarilyn Taylor Associates in 2003;A detailed audit of city communitycentres in 2004;Workshops to identify practicalmeasures to improve the managementof community facilities in 2004;


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A study of the needs of minority faithgroups in 2004;Providing Social and CommunityInfrastructure Through the PlanningProcess – a Policy and Practice Review(Marilyn Taylor February 2007);Building Communities that are Healthyand Well in Cambridgeshire(Cambridge City and SouthCambridgeshire Health ImprovementPartnership, July 2008);Facilities for Faith Communities in NewDevelopment in the CambridgeSub-Region (Three Dragons forCambridgeshire Horizons, November2008).

Other relevant guidance is as follows: An Arts and Culture Strategy for theCambridge Sub-Region(Cambridgeshire Horizons 2006)– endorsed by the City Council'sStrategy Scrutiny Committee in June2006 and by Community ServicesScrutiny Committee in November2006;Balanced and Mixed Communities:A Good Practice Guide(Cambridgeshire Horizons 2006)– endorsed by the City Council'sStrategy Scrutiny Committee in July

2006 – this document exploresexamples of mixed, balanced andsocially inclusive communitieselsewhere, structured around a seriesof themes and identifying key issues;Learning from the Past – Buildingcommunity in new towns, growth areasand new communities (KeystoneDevelopment Trust, November 2009).

3.3.6 In addition to the above, the City Councilhas reviewed its CommunityDevelopment Strategy and is in theprocess of confirming its future strategieson sports and the arts. Furthermore, in2008, the Council adopted a CulturalServices Framework linking its work onsport, recreation, the arts and communitydevelopment.

3.3.7 The projects and studies referred toabove demonstrate that the provision of,access to and condition of communityfacilities is sporadic across the city. Inaddition, population increases arisingfrom new developments will increasedemand on existing community facilitiesin the city. Even small developments areincrementally contributing to demand onexisting community facilities.


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3.3.9 The key policies in the Cambridge LocalPlan 2006 are:

5/13 (Community Facilities in theAreas of Major Change) – requires thatdevelopment within these areas areprovided with all appropriatecommunity facilities, including placesof worship or religious instruction,premises and sites for the emergencyand health services and other facilitiesfor general community use such ascommunity centres and sports halls, inaccordance with an agreed phasingplan. Land may be required forcitywide/Sub-Regional communityfacilities in these areas. 5/14 (Provision of Community FacilitiesThrough New Development) – requiresthat new developments which lead toan increased demand for community

facilities should provide or contributeto the provision of appropriatecommunity facilities to meet the needsof residents, employees and visitors.9/3 (Development in the UrbanExtensions) – sets out the strategy forinfrastructure provision within theUrban Extensions, with reference to theuse of planning obligations as amechanism to ensure provision of andcontributions towards key categories ofinfrastructure provision, includingcommunity facilities.9/5 (Southern Fringe), 9/6 (NorthernFringe), 9/8 (Land betweenHuntingdon Road and Histon Road)and 9/9 (Station Area) – set out theprinciples for developments within eachof the Areas of Major Change,including general infrastructurerequirements.


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Demands arising from significant new development or incremental growth whichcould include the need for:

new facilities;refurbishment or redevelopment of existing facilities to meet new or additionalneeds;provision of mobile or itinerant facilities where development or refurbishment isnot possible or constrained e.g. youth bus;incentives to assist with the rationalisation of existing community facilities.

Sustained services to meet the needs of particular groups which include:children and young people;families;older people;people with disabilities;minority ethnic groups

Time-limited pieces of work on specific issues and/or needs. Examples could be:community arts projects;community safety and health projects;training and development for community organisations.

New orenhancedcommunityfacilities

Programmes

Projects

N.B. Sustainability is a key objective in all of the above.

3.3.8 Currently, community facilities needs fallinto the following general areas:

Reference should also be made tocommunity facility policies containedwithin the Cambridge East Area ActionPlan (2008) and the North WestCambridge Area Action Plan (2009).

Methodology for CalculatingFinancial Contributions and theirApplication to DevelopmentProposals

3.3.10 In view of the incremental impact thatcan be made on community facilities byall residential development, all newdwelling units are required to mitigatetheir impact, either through some form ofon-site provision for large-scaledevelopments or through use of financialcontributions towards off-site provisionfor smaller developments.

On-ssite provision – where appropriate

3.3.11 For residential developments comprising100 units or more, early discussions, atpre-application stage, should take placewith the City Council's Head ofCommunity Development in order toassess:

a) The likely impact of the developmenton existing community facilities in thearea;

b) The particular needs of thedevelopment in the context of localcommunity facilities needs;

c) The feasibility of providing some formof community facilities provision on siteas part of the development or off-sitein conjunction with other developmentswithin the same area.

Depending on the scale of thedevelopment, on site-provision couldrange from a new dedicated community

centre for the developments within theAreas of Major Change to a communityhouse/flat or community rooms or caféfor other large developments. Wherededicated new community centreprovision is sought, the planningobligations requirements will includeprovision of free serviced land and thecapital cost of the new facility and itsfitting out, if not built by the developer. Inaddition, particularly for thedevelopments within the Areas of MajorChange, it is likely that initialpump-priming contributions will also berequired for at least the first five years ofoperation of a new facility.

3.3.12 It will not normally be practical orfeasible for residential developmentscomprising less than 100 units to provideon-site community facilities, given thepotential land-take and long-termrevenue funding implications.

Primary healthcare provision

3.3.13 Over recent years, all GP practices withinCambridge have experienced steadygrowth in their list sizes as a result of theconsiderable amount of infilldevelopment within the city. As a result,many GP practices are at capacity, with anumber struggling to accept additionalpatients and seriously considering closingtheir lists to new patients. The projectedgrowth of the city over the next ten yearswill further increase pressure uponexisting facilities, particularly where theimpact of large-scale developments isconcerned. For this reason, for residentialdevelopments, early discussions,preferably at pre-application stage,should take place with the Primary CareTrust, in order to assess the impact of thedevelopment on existing GP facilitieswithin the local area.


34

3.3.14 In some instances, where there isinsufficient capacity within existing GPfacilities to accommodate the additionaldemand for GP facilities arising from theproposed new development, the impactwill need to be mitigated. For large-scaledevelopments, such as those within theAreas of Major Change, this maynecessitate the incorporation of dedicatednew healthcare facilities or significantexpansion of existing facilities as part ofthe development. In other instances,whilst the provision of dedicated newfacilities or significant expansion may notbe required, financial contributions maybe required towards the provision ofimprovements of existing GP facilities toallow small-scale expansion. Suchrequirements will need to be assessed ona site by site basis, having regard to thelevel of capacity within existing GPfacilities within the catchment area inwhich the proposed new development islocated. In those instances, such as withinthe Areas of Major Change, where newdedicated healthcare provision isrequired, the planning obligationsrequirements will include the provision offree serviced land and the capital cost ofthe new facility and its fitting out. It is alsolikely that initial pump-primingcontributions may be required for the firstfew years of operation of the facility.

3.3.15 Planning obligations may also be soughtto cover the cost of any interimarrangements that may need to be put inplace, such as temporary portakabins, tomeet additional demand for GP facilitiesgenerated by the early new populationwithin these areas, prior to opening ofthe new permanent facilities.

