Infrastructure FAQs

Q1 Who provides the infrastructure for these new developments?
Q2 How is new infrastructure funded? What are Developer Contributions?
Q3 How will our infrastructure such as GPs, schools and roads cope with an increase in residents?
Q4 How will the roads cope with additional pressure as a result of development?

Q1 Who provides the infrastructure for these new developments?

Much of the required infrastructure is provided for by Surrey County Council. The County are responsible for highways and education provision in Spelthorne. Other key stakeholders involved in infrastructure provision include water suppliers such as Thames Water and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). The CCGs are clinically-led statutory NHS bodies which are responsible for the planning and commissioning of health care services for their local area. We are engaging with these key infrastructure stakeholders as part of the on-going work for the Local Plan as well the CIL process. We have a dedicated group of officers, the Infrastructure Advisory Group (IAG), who are meeting with these providers to discuss infrastructure needs and shortfalls.

Q2 How is new infrastructure funded? What are Developer Contributions?

Developer contributions is a term mainly used to refer to the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Planning Obligations (commonly referred to as 'Section 106' or 'S106' obligations). These are planning tools that can be used to secure financial and non-financial contributions (including affordable housing), or other works, to provide infrastructure to support development and mitigate the impact of development. 

CIL is a mandatory contribution for all residential development and based on increase in floorspace. Spelthorne Borough Council has been collecting CIL since 2015. CIL can be spent on a broad range of infrastructure such as schools, transport, parks and open spaces and community and health facilities and this is often known as Strategic CIL, as this funding does not have to be spent at the development site but can be used within the wider area to provide infrastructure.  CIL however should not be used to fund solutions to existing issues such as traffic management or repairs to existing infrastructure.

S106 obligations are secured through legal agreements with developers to provide the funding for the infrastructure identified as necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms.  Therefore, there is still a legitimate role for development planning obligations to enable a local planning authority to be confident that the specific consequences of development can be mitigated.  It is possible that both CIL and s106 obligations can be secured in association with one development site and this is especially justifiable where the size and impact of the development is considered to have effects on a larger area for which these must be mitigated. 

Q3 How will our infrastructure such as GPs, schools and roads cope with an increase in residents?

We are working with infrastructure providers, including healthcare, education and highways, so they can plan for our future growth. By having a Local Plan in place, this will identify areas which are lacking in services and other social facilities which can be addressed over the Plan period. There is funding available to help support this from contributions developers will pay when they build their sites.

Infrastructure will be dealt with through the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) which will support the Local Plan. The IDP identifies the Borough's infrastructure requirements including social, physical and green infrastructure. The IDP sets out what is needed, where it is needed and when it is needed.

Through the IDP and the Local Plan we will be able to identify infrastructure needs, as well as shortfalls, in order to facilitate the Borough's forecasted growth. Once site allocations have been finalised through the plan we will be able to look at the infrastructure needs on a site specific basis.

Q4 How will the roads cope with additional pressure as a result of development?

Surrey County Council undertook traffic modelling for the new Preferred Options Local Plan, which can be found within the Draft Strategic Highways Assessment document. This considered the highways impacts of the Preferred Options draft allocations and will be updated to reflect the pre-submission plan and draft allocations that are chosen as a result of the amended strategy.

As part of the new Local Plan, we are seeking to encourage sustainable and active transport modes to minimise short car journeys to enable residents to have the opportunities to take up these.