Policy I/ID: Infrastructure and delivery

1.  Planning permission will only be granted for proposals that have made suitable arrangements for the improvement or provision of physical and social infrastructure necessary to make the scheme acceptable in planning terms. In addition to making financial contributions via any Community Infrastructure Levy operable at the point of the application, as necessary to make the scheme acceptable, developers will be required to deliver infrastructure directly, secure commitments from relevant providers to deliver new or improved infrastructure, and/or make financial contributions through planning obligations. The nature, scale and phasing of any obligations sought will be related to the form of the development and its potential impact upon the area.

2.  The provision of necessary infrastructure must be co-ordinated, phased and secured in tandem with the build-out and occupation of the development. In instances where the infrastructure provision is to be phased, the planning application must be accompanied by a phasing strategy evidencing how necessary infrastructure will be delivered in a timely way to support occupation of the relevant phase. Infrastructure provision should reflect the needs of the area as identified within other policies of the Development Plan and the Infrastructure Delivery Plan, together with any additional evidence prepared and submitted at planning application stage.

3.  Proposals for new development will be required to demonstrate adequate capacity exists or is capable of being secured both on and off site to serve the development. Where existing infrastructure will be placed under strain due to the impact of new development, improvements to existing infrastructure or compensatory provision should be made to ensure an appropriate level of infrastructure is maintained. Where appropriate, contributions may also be required towards the future maintenance and upkeep of facilities, either in the form of initial support or in perpetuity, in accordance with government guidance.

4.  The infrastructure needs of development proposals that form part of a wider site allocation will be assessed in terms of the capacity of the site allocation as a whole.

5.  Applicants should take account of the Development Plan policies, other relevant statutory plans and any applicable Community Infrastructure Levy when developing proposals and acquiring land.

Utilities Statements

6.  A Utilities Statement will be required for all planning applications for major development. A Utilities Statement should provide details of how the proposed development will connect to existing utility infrastructure systems, including:

a.  Electricity;
b.  Gas (where appropriate);
c.  Telecommunications and digital infrastructure;
d.  Potable water supply; and
e.  Foul and surface-water drainage.

7.  A Utilities Statement should be prepared by the applicant to demonstrate that the development will not result in undue pressure on the delivery of those services, and how such pressure could be mitigated or otherwise addressed, such as through appropriate phasing. Where new infrastructure or improvements to existing infrastructure are needed to accommodate the needs of the proposed development in full, the Utilities Statement should include details of any engagement and agreements made with network operators or utilities providers that have informed the planning application and demonstrate that any additional capacity could be made available at the appropriate time.

Viability

8.  Development proposals will be expected to comply with all relevant policy requirements established in the Development Plan. If an applicant wishes to make a case that viability should be considered on a development-specific basis, they should provide clear evidence of the specific issues that would prevent delivery, including measures assessed to address these.

9.  A viability assessment will need to be submitted that demonstrates that the proposed development cannot be viably developed at the current time. That assessment will be subject to independent review for which the applicant will bear the cost.

10.  Where the Councils determine the benefits of the development outweigh any harm arising due to not fulfilling the policy requirements, the Councils will determine the balance of planning obligations and will, where appropriate, require a review and clawback mechanism to be incorporated into legal agreements to ensure that additional contributions are provided overtime, should viability improve.

10.71.  Infrastructure is an all-encompassing term that includes but is not limited to: roads; public transport, infrastructure and services; active travel routes; public rights of way and bridleways; utilities; the public realm; community safety; public art; schools and other educational institutions; libraries; primary; secondary and specialist healthcare facilities; waste management; emergency services; community centres and halls; cultural and faith facilities; specialist services such as youth and women’s services; and strategic and local green infrastructure, (including, but not limited to, parks, open spaces, playgrounds, natural green spaces and land for biodiversity), indoor and outdoor sports facilities, food growing spaces and burial spaces. It may also include the deployment of community development workers to new developments.