Other potential community facilitiesrequirements applicable to large-sscaledevelopments

3.3.16 For large-scale developments, includingthose within the Areas of Major Change,there may be additional communityfacilities requirements that will need to beaddressed as part of the development,depending on the scale and impact ofthe proposed development. These will beassessed on a site by site basis, throughthe masterplanning process for theindividual developments. These couldinclude all or some of the following:

Faith provision;Dedicated youth facilities;Itinerant facilities such as youth buses;Financial contributions towards theprovision of youth workers orcommunity development workers for alimited period;Arts and cultural facilities.

Financial contributions towards off-ssite provision

3.3.17 In situations where it has been agreedthat on site-provision of communityfacilities is not practical/feasible and formost residential developments comprisingless than 100 units, financialcontributions will be sought towards theimprovement or provision of communityfacilities (other than primary healthcareprovision), as follows:


35

£1,256 per 1 or 2bedroomed dwelling unit£1,882 per 3 bedroomeddwelling unit or larger

Improvementor provisionof communityfacilities(other thanprimaryhealthcarefacilities)

3.3.18 In the case of residential developments,where the Primary Care Trust hasindicated that there is insufficient capacitywithin existing GP facilities within thearea to meet the additional demandgenerated by the development but wherethe development is too small or it isotherwise not practical/feasible to requireprovision of new dedicated facilities aspart of the development, financialcontributions will be dealt with on a caseby case basis.

Categories of residential exemptions

3.3.19 Exceptions to the application of theserequirements will be:

Community facilities, other than primaryhealthcare facilities

Developments for nursing homes withinClass C2;Developments for studentaccommodation; andDevelopments of "total" affordablehousing schemes which are developedby Registered Social Landlords where itis demonstrated that future residents ofthe scheme are already livingelsewhere in Cambridge. ("Total"affordable housing schemes are thosewhich are not developed as a result ofthe requirements of Policies 5/5).

Primary healthcare facilitiesDevelopments for studentaccommodation where it can bedemonstrated that sufficient on-siteprimary healthcare provision isavailable to cater for the level ofdemand/increased demand.


3.3.20 Normally, expenditure of communityfacilities contributions will be in relationto identified projects within the area ofthe city in which the development islocated in order to mitigate the impact ofnew residents from these developmentson local community facilities. However, insome cases, it may be appropriate to usecontributions for the improvement offacilities that are centrally located and/orwhich serve residents on a citywide basis,including new developments.Contributions will mainly be targetedtowards the improvement of communityinfrastructure such as buildings andequipment to enable them to moreeffectively meet the demands put uponthem by a growing residential populationin the city.

3.3.21 Improvements to community facilities(other than primary healthcare facilities)are currently identified as projects, whichwill help to meet the additional demandsbeing placed upon community facilitiesby new development in the city. Theseprojects are identified by the Head ofCommunity Development and included inan annual Capital Plan. This Capital Planis reviewed and agreed by CommunityServices Committee. If there is aparticular project or options fordevelopment that relate to a specific partof the City, these proposals would betaken to the relevant Area Committee. Asmany of the projects will be delivered inpartnership with community groups andthe voluntary sector, detailedassessments/project appraisals will becarried out on proposals for fundingindividual projects by the CommunityServices Department before determiningthe extent of planning obligationcontribution to be provided. Additionalprojects may be considered for funding


36

with the permission of the relevantExecutive Councillor and the Chair of therelevant Area Committee or CommunityServices Scrutiny Committee.

3.3.22 In cases where financial contributions aresought towards improvement of orprovision of primary healthcare facilities,the Primary Care Trust will indicate towhat project the contributions will beallocated as part of its consultationresponse on the individual planningapplication.

3.3.23 As some larger projects may requirecontributions from a number ofdevelopments in order to generatesufficient funding, in some cases anexpenditure period of 10 years will bespecified in planning obligations in orderto allow sufficient funds to be built up tofund the projects.

3.4 WastePolicy Framework andEstablishing the Impact of NewDevelopment

3.4.1 Waste reduction and recycling strategiesare an essential part of wastemanagement. Over the next few years,the Government will be putting greaterlimits on the amount of waste that can besent to landfill and will also be placinggreater fines on those Councils that goover their landfill allowance. To this end,the City Council introduced alternateweek collections in October 2005 inorder to shift the focus away from theoutdated approach of landfilling andtowards the more sustainable approachof recycling.

3.4.2 Over the last five years, the amount ofhousehold waste collected per person peryear has decreased from 414kg in2004/05 to 363kg in 2008/09. Of thiswaste, 17% of the total tonnage ofhousehold waste collected in 2008/09was recycled and 24% was composted.This combined figure of 41% of wasterecycled and composted is an increaseon the 29.5% combined total in2004/05. This compares favourably tothe national average of 37.6% of wasterecycled or composted in 2008/09.

3.4.3 As development pressures increase withinthe city, it is going to becomeincreasingly difficult to address theadditional waste management needsgenerated by the growing population.Consequently, there needs to be anemphasis on developments addressingtheir own waste implications and havingthe necessary recycling provision in placeto serve the needs of occupiers.


37

3.4.4 In addition, given the number oflarge-scale developments proposedwithin the Cambridge Sub-Region,including those within the Areas of MajorChange, there will be significantlyincreased demand for additional localrecycling centre facilities and householdwaste and major waste recyclingfacilities.

3.4.5 A key policy in the East of England Planis set out below:

WM6 (Waste Management inDevelopment) – Development shouldbe designed and constructed tominimise the creation of waste, makemaximum use of recycled materialsand facilitate the collection,separation, sorting, recycling andrecovery of waste arising from thedevelopment and surrounding areas,where appropriate.

3.4.6 The following policies from theCambridge Local Plan 2006 are alsorelevant:

3/7 (Creating Successful Places)– Developments should take intoaccount provision for the adequatemanagement and maintenance of thedevelopment.3/12 (The Design of New Buildings)– requires that new buildings should bedesigned to successfully integraterefuse and recycling facilities.

Methodology for CalculatingFinancial Contributions andTheir Application to theDevelopment Proposal

Household waste and recycling receptacles

3.4.7 Financial contributions will be required inrespect of all residential developments forthe provision of household waste andrecycling receptacles on a per dwellingbasis. As the type of waste and recyclingcontainers provided by the City Councilvary, depending on whether theresidential development proposedcomprises houses or flats, two differentformulae will be applicable.


3.4.8 Financial contributions for the provisionof household waste and recyclingreceptacles will be used to fund therequired number of receptaclesgenerated directly by the needs of thedevelopment.


38

£75 per house based on 3 xstandard bins

£150 per flat (based on provisionof large communal Eurobinswhich are litre for litre moreexpensive than small bins)

Houses

Flats

N.B. Bulk delivery of receptacles to a developer's site,where bins can be stored and released to residents asand when they move into properties, is preferable.

Mini Recycling Centres

3.4.9 For large-scale developments, includingthose within the Areas of Major Change,consideration will be given to the need toincorporate additional mini recyclingcentres within the development site,based on the likely level of additionaldemand generated by the developmentand the available capacity of any existinglocal recycling centres in the vicinity.However, it is likely that developmentscomprising 1,000 or more residentialunits will be expected to incorporate newunderground 7 unit mini recycling centreswithin the development site.Requirements for developmentscomprising between 200 – 1,000residential units will need to be assessedon a site by site basis but considerationwill be given to the potential forincorporation of smaller undergroundmini recycling centre facilities, related tothe scale of the development.

