Funding from developers, secured in planning applications approved in 2023/24, will bring major benefits to communities across Dover District – including more than £1.5m for areas including education, health, travel, sports and play areas.
Other benefits include on-site affordable housing at developments at Buckland Mill in Dover, and south west of London Road, Deal.
Dover District Council’s Cabinet approved the Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) at its meeting on Monday (7 October).
The statement, which is required by Government, provides a summary of developer contributions, secured through Section 106 agreements, which are used to provide infrastructure to support new development and offset their impacts on the wider area.
A range of key planning obligations agreed in 2023/24 includes:
- £250,560 NHS contribution
- £572,042 towards secondary education
- £144,658 towards sustainable travel
- £109,000 towards highways (general and strategic)
- £111,408 towards primary education
- £64,437 towards children’s equipped play
- £61,690 towards outdoor sport.
The statement also sets out planning obligation funds spent or transferred in 2023/24. This includes over £1 million in contributions towards education, nearly £400k towards affordable housing schemes, and just under £250k towards the Aylesham area on-demand bus service.
Cllr Edward Biggs, DDC Cabinet Member for Planning and Built Environment, said: “As we plan for much needed new homes in our district, we continue to work with developers to help provide the key infrastructure that is needed to support these new developments. This statement helps people to see what developers contribute to the district as major developments take shape. We work hard to secure the right infrastructure for the community to build a better future for the district.”
For more information, please see the report to Cabinet, or see the Infrastructure Funding Statement on the DDC website.
Notes:
Developer contributions is a collective term which includes planning contributions, (known as Section 106 agreements after Section 106 of the Planning Act). These are planning tools that can be used to secure financial and non-financial contributions or other works to provide infrastructure to support development and mitigate the impact of development.
For more information on Section 106 agreements, please see the DDC website.
In accordance with DDC’s constitution, executive decisions made by Cabinet are subject to call-in by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The period for call-in expires four working days after the record of decision is published. Therefore, the information contained in this release may be subject to further review and changes and may not reflect the final decision.
Posted on 08 October 2024