Under this policy residential developments will be expected to demonstrate that they have engaged with a range of providers to upgrade infrastructure to deliver gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure. The policy also requires residential developments will also deliver dedicated telecommunications ducting to facilitate the delivery of competitive fibre broadband services.

The Council should not impose new electronic communications requirements beyond the provision of infrastructure as set out in statutory Building Regulations. In the Budget of March 2020, the Government confirmed future legislation to ensure that new build homes are built with gigabit-capable broadband. The Government will amend Part R “Physical Infrastructure for High Speed Electronic Communications Networks” of the Building Regulations 2010 to place obligations on housing developers to work with network operators to install gigabit broadband, where this can be done within a commercial cost cap. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has outlined its intentions on the practical workings of this policy, which will apply to all to new builds. Any type of technology may be used, which is able to provide speeds of over 1000 Mbps. All new build developments will be equipped with the physical infrastructure to support gigabit-capable connections from more than one network operator.

The Council’s approach is therefore unnecessary and repetitive of Building Regulations and should not be taken forward into the local plan.