Household Waste and Major Waste RecyclingFacilities

3.4.10 Adequate provision for strategic and/orlocal waste management facilities will berequired. Such requirements will need tobe considered in relation to thedevelopments within the UrbanExtensions and will be considered as partof the relevant masterplanning processes.Regard will also need to be had to theCambridgeshire and Peterborough WasteLocal Plan 2003 and the current Wasteand Minerals Local DevelopmentFramework process. Further advice onwaste facilities can be obtained fromCambridgeshire County Council as theWaste Planning Authority for Cambridge.

3.5 Other PotentialDevelopment-SpecificPlanning ObligationRequirements3.5.1 The introduction to this Strategy makes

clear that the general planningobligations requirements covered withinSection 3 of the document may notrepresent all possible planningobligations requirements that may beapplicable to any individualdevelopment. The precise circumstancesof each development will be different andthere may therefore be additionaldevelopment-specific requirements, suchas mitigation measures or restrictions onoccupation of development that may beneeded to address the impact ofindividual developments. Suchrequirements, by reason of their nature,will need to be assessed on a site by sitebasis. The list below sets out someadditional potential planning obligationsrequirements that may be applicable,depending on the individualcircumstances and constraints of thedevelopment site and the nature of theproposed development. This list is notexhaustive. The relevant policy referencesfrom the Cambridge Local Plan 2006 aregiven in each case.

Public realm and community safetyimprovements (3/7);Nature conservation mitigationmeasures (4/3, 4/6);Watercourse mitigation measures(4/3);Species protection and habitatprotection measures (4/6, 4/8);Impacts on the historic environment(4/9, 4/10, 4/11, 4/12);Pollution/air quality mitigationmeasures (4/13, 4/14);


39

Primary care facilities(5/12, 5/13, 5/14);Controls over occupation ofemployment developments (7/2, 7/4);Restrictions on occupation of studentaccommodation (7/10);Restrictions on expansions of languageschools (7/11).

3.5.2 In some instances, specific mitigationmeasures will be required to be carriedout by the developer. In other cases, itmay be appropriate for financialcontributions to be sought to provide forsome form of alternative compensation inrelation to loss or damage to a specificfeature or to mitigate the impact of adevelopment. Such financial contributionrequirements will need to be assessed ona case by case basis, having regard tothe scale and nature of the developmentand the extent of the impact in eachcase. Depending on the specificcircumstances, such requirements may beaddressed either by imposition of acondition or by completion of a Section106 agreement as appropriate.


40

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY/REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AREAS OF MAJOR CHANGE PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

41

4.1 This section provides a generalexplanation about the Areas of MajorChange and sets out how detailedguidance for these areas has or will beprovided in Area Action Plans or otherdocuments. However, where area basedguidance has yet to be produced, thisSupplementary Planning Document willbe used as a starting point fornegotiations. It is important that there isan overarching planning obligationsframework in place that sets out some ofthe key principles that will inform thenegotiations on these proposeddevelopments.

4.2 The Areas of Major Changedevelopments comprise:

Cambridge East;Southern Fringe;Northern Fringe East;North West Cambridge;Huntingdon Road/Histon Road;Station Area

4.3 These areas will see significantdevelopment during the period of theCambridge Local Plan 2006 providingmuch needed housing and associatedcommunity facilities, as well as land foremployment, medical and highereducation expansion. Such a scale ofdevelopment and change needs to becarefully planned for and managed.

4.4 Because of the scale and complexity ofthe Areas of Major Changedevelopments, although the site-specificpolicies for each Area of Major Changeset out in Policies 9/5, 9/6, 9/8 and 9/9of the Cambridge Local Plan 2006provide the broad framework fordevelopment, more detailedpolicy/guidance will need to be preparedfor each of these sites. The form of thispolicy/guidance will vary from site to sitedepending on a variety of factors such asthe time at which the land comes forwardfor development and the extent to whichthe site crosses the boundary with SouthCambridgeshire. This policy/guidancemight include Masterplans, AreaDevelopment Frameworks and LocalDevelopment Documents such as AreaAction Plans and Supplementary PlanningDocuments, as appropriate to the site inquestion. The following detailedguidance has either already beenproduced or is currently being progressedand contains information oninfrastructure requirements on an area-specific basis.

Station Area Development Framework2004;Southern Fringe Area DevelopmentFramework technical guidance 2006;Adopted North West Cambridge AreaAction Plan, 2009;Adopted Cambridge East Area ActionPlan, 2008.

4. Planning ObligationsStrategy/Requirements for the Areasof Major Change

4.5 Planning obligations requirements will bea key element to be addressed in suchsite specific-guidance given that asubstantial amount of dedicated newinfrastructure provision will be necessaryto serve and mitigate the impact of eachof these large-scale areas ofdevelopment and that the majority of thisinfrastructure and any necessaryimprovements to existing infrastructurewill need to be secured through use ofplanning obligations. Paragraph 10.11of the Cambridge Local Plan 2006 statesthat the City Council will: "identifythrough further planning guidance agreedfor the Areas of Major Change and largerallocations, any additional infrastructurethat they will be required to provide orcontribute towards. In doing so, accountwill be taken of Government guidance,the Regional Spatial Strategy, theStructure Plan, any joint Sub-Regionalstrategy for developer contributions andany other relevant documents includingthe Annual Monitoring Report."

4.6 In addition, given the scale of thedevelopments within the Areas of MajorChange, much of the new infrastructureprovision will be related solely to thedirect impact of the developments beingproposed and will therefore serve theincreased demand for additionalinfrastructure provision generated directlyby the new populations within theseareas. As such, it is envisaged that thenew infrastructure provision generated bythese large-scale developments willnormally need to be included as part ofthe developments, to be incorporatedon-site within the development areas. Forthe developments within the UrbanExtensions, only in the most exceptionalcircumstances is off-site provision likely tobe considered acceptable for keyelements of new infrastructure provisionto serve the new developments.

4.7 Such new on-site infrastructure provisionis likely to include all or some of thefollowing, depending on the individualdevelopment:

Transport infrastructure, including newroads and improvements to/linkagesinto the existing road network highquality public transport systems cyclingand pedestrian routes;Countryside access and Rights of Wayprovision;Affordable housing;Open Space and recreation facilitiesassociated with the Urban Extensions;Primary, secondary, pre-school andhigher education provision;Life-long learning facilities includinglibraries;Community facilities such ascommunity centres and youthprovision;Social Services provision;Emergency services provision;Primary healthcare provision;Waste facilities, including localrecycling centres, Major WasteManagement Facilities and/orHousehold Waste Recycling Facilities; Public realm improvements;Faith provision;Arts and cultural facilities;Public art.

4.8 This list is not exhaustive and there maybe other additional development-specificinfrastructure requirements.

4.9 Because of the complexity of the processof assessing the needs arising from andthe impacts of developments of thisscale, detailed assessments ofinfrastructure requirements for eachdevelopment will need to be undertaken,involving all appropriate stakeholdersand service providers, including relevantdepartments within Cambridge CityCouncil, Cambridgeshire County Counciland South Cambridgeshire District

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY/REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AREAS OF MAJOR CHANGE

42

Council and other stakeholders includingthe Primary Care Trust, CambridgeUniversity Hospitals NHS FoundationTrust, Police, Fire Authority, faith,community and voluntary groups. Insome instances, there may beopportunities for dual use andco-location of facilities.

4.10 Given the likely complexity andtime-consuming nature of the processreferred to above, the level of detail inrelation to planning obligationsrequirements that may be incorporatedinto the development-specificpolicy/guidance documents will vary,according to the individual development.