10.72.  All new development in Greater Cambridge must be supported by the timely provision of necessary infrastructure to support the development proposal and the delivery of sustainable, healthy communities. This may include new facilities and services or enhancements to existing provision. The impact of a development on local infrastructure will depend on the type of development proposed, its scale, and what existing provision is available to accommodate the needs arising. In identifying where additional infrastructure capacity is needed, applicants should refer to relevant local, sub-regional and national policies and standards, as established and/or referenced in the Development Plan or the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP).

10.73.  Meeting development standards, such as those prescribed in local planning policy, other statutory plans (such as the Local Transport Plan), site-specific works, and contributing towards infrastructure improvements, are an integral part of the acceptability of a development proposal in planning terms and are normally required to be implemented as part of the delivery of a development scheme. It is therefore important that the cost of these is factored into the cost of a development, including the land value to acquire a development site.

10.74.  For the Greater Cambridge area, the infrastructure needed to support planned growth over the plan period, and deliver the spatial strategy, is set out the IDP, which has been informed through engagement with relevant services providers. Where appropriate, account has been had to ongoing management and maintenance, the need to fund initial establishment costs, and any monitoring requirements. The infrastructure identified in the IDP will be delivered through a combination of public and private sector investment, including through the use of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and planning obligations.

10.75.  Major developments, particularly within strategic growth sites, provide opportunities for new on-site infrastructure provision to serve the development and the needs of the wider area. The site allocation policies and IDP help to identify requirements and considerations for infrastructure within specific sites and areas. This can and should be supplemented with site-wide master-planning to ensure the delivery of infrastructure and services is coordinated – it is the right size, in the right location, appropriately phased to support the pace of development, secured and delivered in tandem with the occupation of development, integrated into development proposals in accordance with a design-led approach, and issues of future management and transfer are addressed. Development which is poorly programmed can lead to infrastructure problems and can negatively impact local services and communities. In addition, developers are encouraged to design to adoptable standards and seek adoption of roads and spaces where possible.

10.76.  Some public services can successfully share facilities such as libraries, health facilities and meeting rooms. Co-location can make service provision more efficient and provide opportunities to minimise on-going costs. Service providers and other stakeholders should be engaged early in the planning process to enable such opportunities to be realised.

10.77.  Individual development proposals within strategic growth areas will be required to contribute fairly and equitably towards the infrastructure needs of the growth area, through both on-site provision and financial contributions to relevant off-site requirements.

10.78.  While smaller developments, not part of strategic growth sites, offer less opportunity for on-site provision, individually and cumulatively they are likely to require physical works or other forms of improvement to support them.

10.79.  Where a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is in operation for Greater Cambridge it will be operated in tandem with planning obligations that are required to manage site specific requirements and impacts.

10.80.  Where development is likely to trigger a requirement for planning obligations, it is expected that applicants engage in pre-application discussions with the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service to agree draft Section 106 Heads of Terms that will be submitted with each application. Where management or ongoing maintenance fees are applied, the Councils would strongly encourage applicants to keep these affordable and proportionate.

Viability considerations

10.81.  The policies of the Local Plan and CIL Charging Schedule have been subject to assessments of viability to ensure that what is sought is viable in the local context. It will therefore be for an applicant to demonstrate, to the Councils satisfaction, that the applicable policy requirements and any obligations due cannot be met in full because of exceptional site-specific circumstances.

10.82.  Where an applicant is concerned with the viability of their proposal, they are strongly encouraged to engage the Council in pre-application discussions and will need to provide an open book viability assessment, following the recommended approach set out in National Planning Guidance, to support their application.

10.83.  Where viability considerations are accepted, the Councils will determine the balance of obligations and will likely require a future review and, where appropriate, clawback mechanisms to account for circumstances where the scheme viability improves prior to completion.

For further guidance on how to submit comments, please see the Representation Guidance Note.

All comments must be received by 25 September 2026 at 5pm.