Policy WS/NC: Meeting the needs of new and growing Communities

1. New development will be required to include or contribute to the delivery of the services and facilities necessary to meet the needs of the development and mitigate the impact of development on existing local facilities. 

2. The scale and range of facility and service provision or contribution must be appropriate to the level of need (including the specific needs of different demographic groups) generated by the development, and it must be adaptable to population growth and demographic changes. In making assessments of need and the timing of delivery of the facility or service, regard must be had to: 

  a. the capacity, quality, and accessibility of existing facilities in the locality; and 

  b. any local strategies recognised by the Local Planning Authorities that seek to improve public health, social and cultural wellbeing, and the sustainability of communities. 

3. Developments of sufficient scale to generate the need for new on-site facilities will be required to do so, unless it can be demonstrated that there would be advantages in delivering the facilities off site. Acceptable provision and arrangements will be determined in consultation with service providers. 

4. Proposals for residential sites of 200 or more dwellings (or groups of smaller sites which cumulatively exceed this figure) and employment development of over 5000m2 must be informed by detailed assessments of community needs and include strategies that address identified needs. Submitted strategies to meet community needs must demonstrate that the local community and stakeholder groups have been engaged to guide the provision of community, facilities to be introduced as part of the site-wide development strategy. Measures may be required to assist the development of a new community, such as through community development workers.

Indoor community facilities 

5. All housing developments will contribute towards the provision of indoor community facilities to meet the need generated by the development. Developments of sufficient scale to generate the need for new on-site facilities will be required to do so, unless it can be demonstrated that there would be advantages in off-site delivery. Other developments will contribute to off-site provision through planning obligations or through the Community

Includes transport, energy, water, waste, digital/smart, social and green infrastructure.

Levy as appropriate. Contributions will be based on a standard of 129m2 of such floorspace per 1,000 additional population. 

Implementation 

6. The timely delivery of services and facilities will be required, including the provision of key services and facilities in early phases of the development. Phasing will be established through planning obligations or conditions, and this may include requirements for the use of meanwhile or temporary uses to ensure local needs can be supported until permanent facilities are delivered. 

7. As appropriate to the nature of facilities and services provided, the developer will prepare management and maintenance strategies, to be approved by the Local Planning Authority, to ensure robust and effective implementation, adoption and maintenance in the long term. 

The delivery of new or improved facilities and services to support new development in a timely and phased manner will be an important element in ensuring the sustainable implementation of new growth in

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

. 

New large-scale major developments will need to include a wide range of services and facilities to establish successful communities. Smaller developments will not usually need to include new services and facilities on-site but may need to contribute to the expansion of existing facilities and sometimes provide land for that expansion. The provision of facilities and services will be secured via a planning obligation or through a Community

Includes transport, energy, water, waste, digital/smart, social and green infrastructure.

Levy contribution (CIL). 

Developments that are expected to attract many additional employees and, or visitors to an area should ensure that there is sufficient capacity, in terms of ancillary provision to avoid adversely affecting local amenity. This is particularly important for local sports provision. Day commuters may well want to link their commute/working day with some sort of sports activity. If sufficient capacity is not provided on-site, then off-site contributions towards public facilities should be made to support and improve local amenity. 

Securing the delivery of services and facilities in the early phases of large-scale developments will be critical to ensure their success, helping to generate a strong sense of community belonging and connection, delivering strong community cohesion and promoting sustainable patterns of movement from the outset. Where possible, proposals should consider where there may be opportunity for future residents to be involved in the detailed design of such proposals and services, reflecting that these will meet their needs primarily as well as those of existing nearby residents. This should also include clear proposals for the future stewardship model for such services and facilities, including ongoing maintenance, upkeep and renewal, and how residents can provide feedback or get involved. This will be key to the creation of places that people want to live and work. 

Smaller developments will not be required to provide as wide a range of services and facilities as large-scale major developments. However, consideration will need to be given to the impact of development on existing facilities and services so that the extra demands from new residents are provided for in ways that minimise impacts on the existing community. If, through consultation, a service or facility provider identifies a particular requirement arising directly from a development and a need to mitigate development impacts on the existing service offer, it would be legitimate to secure a financial contribution towards its provision or, in the case of existing facilities, its improvement or upkeep. 

The facilities and services referenced within this policy include, but are not limited to: 

• Primary and secondary schools; 
• Early years education and childcare facilities, including childcare nurseries; 
• Meeting places; 
• Health facilities; 
• Libraries; 
• Indoor and outdoor sports facilities; 
• Commercial facilities important to community life local shops, including restaurants, cafes, and public houses; 
• Provision for faith groups; 
• Provision for burials; 
• Provision for waste and recycling; and 
• Community development including community development workers. 

An

Includes transport, energy, water, waste, digital/smart, social and green infrastructure.

Delivery Plan (IDP) has been prepared to accompany the plan. This was prepared in collaboration and consultation with local service providers, demonstrating proactive early work with our delivery partners to ensure required facilities and services needed to support the proposed development strategy are planned for from the outset. Developers bringing forward specific sites will need to build on the IDP, refining and updating evidence as detailed schemes are developed. 