4.11 For those Urban Extensions developmentssuch as Southern Fringe and North Westand Northern Fringe East where theoverall quantum of development withinthe area will comprise a number ofseparate developments that may comeforward at different times, it will also benecessary to consider infrastructure needsand mitigation of impact in relation tothe cumulative impact of the individualdevelopments that make up the wholeUrban Extension area. In such instances,the costs of infrastructure provisiongenerated by the cumulative impact of anumber of individual developments willneed to be addressed by all thedevelopments affected. In such cases, amethodology for sharing out theinfrastructure costs between relevantdevelopments will also need to beagreed, for example using the number ofresidential units proposed or trip ratesgenerated as a basis for attributing costsbetween individual developments, asappropriate.

4.12 Because of the scale of thesedevelopments and the extent of newdedicated infrastructure provision that willbe required to serve the needs of the newpopulation, it is likely that initial"pump-priming" revenue support fundingof some facilities will be required for thefirst few years (with the specific periodsought depending on the nature of theinfrastructure to be provided). Suchrequirements may potentially apply tosome types of community facilities,primary healthcare and public transportprovision, depending on thecircumstances of the individualdevelopment.

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY/REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AREAS OF MAJOR CHANGE PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

43

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD MONITORING AND REVIEW OF PLANNING OBLIGATIONS AND EXPENDITURE OF CONTRIBUTIONS

44

Monitoring/Administration ofPlanning Obligations

5.1 In view of the significance of planningobligations to the development controlprocess, it is important that the negotiationof planning obligations and expenditure ofany contributions received from developersare carefully and efficiently monitored in apublic and accountable way. In addition,because of the large number of Section106 agreements and UnilateralUndertakings that are completed each yearwithin the Cambridge City Council area,the ongoing administrative and monitoringworkload (which are separate to legalcosts) associated with the ever-increasingnumber of planning obligations alsoincreases year by year. Sufficient dedicatedresources therefore need to be secured toeffectively manage this considerable andgrowing workload. The City Council'sSection 106 database currently holdsrecords of more than 688 active (i.e. withongoing administration and monitoringrequirements) Section 106agreements/Unilateral Undertakings.During the period 1 January 2004 to 31December 2009, a total of 619 Section106 Agreements/Unilateral undertakingswere completed. Up until now, the CityCouncil has been accommodating thisworkload using existing non-dedicatedresources. However, this is no longerviable, given the considerable workloadnow generated by planning obligationsadministration/monitoring requirements

and the planned scale of developmentscheduled to take place within the city overthe next 10 years.

5.2 It is therefore intended, as part of thisStrategy, to introduce charges foradministration/monitoring of Section 106agreements/Unilateral Undertakings inaccordance with the rates set out below.The contributions paid foradministration/monitoring will be used tocover the costs associated primarily but notexclusively with the following areas ofwork:

The ongoing employment of a dedicatedfull-time monitoring officer; Any enhancements/improvements to theCouncil's existing Section 106 databaseor replacement of the database that maybe necessary to accommodate theincreasing workload and complexity ofSection 106 monitoring requirements;Processing of financial contributionpayments;Daily updating of the Council's Section106 database;Administration of UnilateralUndertakings;Carrying out of individual site monitoringchecks to assess whether permissionshave been implemented;Monitoring of other triggers associatedwith payment of financial contributionsor provision of on-site/off-siteinfrastructure and carrying out ofrequired works;

5. Monitoring and Review of PlanningObligations and Expenditure ofContributions

Monitoring of conditions that secureplanning obligations;Scanning in of Section 106agreements/Unilateral Undertakings andlinking to Section 106 database;Correspondence associated withpayment of financial contributions;Compiling of annual planningobligations monitoring reports onreceipts and expenditure;Provision of information to the Council'sMembers Planning Obligation SteeringGroup as required.

5.3 The principle of imposing such arequirement is supported by recent studiesincluding the CLG Planning Obligations:Practice Guidance (2006) and many otherlocal authorities already impose chargesfor these purposes.

Monitoring Charges

5.4 Different types of planning obligations willhave different levels of administration andmonitoring implications. Charges will beimposed on a per clause basis. Thoseindividual clauses that relate to theprovision of financial contributions only willinvolve less administration and subsequentmonitoring than clauses that relate tospecific infrastructure provision that mayincorporate a number of triggers and mayhave a series of follow-up monitoring

implications, such as the provision ofhighways improvements or public art aspart of a development. A different chargewill therefore be levied according to thetype of clause entailed.

5.5 The large-scale developments within theAreas of Major Change will generatecomplex Section 106 agreements andconditions, containing clauses that arelikely cover new infrastructure provision, thephasing of development and contain aseries of triggers for each clause that willneed to be monitored. During the periodof implementation of these developmentswhich are likely to be lengthy, theadministration/monitoring implications willbe intense and are likely to require full-timededicated resources in order for them tobe managed effectively. It is thereforeconsidered that the administration/monitoring implications associated with theSection 106 agreements and permissionsfor the Area of Major Changedevelopments will need to be addressedon a development-specific or Area ofMajor Change-specific basis, taking intoaccount the projected timescale forcompletion of the development and thenumber and complexity of the planningobligations entailed. Such requirements willtherefore need to be agreed as part of theSection 106 negotiation process on adevelopment-specific basis.

MONITORING AND REVIEW OF PLANNING OBLIGATIONS AND EXPENDITURE OF CONTRIBUTIONS PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

45

Monitoring ChargeType of planning obligation

Financial contribution clause

Infrastructure provision clauseor condition

Areas of Major Changedevelopments

£150

£300

Strategy to be considered on a development-specific basis butlikely to include a requirement for funding of development-specificor Area of Major Change -specific, dedicated monitoringofficer(s) throughout the period of implementation of development

Review of planning obligations and expenditureof contributions

5.6 In order to ensure that information onplanning obligations receipts andexpenditure is available and that thesystem is fully accountable, the followingmeasures are an integral part of theCouncil's processes:

Reports on planning applicationspresented to PlanningCommittees/Area Committees fordecision will clearly identify the keyaspects of any planning obligationsrecommended by the planning officer;A copy of each planning obligation willbe placed on the public planningregister in association with theplanning decision notice to which itrelates.Compilation of an annual monitoringreport to Environment ScrutinyCommittee providing details of Section106 receipts and expenditure andSection 106-funded project progressupdates for the previous year. Thereport will also review the PlanningObligation Strategy and makerecommendations for any suggestedimprovements.Compilation of annual monitoringreports on Section 106 receipts andexpenditure which will be posted onthe Council's website.

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD MONITORING AND REVIEW OF PLANNING OBLIGATIONS AND EXPENDITURE OF CONTRIBUTIONS

46

PRACTICAL POINTS FOR PREPARING AND COMPLETING PLANNING OBLIGATIONS PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

47

6.1 The completion of planning obligations isoften seen as a lengthy andtime-consuming process which delays theimplementation of developments. The CityCouncil is keen to ensure that planningobligations are completed as quickly andeffectively as possible to ensure that targettimes for determining planningapplications are met. For Majorapplications, the target time fordetermination is 13 weeks, and for Minorapplications, 8 weeks. In order to meetthese targets, the City Council has recentlyreviewed its procedures for dealing withplanning obligations and guidance on thiscan be found on the Council's websitewww.cambridge.gov.uk.

