Councillor Fran McElhone

Why isn’t any infrastructure mentioned in the East Devon Local Plan 2020 – 2042?!

This is a good (and obvious) question emailed to me by a concerned 84-year-old resident of my ward of Exmouth Halsdon over Christmas and one which I was keen to get to the bottom of.

On the face of it, if you read the Local Plan, the lack of mention of any associated infrastructure is very concerning! All these new houses are being suggested and a few footpaths, but where is the detail about improved or additional public services and utilities that surely must be needed for such increased development to be sustainable?!

Apparently there is no cause for concern; there are separate documents acknowledging infrastructure need and outlining proposed additions, for example, the Infrastructure Delivery Plan which lists confirmed projects, developed in consultation with other key stakeholders such as Devon County Council, Network Rail, the Environment Agency and South West Water.

Regarding what associated infrastructure we can expect to accompany the housing developments specified in the Local Plan to ensure they are sustainable, this is slightly more vague. Here’s why…

Firstly, by way of reassurance, the matter of infrastructure isn’t being ignored in the Local Plan, it’s just that at the draft Local Plan stage, specific infrastructure needs aren’t known so the details are firmed up once developments have got the go-ahead.

This is for three reasons:

1. Projects considered together: if there are two developments close by, the impact of those two sites will be considered jointly and associated infrastructure delivered accordingly, once the developers have stated what it is needed.

• On-site infrastructure and off-site infrastructure are dealt with differently: when developments are large enough to require up-front infrastructure plans, details are required at the time. For most sites though, required infrastructure is decided later in the process when the specific needs have been identified and details provided.

• Section 106 funds, which must be paid by developers on sites over a certain scale, is collected later in the process.

* Section 106 funding is a legally required contribution from developers to local authorities to mitigate the impact of new developments to pay for essential community infrastructure and services such as schools, roads, and green spaces.