Infrastructure Funding Statement 2024-25
Chapter 6 - Future spending priorities
Government guidance states that Infrastructure Funding Statements should set out future spending priorities on infrastructure and affordable housing in accordance with up to date or emerging local plan policies.
Local Plan infrastructure requirements
The Council adopted the new Local Plan for the district in October 2024. Ensuring that the right infrastructure is provided in the right place, at the right time, to support the scale of growth identified in the Plan will be integral to its successful delivery.
The Local Plan includes Policy SP11 - Infrastructure and Developer Contributions. This policy enables the Council to require new or enhanced infrastructure through Planning Obligations. This policy applied to all major development proposals.
The need for affordable housing is essential and the future requirements are set out in a separate Strategic Policy in the Local Plan, Policy SP5. This sets out a requirement that 30% of housing in new developments (over 10 units or 0.5ha or 6 units in Designated rural areas) must be affordable housing, with the exception of the existing Dover Urban Area, where viability work has concluded that it is not economically viable to provide affordable housing.
Strategic transport improvements are also a key infrastructure priority for the district. The Local Plan contains Policy SP12 - Strategic Transport Infrastructure, which covers the highway network, and bus and rail infrastructure. The policy specifically covers the strategic highway network improvements needed at Whitfield and Duke of York Roundabouts and other A2 strategic junctions. In addition, the policy supports the longer-term improvements proposed by National Highways to implement the A2 Dover Access Project. With regards to rail and bus infrastructure, the policy supports the reduced journey time proposals for HS1, the continued delivery of the Dover Fastrack bus service and other local bus service provision.
In addition, the Local Plan includes Development Management policies which set out how some of the more local infrastructure requirements set out in Policy SP11 should be provided / calculated to meet the needs of new development. These include policies for Providing Open Space, Play, Sports Provision and Community Facilities and Services, and several in relation to local transport and active travel, in addition to the requirement for Special Protected Area Strategic Access Mitigation and Monitoring Strategy (SPA SAMMS).
Priority Emerging and Future Projects - Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP)
The Local Plan is supported by a number of background documents, some of which include an audit of current infrastructure provision and highlights the future needs for certain types of infrastructure across the district. For site specific allocations within the Local Plan, the priority for Infrastructure is set out in the policy wording. This is all then detailed within the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (the IDP).
The IDP identifies specific infrastructure needs for the District over the plan period, covering all types of infrastructure services such as education, health, community, sports and open spaces, transport, water and other utilities which relate to Policy SP11. It sets out the priority of the infrastructure and expected delivery methods where this is known. It also includes detail of already planned infrastructure improvements / projects and how and when it will be delivered. The latest version (July 2023) of the IDP and appendices can be viewed here:
Key projects identified as short-term priorities for the district, to be in part or fully funded by developer contributions include:
£1.5 million of unallocated funding is available for affordable housing. Allocating this funding to appropriate affordable housing projects within the district remains a spending priority for the council. See the affordable housing projects planned or currently being built.
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