6.2 In each case, the applicant will beinformed of the time period within which itis intended to complete the planningobligation and determine the applicationand advised that the case will be reviewedif not completed within the specified timeperiod and that planning permission maybe refused.

6.3 In order to enable the completion ofplanning obligations to take place quicklyand effectively, the following points shouldbe borne in mind:

Use of conditions includingGrampian-type conditions or UnilateralUndertakings rather than Section 106agreements where possible.Use of standard clauses where possible.Heads of Terms or draft Section 106agreements or Unilateral Undertakingsshould be submitted with planning

applications/as soon as possiblefollowing registration of planningapplications. The applicant should notifythe planning case officer of the solicitorthey intend to use for the completion ofthe planning obligation as soon aspossible and request their solicitor tocomplete and submit an undertaking topay legal costs as the applicant will berequired to cover the City Council'slegal costs relating to the planningobligation or the cost of externalsolicitors if the Council decides it isappropriate to use these in the case.As all parties with an interest in theapplication site may need to be party toany planning obligation relating to it,applicants should inform and involvelandlords and anyone else with aninterest in the land (for example, a bankwith a charge) at an early stage. If suchparties are not involved until the firstdraft of the planning obligation isproduced, this can slow the processdown considerably.Where contributions to the City Counciland County Council towards physical orsocial infrastructure are requiredthrough a planning obligation, they willbe index-linked.

Generally contributions will be linked tocurrent Royal Institute of CharteredSurveyors (RICS) Building ConstructionInformation Service (BCIS), but otherindexes may be used upon agreementwith the Council, if it can be demonstratedthey are most closely aligned to the type ofworks.

6. Practical Points for Preparing andCompleting Planning Obligations

7.1 The following documents were used incompiling the Planning ObligationStrategy:

Circular 05/2005PPG17 (Sports and Recreation) Planning Obligations:Practice Guidance (CLG) 2006Valuing Planning Obligations inEngland (Sheffield University andHalcrow Group on behalf of CLG)2006Model Legal Agreement prepared bythe Law Society, CLG 2006Securing Community Benefits Throughthe Planning Process, Value for MoneySelf-Assessment Guide, CorporateAwareness Checklist, Route Map toImproved Planning Obligations(Audit Commission) 2006UK Sustainable Development Strategy,2005Community Infrastructure Levy:Detailed proposals and draftregulations for the introduction of theCommunity Infrastructure Levy,Consultation (July 2009)Cambridgeshire and PeterboroughStructure Plan 2003East of England Plan, May 2008Cambridge Local Plan 2006Cambridge Planning ObligationStrategy SPG 2004Cambridgeshire Local Transport Plan2006 – 2011Department for Transport Circular02/2007: Planning and the StrategicRoad NetworkCambridgeshire County Council LongTerm Transport Strategy 2006 – 2021Cambridgeshire County CouncilHighway Network ManagementPolicies and Standards, 2004

Southern Corridor Area Transport Plan2002 (under review)Eastern Corridor Area Transport Plan2002 (under review)Northern Corridor Area transport Plan2003 (under review)Western Corridor Area Transport Plan2003 (under review)Department for Transport SmarterChoices – Changing the way we travel,2005Department for Transport, MakingResidential Travel Plans Work:Guidelines for new development, 2005Department for Transport GoodPractice Guidelines: Delivering TravelPlans through the Planning System,2009 Cambridge Walking and CyclingStrategy 2002Protection and Funding of Routes forExpansion of the City Cycle networkGuidelines, July 2004Open Space and Recreation Strategy2006Guidance for Interpretation andImplementation of the Open SpaceStandards 2006Cambridge Sports Strategy 2009 to2013Green Infrastructure Strategy for theCambridge Sub-Region(Cambridgeshire Horizons) 2006A Major Sports Strategy for theCambridge Sub-Region(Cambridgeshire Horizons) 2006An Arts and Culture Strategy for theCambridge Sub-Region(Cambridgeshire Horizons) 2006 Nature Conservation Strategy 2006Balanced and Mixed Communities– Good Practice Guidance– Cambridgeshire Horizons 2006

7. References

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD REFERENCES

48

Community Facilities in Cambridge:A Study of Future Provision andPlanning: Marilyn Taylor Associates,2003Providing Social and CommunityInfrastructure through the PlanningProcess – A Policy and Practice Review,Marilyn Taylor Associates, 2007Building Communities that are Healthyand Well in Cambridgeshire,Cambridge City and SouthCambridgeshire Health ImprovementPartnership, July 2008Facilities for Faith Communities in NewDevelopment in the CambridgeSub-Region, Three Dragons forCambridgeshire Horizons, November2008Learning from the Past – Buildingcommunity in new towns, growth areasand new communities, KeystoneDevelopment Trust, November 2009Cambridgeshire and PeterboroughWaste Local Plan, 2003Station Area Development Framework,2004Southern Fringe Area DevelopmentFramework, 2004Adopted North West Cambridge AreaAction Plan, 2009Adopted Cambridge East Area ActionPlan, 2008

REFERENCES PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

49

Methodology for Selecting andApplying Planning ObligationContributions to PotentialProjects

A1.0 Introduction

A1.1 In accordance with the provisions of thePlanning Obligation Strategy, developerscan, in certain agreed circumstances,make financial contributions to the City orCounty Councils for the provision orimprovement of infrastructure rather thandirectly providing such infrastructure as partof new development on site.

A2.0 Purpose

A2.1 The Planning Obligation Strategy sets outwhere possible, details of the potentialprojects towards which the City or CountyCouncil may allocate contributionsreceived. The main purpose of thisappendix is to provide more informationon how the lists of projects are compiledand how contributions from individualdevelopment sites are allocated to specificprojects on the lists.

A3.0 Key elements of monitoringplanning obligation contributions

A3.1 Where financial contributions are made bydevelopers in lieu of providinginfrastructure on site, they are usuallysubmitted to the City Council uponimplementation of development schemes

(with the exception of education, life-longlearning and transport contributions whichare submitted to the County Council). Thismeans that the timing of submission ofcontributions is dependent on thedeveloper's timescale for starting work onsite and bringing forward development.

A3.2 The level of contributions submitted canvary greatly from a few thousand poundsto hundreds of thousands of pounds. Inmany cases, contributions from individualdevelopments, particularly those fromdevelopments comprising less than 10residential units, will need to be pooled topay for the cost of projects.

A3.3 In order to register and keep track ofplanning obligation contributions submittedto the Council, the Council has developeda Section 106 database specifically tomonitor the submission and use ofplanning obligation contributions. When acontribution is received from a particulardevelopment site, it is allocated to aspecific cost centre set up for the relevantplanning application, the details of whichare then entered on to the Section 106database. When contributions are spent ortransferred, for example, to the ActiveCommunities team to pay for an openspace project, this expenditure is recordedon the database so that the use ofcontributions from receipt to expenditurecan be clearly traced. When thecontributions received from a particulardevelopment have been spent, thedeveloper is notified of the projects, whichthe contributions have been used to fund.

