DEL1 - Approach to development delivery and viability, planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy
The Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan has now been adopted! To find out more please visit the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan: Adoption page.
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The LPAs will take a positive and strategic approach to the use of their powers in relation to planning consents, planning obligations or agreements and, for Plymouth, the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), in order to accelerate the delivery of development and secure developer contributions to meet the infrastructure needs of the city. This approach will involve:
- Positive use of planning conditions (including where appropriate varying from the standard three year time consent for commencement of development) to encourage early delivery and a strong pipeline of projects.
- Positive use of CIL for the securing of developer contributions towards Plymouth’s infrastructure requirements.
- Seeking to negotiate planning obligations where they are needed to:
- Prescribe the nature of the development so that it meets policy requirements (such as the delivery of affordable housing).
- Offset the loss of any significant amenity or resource through compensatory provision elsewhere (such as an impact on wildlife, loss of employment uses, loss of community facilities).
- Provide for the ongoing maintenance of facilities provided as a result of the development, or secure commuted maintenance sums for facilities that a developer would like the responsible agency to adopt.
- Mitigate the impact of development on infrastructure, including its cumulative impact, through direct provision or a financial infrastructure contribution, including on natural infrastructure and European sites.
- Maximising the effectiveness of developer contributions secured through prioritising their use as a match funding / gap funding source, linked to other infrastructure funding, and through programming spend in accordance with a 'Plan for Investment and Infrastructure'.
- Requiring robust viability evidence to be submitted where a developer contends that planning obligations sought, including for affordable housing, would make a proposal economically unviable. The LPAs will seek an open book approach in these cases. In determining whether or not to grant planning permission, the LPAs will have regard to the overall economic, social and environmental benefits of the development and whether, on balance, some relaxation of planning obligations is justified.
