Draft Development Contributions SPD - September 2022

(5) 7 HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

7.1.1 The NPPF requires us to plan positively for the provision and use of shared spaces, community facilities and other local services to enhance the sustainability of communities and residential environments^[30].

7.1.2 The Local Plan recognises that the provision of adequate social infrastructure is essential to the successful delivery of the levels of growth over the plan period. Social infrastructure encompasses a range of facilities, including but not limited to: health services, educational facilities, libraries, arts and cultural facilities, community facilities, and indoor sports and leisure facilities.

7.1.3 Local Plan Policy SP10 Healthy communities states that the Council will work with

• Hertfordshire County Council as the Local Education Authority, as well as other education providers to ensure sufficient school places to meet the needs of the population. This includes early years, primary, secondary and sixth-form education along with special needs services and facilities;
• the NHS Trust and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and other relevant providers to ensure that adequate healthcare facilities are available; and
• Other providers to deliver appropriate levels of new community, cultural, leisure and built sport and recreational facilities.

7.1.4 Policy ETC8 Tourism sets out that planning permission will be granted where development increases attractiveness of the District as a tourist destination and delivers sustainable tourist and visitor attractions in appropriate locations.

7.1.5 Hertfordshire County Council is responsible for collecting contributions towards a number of the facilities identified in this section. The Council will be guided by their response(s) in determining measures required to mitigate impacts upon relevant social infrastructure. Hertfordshire County Council Guide to Developer Infrastructure Contributions^[31] provides an indication of the scale of requests they are likely to make in response to planning application consultations, along with the associated justification.

7.1.6 Taken together, requests for social infrastructure are normally the largest single 'ask' of applicants on new development schemes. We will have regard to these requests in accordance with the general approach set out in Section 2 of this document. The Council will consider potential for other sources of funding, such as direct funding from Government departments or agencies, when planning new social infrastructure provision.

7.2 Education and early years

7.2.1 Planning applications, especially those relating to the largest developments will be expected to contribute to education provision serving the development. This may include serviced land as well as financial contributions. Discussions should be undertaken at an early stage with Hertfordshire County Council to ensure appropriate and well-located facilities^[32] can be delivered in a timely way. This includes having regard to the Hertfordshire County Council Guide to Developer Infrastructure Contributions^[33] to determine the demand for school and early years places based on forecasted child yield.

7.2.2 Where education mitigation is required, the financial contributions from the development will be based on the proposed education project. In some cases, this may require contributions from smaller-scale developments towards new school provision, which will be based on the costs of new school provision. Where a development site includes new education provision on-site, be it expansion to an existing school or a new school, then the provision of, and/or contributions towards, serviced land will also be required. Hertfordshire County Council have a land specification which should be adhered to wherever practicable.

7.2.3 A number of sites in the Local Plan contain policy requirements to provide land for education requirements arising from (planned developments in) the wider area. In these instances, requests for financial contributions towards the construction of built facilities on this land will be proportionate having regard to the likely pupil yield of the individual development(s). The balance of funding to deliver the facilities will be derived from other developments in the area or other sources.

7.3 Youth Provision

7.3.1 Given that youth work provided by YC Hertfordshire is predominantly delivered from locally accessible buildings and tailored to youth projects, developments may be required to contribute to increasing the services and capacity to accommodate the needs of any additional young people brought about through housing development. This is most likely to create a need for additional buildings or enhancing / improving / developing an existing centre or space.

7.3.2 Discussions should be undertaken at an early stage with Hertfordshire County Council to ensure that there is sufficient capacity of youth facilities to mitigate the implications of the proposed development. This includes having regard to the Hertfordshire County Council Guide to Developer Infrastructure Contributions to determine the level of contributions expected to be provided from the proposed development.

7.4 Health

7.4.1 The largest development sites should make provision for new, on-site healthcare facilities and this will be secured through legal agreements.

7.4.2 Where land is transferred to the NHS this will be provided as freehold transfer or rent free.

7.4.3 The threshold for on-site provision is set out in the table below. The East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust deliver hospital services and GP surgeries and other secondary facilities are primarily managed by the East and North Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

7.4.4 Requests for health contributions are normally based upon the following standard formula. Please note that the figures below are subject to change over time and may be index linked to reflect this.

7.4.6 For health contributions of less than £250,000 the Council will not require the NHS to be signatories to planning obligations. For strategic sites and any contributions greater than £250,000 the Council will require the NHS to be direct recipients of any funds from developers at payment stage, either as signatories to associated legal agreements or recipients of funds from unilateral undertakings from developers.

7.5 Indoor sports facilities

7.5.1 In line with Local Plan policy SP10: Healthy communities the Council will support the retention of existing leisure facilities and require appropriate levels of leisure and sport and recreation facilities to be provided in new development. Where replacement facilities are required by Policy HC1: Community facilities, these will be secured by legal agreement and / or Grampian condition upon the site which is to be redeveloped.

7.5.2 New developments will be expected to contribute proportionately towards the provision of additional facilities to meet future demands. The most up to date Indoor Sports Facilities Strategy and Action Plan sets out a series of management and programming actions and this should be used to identify projects for future developer contributions.