Appendix A

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD APPENDIX A

50

A4.0 How the list of potentialprojects are compiled and agreed

A4.1 The manner in which projects are identifiedfor potential funding from planningobligation contributions varies dependingon the type of infrastructure in question.Reasons for variations are that someprojects are delivered solely by the CityCouncil on land it has control over, somein partnership with other organisations andgroups, and some by the County Councilor other external organisations such as thePrimary Care Trust or Cambridge UniversityHospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Thevariations therefore reflect the particularcircumstances surrounding delivery ofprojects. Notwithstanding this, the followinggeneral criteria are borne in mind whenconsidering projects suitable for fundingfrom planning obligation contributions:

Projects must primarily provide orimprove facilities to cater for increasedusage and needs arising from residentsof new developments;

Provision of a range of projects ofdifferent types and sizes across the cityso that funding arising fromdevelopment sites can be used locallywhere possible;Planning obligation funding for projectsshould not replace or substitute existingCouncil funding/Central Governmentfunding or other more appropriatefunding resources.

A4.2 Where possible, lists of potential projectsfor funding are included in the PlanningObligation Strategy or associateddocuments such as the Area CorridorTransport Plans in order that, when thedocuments are adopted by the CityCouncil as Supplementary PlanningDocuments or technical guidance, theyinclude a clear and agreed framework forthe expenditure of contributions. The lists ofpotential projects are reviewed andupdated periodically, depending on thetype of projects.

APPENDIX A PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

51

Selection of ProjectsInfrastructure

Transport Strategic transport projectsStrategic transport improvement schemes towards which Area Transport Plancontributions are identified by City & County Council transport officers and subjectto consultation. The list of schemes are set out in each of the four Area TransportPlans. Schemes are selected on the basis that they all have the ability to significantlyimprove the 'people-moving' capacity of the area or the safety of users. Schemesare either contained within the Local Transport Plan or consistent with its coreobjectives.


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Open Spaceand Recreation

Improve Your Neighbourhood (IYN) is a annual programme developed by the CityCouncil to encourage and coordinate delivery of suggestions for new recreationand open space projects in the City. If approved, projects then form part of theCouncil's Open Space and Recreation programme, which uses planning obligationcontributions to fund improvements.

Individuals, groups, councillors and council officers can submit IYN ideas in anumber of ways:

Filling in a form in the Customer Service Centre or local community facilities;Filling in a form via the IYN page on the Council website;Telephoning the Customer Service Centre.

Ideas can be submitted at any time of the year and are assessed each Autumnbefore consideration by Area Committees. A working group made up of sectionsacross the Council makes an initial assessment of a project's viability. Theseassessments form the basis for recommendations made to each relevant AreaCommittee and eventually via scrutiny to the Executive Councillor for Arts &Recreation. Even at this point, the proposals are still only ideas, and their inclusionon the Open Space & Recreation Programme means that further work inconsulting stakeholders, including local residents, and assessing viability and costscan be undertaken. After this more extensive analysis, the scheme may then bebrought forward as a project appraisal for scrutiny and financial commitment.

A schedule for the remaining open space and recreation programme will beprepared by March the following year. This will indicate when work will beundertaken to consider and potentially move projects forward.

Officers attend Area Committees in the spring cycle to discuss lists of potential IYNschemes with ward councillors and local people.

A5.0 How are financialcontributions from a particulardevelopment site allocated toprojects on the lists?

A5.1 The allocation of contributions arisingfrom new developments to specificprojects is managed by the City Council'sPlanning Investigations and ObligationsManager who liaises with officers fromother departments in the City Council and

County Council and external stakeholdersas appropriate.

A5.2 The information set out below highlightsthe key ways in which decisions are madeon the allocation of contributions toprojects identified for potential fundingfrom planning obligations listed in thePlanning Obligation Strategy andassociated documents.

A5.3 Where possible, financial contributionsfrom development sites are allocated to


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CommunityFacilities (otherthan primaryhealthcarefacilities)

Primary healthcare facilities

Waste

Improvements to community facilities (other than primary healthcare facilities) arecurrently identified as projects which will help to meet the additional demandsbeing placed upon community facilities by new development in the city. Theseprojects are identified by the Head of Community Development and included in anannual Capital Plan. This Capital Plan is reviewed and agreed by CommunityServices Committee. If there is a particular project or options for development thatrelate to a specific part of the City, these proposals would be taken to the relevantArea Committee. As many of the projects will be delivered in partnership withcommunity groups and the voluntary sector, detailed assessments/projectappraisals will be carried out on proposals for funding individual projects by theCommunity Services Department before determining the extent of planningobligation contribution to be provided. Additional projects may be considered forfunding with the permission of the relevant Executive Councillor and the Chair ofthe relevant Area Committee or Community Services Scrutiny Committee.

The following criteria was used in selecting these projects:Projects must provide or improve community facilities to cater for increasedusage and needs arising from residents of new developments;Provision of a range of projects of different types and sizes across the city so thatfunding arising from development sites can be used locally where possible;Projects should be capable of delivery in the next 2-3 years if possible;Planning obligation funding for projects should not replace or substitute existingCouncil funding.

Expenditure will be in relation to projects identified in the consultation response onindividual planning applications by the Primary Care Trust.

Contributions will be spent on the provision of waste and recycling receptacles forthe specific development to which the contributions relate.

specific projects upon their submission tothe City Council/County Council. Wherethis is not possible, the financialcontributions will be held by the Council'sPlanning Investigations and ObligationsManager and will remain unspent until anappropriate project to which it can beallocated has been implemented orcompleted. Financial contributions will notnormally be allocated to projects untilthere is certainty that the specific projectwill proceed to completion.


54

Open Space and Recreation

A5.4 Where financial contributions areaccepted in lieu of provision on site, theyare normally categorised into the followingcategories. The list of potential projects forthe improvement or provision of openspace and recreation facilities is similarlycategorised.

Outdoor Sports FacilitiesIndoor Sports FacilitiesProvision for Children and TeenagersInformal Open SpaceAllotments

A5.5 The framework for allocation of planningcontributions from a particulardevelopment site is set out in the PlanningObligation Strategy and can besummarised as (see opposite page).

A5.6 When contributions towards open spaceand recreation are received from aparticular application, the contributionsare allocated on the basis set out above. Ifthere are no projects within the specifieddistance towards which contributions canbe allocated, consideration will be givento whether there are suitable schemes thatwill benefit residents across the city towhich the contributions can be allocated.

A5.7 Once sufficient funding is in place for aproject, the Active Communities Sectionwill, if appropriate, carry out consultationwith local residents and following thatdraw up the details of the scheme &arrange for its implementation. This mayinvolve submission of a planningapplication if one is required for theinfrastructure. With major projects, inparticular Outdoor and Indoor SportsFacilities projects, the Head of ActiveCommunities will advise on priorities forimplementing projects.

Community Facilities

A5.8 The types of community facility projects forpotential funding represent theimprovement or provision of a range ofcommunity facilities across the city. Inmany cases, these projects will be broughtforward in partnership with the voluntarysector and local community groups.Additionally, in many cases, planningobligation contributions are only one of anumber of grant sources needed in orderto bring forward community developmentprojects. Given the complexity involved indelivering such projects, potential projectson the list are evaluated in detail before adecision is made to commit planningobligation funding towards them.

A5.9 Where an organisation promoting such aproject wishes to apply for funding fromthe planning obligation contributions, theyneed to complete & submit a grantapplication to the Head of CommunityDevelopment. The application requiresinformation to be provided on thefollowing:

How the proposal addresses the impactof new development in the city; Size of catchments of target users;How the project contributes to theachievement community developmentobjectives; How the grant will be used; Project costs and timescale for delivery;Viability and risk; and Management issues.

A5.10 The Head of Community Developmentevaluates applications and whereappropriate presents a report to the CityCouncil's Community Services ScrutinyCommittee/Executive Councillor/relevantArea Committee as appropriate forapproval to allocate grant funding.


