Histon and Impington - Designation of Neighbourhood Area (July 2014)

A NP , if implemented, has the authority the establish general planning policies for new homes and where they should be built, which may require new infrastructure such as schools and roads. The County Council will need to be involved in the development of any plan to ensure that any proposed policies take account of services and infrastructure that the County Council may be required to deliver.

We understand that South Cambridgeshire District Council as the local planning authority(lpa) has a duty to support communities making their neighbourhood plan and that in due course there may be an examination in which the County Council may be involved. We understand that the lpa can claim funding to support completed plans.

We also note in the application supplementary information provided by the Parish Council the desire to see early provision of infrastructure to support development and a vision towards a Digital Village. Whilst officers broadly support these measures, it is important that if any policies require developer contributions, they meet the statutory planning tests for such contributions and do not unduly impact on the viability of the development proposal. County officers would be happy to work with the Parish Council in helping to identify spending priorities.

We support the need for an appropriate balance between monies being locally spent and ensuring that there is sufficient funding for strategic infrastructure required to mitigate the impacts of the development.