7.6 Arts, culture and public realm

7.6.1 Arts and culture contributions may relate to museums, arts or heritage assets. Contributions may also be sought for public realm improvements that improve the attractiveness and character of the District.

7.6.2 It is recognised that a number of the proposed allocations in the Local Plan are extensive greenfield sites. These may yield a significant quantity of archaeological material when they are explored in compliance with Policy HE4 of the plan. This is particularly the case in areas of known historic importance such as the land around Baldock.

7.6.3 Contributions may be sought towards new public facilities that allow the preservation and display of archaeological remains; to enhance and/or expand existing facilities; or to deliver improvements to a heritage asset in situ.

7.6.4 The Council will seek contributions towards other public realm and public facilities, including public conveniences, where necessary and reasonable. This is underpinned by policy D1 Sustainable Design that seeks to create or enhance public realm and design-out opportunities for crime and anti-social behaviour.

7.7 Libraries

7.7.1 Library provision can range from large central libraries within towns to community libraries, resource centres providing electronic access to services within multi-use buildings and mobile facilities.

7.7.2 Hertfordshire County Council has a statutory duty to provide a library service and applicants should have regard to Hertfordshire County Council Guide to Developer Infrastructure Contributions ^[34] to inform the contributions required.

7.8 Community facilities including Town and Village Halls

7.8.1 The Plan's policies require that appropriate community hall facilities are available and that new facilities are provided where needed as a result of development proposals.

7.8.2 The Council will encourage the development and use of such facilities as multi-functional community centres. These can act as 'hubs', offering a range of facilities to support the creation of sustainable communities.

7.8.3 The most up to date Community Halls Strategy for North Hertfordshire includes an Action Plan that can be used to inform required developer contributions. Further projects may be set out in Neighbourhood Plans, Parish Council strategies or similar. Engagement with the appropriate Parish, Town or Community Councils should be undertaken.

7.8.4 Where new community centres are to be provided within new development, the Council will expect, in most instances, the freehold of the new centre to be transferred to the Council for a nominal fee and for appropriate ongoing management arrangements to be demonstrated. It will be incumbent on the developer to evidence the proposed management arrangements and potential contributions towards on-going management to be proportionate and sustainable.

7.9 Fire and rescue services and community safety

7.9.1 Hertfordshire County Council is the Fire Authority and has a statutory duty to ensure that all developments are provided with adequate water supplies for fire- fighting as well as provision is made for emergency response arrangements under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004^[35].

7.9.2 Conditions will be used to ensure that the developer provides fire hydrants based on one hydrant within 90 metres of each property. The Hertfordshire County Council Guide for Developer Contributions contains technical advice and recommended wording for planning conditions for fire hydrants.

7.9.3 The provision of adequate water supplies for firefighting purposes e.g. suitable and sufficient water mains and hydrants should be determined at the same time as the water services are planned in detail. This is usually following planning consent.

7.9.4 The ability for large-scale developments to be adequately served by fire and rescue services will be assessed on an individual basis. Any impacts will need to be addressed through planning conditions and/ or obligations. This may be through the provision a new fire station or an extension to an existing facility.

7.9.5 Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service on behalf of the Fire Authority would always recommend consideration for the placement of sprinkler systems in all buildings and new developments to form part of an integrated fire safety provision.

7.9.6 Contributions may be sought from development schemes which have the potential to increase the demand on the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) as currently provided across the respective Council area. In those cases, HFRS may seek planning obligations towards fire and rescue services.

7.9.7 Police services are provided through the Office of The Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire and contribute to the overall well – being of local communities. Police infrastructure comprises fixed property and technology assets; and human resources, which includes Local Community Policing, victim support, and crime reduction initiatives such as use of CCTV. These can arise either locally, or as a result of cross – boundary considerations where scale and efficiency of operation require policing facilities to be located out with the boundaries of the local authority. The Council will therefore require development, where required and appropriate, to contribute towards the delivery of policing infrastructure to serve new developments and mitigate against their impact upon existing police resources.

7.9.8 In line with Local Plan Policy D1 Sustainable Design applicants, should demonstrate that opportunities for crime and anti-social behaviour have been designed-out. Hertfordshire Constabulary will be consulted on planning applications where it is considered that there may be an impact in terms of community safety.

7.9.9 Where it is expected that the proposed development will generate a need for extra policing, resources and extensions to or new police buildings, this will be sought through legal agreements.

7.9.10 Contributions towards CCTV will be sought on a case-by-case basis where needed to cover the cost of equipment, installation, maintenance and running costs.

7.10 Information Technology

7.10.1 Internet and mobile coverage across the District are generally quite good, though there are pockets where this is not the case, particularly in more rural areas.

7.10.2 All new developments should be able to plan-in the provision of high quality (superfast) communication infrastructure in consultation with providers. Early engagement is recommended. This avoids the need to retrofit cabling or other required facilities in recently completed schemes. It also increases the saleability of new properties. Where appropriate, we will secure the provision of high-speed connectivity with new development, normally by condition.

7.10.3 Where development is proposed in an area that currently has a lower quality of coverage, the Council may additionally seek contributions towards wider projects aimed at boosting high-speed communications coverage. This will help to ensure that North Hertfordshire residents have the best possible access.

7.10.4 This approach supports the rise in homeworking and the need to manage private vehicle use in accordance with local and county transport policy.