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Approach to expenditureCategory of recreation &open space contribution



Informal Open Space


Allotments (UrbanExtensions only)

Outdoor Sports Facilities are considered to be citywide facilities.Therefore contributions submitted towards Outdoor Sports Facilities willbe allocated to projects that will benefit residents across the city unlessa pressing need for improvement of formal open space facilities withinthe locality of the development site is identified.

Indoor Sports Facilities are considered to be citywide facilities.Therefore contributions submitted towards Indoor Sports Facilities willbe allocated to projects that will benefit residents across the city unlessa pressing need for improvement of formal open space facilities withinthe locality of the development site is identified.

It is expected that these facilities are normally located within areasonable walking/cycling distance from development and thereforecontributions will be spent on projects located on a geographical areaof the city basis where possible or on schemes which will benefitresidents across the city, for example on the commons and centralparks that are used by a wider city population.

Expenditure on Provision for Children and Teenagers will varydepending on the specific type of facility in question. The catchmentareas for the various types of play area provision are as follows:Toddler Play Areas – 60 metres, Local Play Areas – 240 metres,Neighbourhood Play Areas – 600 metres. Again, there may be someinstances where play area projects are centrally located and thereforehave a wider, citywide function, in which cases, the expenditure will beon a citywide basis. Youth provision may have a wider catchment areaas older children can travel independently to use facilities and theiraspirations are very different from those of younger children. It isenvisaged that most expenditure in relation to youth facilities would benormally area-based. However, some youth provision may have acitywide function e.g. Climbing Boulders, BMX facilities and in thoseinstances expenditure will be on a citywide basis. Allotment provision isonly applicable for the developments within the Urban Extensions.Consequently, in the exceptional circumstances that such provisioncannot be secured on site as part of the development, expenditure ofany commuted monies for provision of allotments will need to beelsewhere within the specific Urban Extension that generates therequirement to ensure that the facilities are accessible to the futurepopulation within that area.

Within the Urban Extension area in which the financial contributionrequirement is generated. However, it is anticipated that financialcontributions will be appropriate only in exceptional circumstances.

A5.11 Where possible, contributions receivedfrom a new development will be allocatedto a community facilities project that islikely to benefit residents of thedevelopment. Some of the projectsidentified on the list will benefit residentsacross the city, and where appropriate aproportion of contributions fromdevelopment sites may be allocatedtowards these.

A5.12 Where necessary, the Head of CommunityDevelopment will carry out consultation asappropriate to the particular project. Insome cases a planning application mayneed to be submitted for specificproposals.

A5.13 For Primary Healthcare Facilitiescontributions, expenditure will be theresponsibility of the Primary Care Trust.The Trust will indicate how contributionsare to be allocated in its consultationresponse to individual planningapplications and will be responsible forproviding regular progress reports to theCouncil in relation to expenditure.

Transport

Strategic Transport

A5.14 This relates to contributions made towardsthe implementation of the four AreaTransport Plans. Contributions fromspecific development sites will be allocatedto projects within the particular CorridorPlan within which the development site islocated.

A5.15 Contributions submitted towards the AreaTransport Plan projects are reviewed inconjunction with County Council officersquarterly. In allocating contributionstowards projects in each of the AreaTransport Plans, officers are mindful of thefollowing:

To ensure that a broad range ofschemes are given money;To ensure priority is given to schemeswhich need money to go ahead or areat a stage where they can go aheadvery quickly;To ensure that some money is re-paid toschemes that have already beenimplemented in advance of receivingArea Transport Plan contributions.

A6.0 How is the Use of PlanningObligations ContributionsMonitored?

A6.1 Overall responsibility for managing andmonitoring the use of planning obligationcontributions rests with the PlanningInvestigations and Obligations Manager.Reports on the management,administration and monitoring of planningobligation contributions are presented tothe Environment Scrutiny Committeeannually. Quarterly figures of receipts andexpenditure and sums committed tovarious projects will be published forpublic access on the Section 106webpage.

A6.2 A Member Planning Obligation SteeringGroup exists for consultation on planningobligations matters. In addition, it isintended to develop the Website further toprovide more public information on theuse of planning obligation contributions.

A6.3 On the basis that the standard charges foradministration and monitoring of planningobligations set out in the Strategy areimplemented, it is intended to continue toemploy within the Planning Investigationsand Obligations team, a dedicatedplanning obligations monitoring officerwho will take primary responsibility for theadministration and monitoring of planningobligations in the future.


56

Basis for Calculation of Costs ofOpen Space Provision

B1.0 Outdoor & Indoor SportsFacilities

Overall standard 1.2 ha/000. This is made up of provision forindividual sports, as set out in the OpenSpace and Recreation Strategy 2006,summarised below.

Grass Pitches for football, cricketand rugbyMade up of:Football: 1 adult pitch/1,026 people

Cricket: 1 Field/11,580 peopleRugby: 1 Pitch/12,580 people

Artificial Turf PitchesPrincipal use – hockey1 pitch/25,170 people

Tennis Courts3 courts (0.18 ha)/3,000 people

Bowling Greens1 Green/11,000 peopleIndoor Sports1 Sports Hall for 13,000 people(4 court hall)1 Swimming Pool for 50,000 people

APPENDIX B PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

Appendix B

57

Cost of pitchSport

Football

Cricket

Rugby

ATP

Tennis

Bowling

Total Outdoor

Sports Hall

Swimming Pool

Total Indoor

£80,000

£35,000

£80,000

£585,000

£65,500

£100,000

£2,750,000

£2,850,000

Catchment population

1,026

11,580

12,580

25,170

1,000

11,000

13,000

50,000

Cost/person

£77.97

£3.02

£6.36

£23.24

£65.50

£9.09

£185.18

£211.54

£57.00

£268.54

Table B1: Costs of Provision of Outdoor & Indoor Sports Provision

Source: Sport England Website 1st Quarter 2010 www.sportengland.org Cricket & Bowling supplied by Active Communities and the England Cricket Board.

Indoor – not appropriate to seekmaintenance

Total Cost Outdoor Sports per person:Provision £185.18, Maintenance£53.29, Total Cost: £ £238.47

Total Cost Indoor Sports per person:£268.54

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD APPENDIX B

58

External works (car parks, roads, paths, services connections etc) are included at an average rate of 15% addition to thecost of the works, and fees at 5%

Pavilion/changing rooms not included. This would add significantly to cost. Difficult to justify because currently projects onwhich money will be spent do not include pavilions. It would still be possible to spend money on pavilions directly linkedwith sports provision.

Cost of 12 year maintenanceof pitch/court

Sport

Football

Cricket

Rugby

ATP

Tennis

Bowling

TotalMaintenance

£19,800

£98,400

£19,800

£130,000

£8,400

£114,000

Catchment population

1,026

11,580

12,580

25,170

1,000

11,000

Cost / person

£19.30

£8.50

£1.57

£5.16

£8.40

£10.36

£53.29

Table B2: Cost for Maintenance of Outdoor Provision

Source: City Council's Active Communities Team

Total Cost for Children & Teenagers:Provision: £228,890, Maintenance: £87,480,Total Cost: £316,370,Total Cost: per person £316.37


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Table B3: Cost of provision and maintenance

ProvisionFacility

NEAP

Basketball Half Court

Youth Shelter

Bench

Kickabout area

Total

Total external works,contingency, fees

£134,400

£25,000

£10,000

£1,000

£3,000

£173,400

£228,890

12 year maintenance

£66,000

£7,200

£3,600

£1,440

£9,240

£87,480

Source: Provision of NEAP: Landscape Partnership June 2006, rest: City Council's Active Communities Team. Provisionincludes addition of 15% to cover external works and 12% to cover contingency/preliminary costs and 5% to cover fees.