It is also important for any new development proposals to take account of and be in general compliance with any relevant Council-approved strategy and/or the recommendations made by key service providers. Appropriate care is also needed to ensure new facilities and services do not undermine existing facilities. Further details are provided below for the different types of facilities and services that should be supported by new development in

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

: 

Spaces that allow cultural activities to happen on a permanent or transitory basis. Examples include: a gallery, a village hall, an arts centre, a bespoke high-end film studio, a workshop on an old farm, a museum, a pop-up space in a vacant shopping unit, a public house, a theatre, a cinema and a park used annually for a festival.

 

The Councils have collaborated on a joint

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

Cultural

Includes transport, energy, water, waste, digital/smart, social and green infrastructure.

Strategy, which defines the broader cultural ambitions and priorities of

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

, and a pathway for the delivery of infrastructure to support these ambitions. The strategy builds upon a significant body of local planning policy, strategies and studies that concern the various aspects of cultural infrastructure and community life in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. 

Sports and leisure facilities 

The Councils have worked together with Sport England to produce a Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) and an Indoor Sports Facilities Strategy (ISFS) for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire to 2031. Following approaches set out in Sport England Guidance updated assessments of the need for Indoor Sports Facilities, Playing Pitches, Outdoor Courts and Rinks have been prepared to update on the existing PPS and ISFS. Wider sports facility provision, including financial contributions, and proposals that affect existing sports facilities will be considered against these strategy documents (or their successors). 

Community facilities 

Cambridge City Council have a Community Facilities Strategy, which seeks to deliver facilities that provide flexible community resources and activities that can meet changing needs of the city, whilst ensuring they are financially sustainable. New facilities will need to complement existing services, and site promoters will need to engage early with service providers to explore opportunities. 

In South Cambridgeshire the majority of facilities are owned and run by town and parish councils. The South Cambridgeshire Community Facilities Study (2025) provides an update to the Community Facilities Assessment (2009). The update provides a comprehensive audit of community facilities across South Cambridgeshire to update the Council’s understanding of the quantity, quality and accessibility of existing provision, and identified needs for new or improved facilities in the district. The study found a total community facility space provision of 129m2 per 1,000 population, and recommended this metric be used as a standard to secure contributions from new development. 

The Councils are preparing further evidence to explore the need for community facilities including community rooms for hire, to ensure that policy requirements are robust and future community provision can respond to changing needs and opportunities.

Education facilities 

Easy access to high-quality educational provision is needed to provide young people with opportunities, widen choice in education (in line with national planning policies), support economic growth, and develop strong sustainable communities. Developers should engage with the relevant Education Authority at the earliest opportunity to ensure sufficient education provision is provided to meet the anticipated demand from new residential development, and that educational facilities are delivered in a timely manner to support local needs. This also includes childcare facilities, such as nurseries, integrated nursery centres, playgroups, crèches, and child-minding networks. The size and type of education facilities needed will be influenced by the demand created by the development. The Councils strongly discourage the use of restrictive covenants that would restrict the ability to use homes for childminding business use appropriate to a dwelling. 

Healthcare facilities 

It is essential that the planning process supports the provision of local healthcare facilities of the right type and in the right locations. The provision and location of healthcare facilities should aim to meet the needs of existing and new residents, which may include the need for community-based, out-of-hospital facilities. The Local Planning Authorities have engaged with the relevant health organisations in developing the IDP that accompanies this

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

. Developers of large-scale sites and new communities will also need to engage with health providers to understand and respond to healthcare needs. 

Community development 

New developments take time to develop into new communities, especially if they are of a large scale. Support is needed to help people to settle and start the groups, clubs and activities found in more established neighbourhoods. The timely delivery of key services and facilities in the early phases of development is vital, and the early provision of places that can help to establish a sense of community identity and social cohesion in new developments should be prioritised. Planning obligations and conditions will be used by the Local Planning Authorities to ensure that key services and facilities are delivered in a timely manner as part of a delivery programme for the whole development. 

In the early stages of a new development, initiatives that bring new residents together to meet each other, build new networks, and become engaged in the community’s evolution will help to put in place the building blocks for the formation of a connected and resilient community and support the mental health of the new community members. Therefore, to uphold Principle 3 of the Putting Health into Place publications, contributions may also be sought to help with early community development. Depending on the needs identified, community development may include community workers, including youth workers, health workers, or community development workers, and initiatives to support their work such as community events and activities. 

In accordance with national planning policy, there is a presumption that services and facilities to be provided through planning obligations should be provided ‘in-kind’ and ‘on-site’. However, there are cases where it may be more advantageous for provisions to be made off-site, such as a new facility being in a more accessible location, the option for a better facility to be delivered off-site, or proposals that would seek to contribute to improvements to existing facilities. Where an obligation is to be provided other than ‘in- kind’ and on site, the draft Section 106 Agreement or proposed Heads of Terms should explain the reason why this is being pursued and should specify whether provision is to be made on an alternative site or by means of a payment in-lieu. The applicant should also identify the level of contribution applicable to their proposed development. 

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

  : Topic paper: Wellbeing and Social Inclusion

We will consider all comments while developing the next version of the

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

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All comments must be received by 30 January 2026 at 5pm.