B2.0 Provision for Children &Teenagers

Standards: 0.3 ha/000 people

NEAP plus suite of activities on 0.3 ha site

Total Cost 0.8 hectare site: Provision: £60,840, Maintenance £46,624,Total £107,464

Total Cost for Informal Open Space per person:£242

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD APPENDIX B

60

Table B4: Example Costings for 0.8 ha site (serving 444 people)

Provision

Grassland/pasture 3500 m²

Mown Grass 2000 m²

Shrub 500 m²

Woodland/Aquatic 2000 m²

20 Park trees

Hedgerow 300m

Pond

5 Benches

Paths cyclist & pedestrian 300m

Footpath 600m

Interpretation Board

3 Bins

Total

Inc Contingency & fees

£2,450

£1,000

£2,000

£10,000

£3,000

£3,000

£5,000

£5,000

£9,000

£9,000

£1,500

£1,050

£52,000

£60,840

12 year maintenance

£1,260

£2,400

£1,800

£19,200

£480

£2,520

£4

£2,100

£10,800

£3,600

£1,200

£1,260

£46,624

Source: The Landscape Partnership (Draft Landscape and Open Space Strategy for Cambridge Southern Fringe, June2006) and amended by Active Communities. Includes 12% to cover contingency/preliminary costs and 5% to cover fees.

B3.0 Informal Open Space Covers recreation grounds, parks and natural greenspaces.

Facility

Total cost 0.4 ha site: £52,056Total Cost per person: £52.06


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ProvisionFacility

Hard standing/Water supply

280m Fencing(1.8 m high)

Total

Including Contingency/preliminary costs 12%,fees 5%

£20,000

£11,000

£31,000

£5,456

Maintenance/annum

£800

£500

12 year Maintenance

£9,600

£6,000

£15,600

Source: The Landscape Partnership (costings given for approximately 0.2 hectare) with updated information from ActiveCommunities.

B4.0 Allotments Standard: 0.4 ha/000, urban extensionsonly. Normally to be provided on-site,but if commuted payments sought usefigure £52.06/person.

Table B5

Education Section from2004 PlanningObligations StrategyPolicy framework andestablishing the impact of newdevelopments

3.3.1 Policy CS9 of the 1996 Cambridge LocalPlan states that where residentialdevelopment creates extra demand forschool places but there is insufficientcapacity to meet it, that developers willbe expected to contribute to meeting thisadditional demand. Additionally PolicyCS2 requires residential development,where relevant, to provide forappropriate community facilities to meetthe needs of future residents. Communityfacilities to which this policy relatesinclude educational and caring facilities.

3.3.2 Within Cambridge, there are forty stateschools, a significant number of privateschools, facilities for pre-schoolchildcare, in addition to libraries andother facilities which facilitate life-longlearning.

3.3.3 Additional house building taking placewithin the city as well as a recentincrease in the childbirth rate particularlyamong women over 30, has increasedthe demand for school places and forpre-school provision. On average every100 new dwellings is likely to generate25 pre-school aged children, 25 primaryschool aged children and 20 secondaryschool aged children (source: CountyCouncil Education Department).

Methodology for calculatingcontributions and theirapplication to developmentproposals

3.3.4 The additional pressure new residentialdevelopments will place on educationalfacilities is assessed by the CountyCouncil. With respect to school places,the capacity of educationalestablishments is calculated in relation tothe permanent accommodation availablein light of modernisations andrationalisations that are in progress. Theadditional space requirements of childrenwith special needs are also taken intoaccount. The capacity in the local area iscompared with the commitments forspace derived from pupils coming fromexisting residential areas and previouslyapproved housing developments. If ashortfall in accommodation isanticipated, then an appropriatecontribution is sought from the developerto fund the shortfall in places.

ANNEX 1 PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

Annex 1

63

3.3.5 With pre-school facilities, demandsignificantly exceeds current provision ona citywide basis, and this situation can beexacerbated by new residentialdevelopment across the city. Additionallynew residential development can increasedemand on libraries and other facilitieswhich facilitate life-long learning,particularly in regard to equipment andspace available.

3.3.6 In view of the number of smallerresidential developments currently takingplace in the city and their incrementalimpact on the capacity of educationalfacilities, the following methodology willbe applied in calculating contributionstowards mitigating their impact.

3.3.7 Primary school and secondary schoolprovision– planning applications for residentialdevelopment of four or more dwellingunits will be assessed in terms of theirimpact on the capacity of primary andsecondary schools in the local area.Where it is considered that there isinsufficient capacity to meet the demandfor school places arising from thedevelopment, a contribution will berequired towards the creation ofadditional school places as set outbelow:

3.3.8 Pre-sschool facilities– in view of the lack of capacity ofpre-school facilities in the city, planningapplications for residential developmentof four or more dwelling units will beassessed in terms of their impact on thecapacity of pre-school facilities. Where it

is considered that there is insufficientcapacity to meet the likely demandarising from the development, acontribution will be required towards thecreation or improvement of pre-schoolfacilities as set out below:

3.3.9 Libraries and life-llong learning facilities– In view of the pressure put on life-longlearning facilities by new residentialdevelopment both locally and on acitywide basis, it is proposed thatplanning applications for residentialdevelopments of four or more dwellingunits will be assessed in terms of theirimpact on the capacity of libraries andlife-long learning facilities in the area.Where it is considered that there isinsufficient capacity to meet the likelydemand arising from new development acontribution towards improvements willbe sought as follows:

3.3.10 Residential developments which will notbe required to contribute to primary,secondary and pre-school provision are:

Developments comprisingone-bedroomed dwellings or flats; Developments for sheltered or elderlyhousing; Developments for studentaccommodation; Developments for other specialisthousing where it can be demonstratedthat the accommodation will not beoccupied by children; Developments of 'total' affordablehousing schemes which are developedby Registered Social Landlords where it

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD ANNEX 1

64

£1350 perdwelling unit


Primary education contributionwhere no capacity

Secondary educationcontribution where no capacity


Pre-sschool contribution


Life-llong learning contribution

is demonstrated that future residents ofthe scheme are already livingelsewhere in Cambridge. ('Total'affordable housing schemes are thosewhich are not developed as a result ofthe requirements of Local Plan policyH07).

3.3.11 Residential developments which will notbe required to contribute to life-longlearning provision are:

developments for studentaccommodation; and developments of 'total' affordablehousing schemes which are developedby Registered Social Landlords where itis demonstrated that future residents ofthe scheme are already livingelsewhere in Cambridge. ('Total'affordable housing schemes are thosewhich are not developed as a result ofthe requirements of Local Plan policyH07).

Framework for expenditure ofcontributions

3.3.12 Contributions for educationalimprovements are used by the CountyCouncil to help fund improvements tocreate new school places and pre-schoolplaces where needed, as well asimprovements to life-long learningfacilities such as libraries. In identifyingthe need for contributions to thesefacilities, the County Council will identifyhow the contributions are to be spent inmitigating the impact of newdevelopment.

ANNEX 1 PLANNING OBLIGATIONS STRATEGY SPD

65