Purpose

1.1.          
To ensure the Council continues to
produce robust and reliable justification in support of Section 106
requirements, it is necessary to regularly review and update the
current evidence base and benchmark costs. This Technical Update
ensures that:

•        
Pupil Yield data from new housing
development is based on latest available figures provided by the
Department for Education

•        
Costs per Pupil Place are based on
latest available benchmarks issued by the Department for Education
and EBDOG (the Education Building Officers Development Group
– a national forum of local authority professionals with
responsibility for school place delivery)

•        
Benchmark costs for Library
infrastructure are based on latest available figures issued by the
Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for public library
construction projects.

 

1.2.          
To ensure the Council is able to
secure sufficient S106 developer contributions to support the
delivery of new and expanded Education and Library infrastructure,
to meet the needs arising from new housing development.

 

1.3.          
To allow the Council to operate in
a fair and transparent way, by providing certainty and parity for
developers seeking to operate within North
Northamptonshire

 

1.4.          
To provide certainty for local
communities that additional development coming forward in their
area will be accompanied by appropriate infrastructure.

 

1.5.          
To avoid any unnecessary delays in
the determination of planning applications and the agreement of
S106 contributions by basing decisions on latest guidance issued by
the relevant national bodies, including the Department for
Education and Arts Council England.

 

Content

The decision taken is to approve further
technical updates to the Planning Obligations Framework and
Guidance Document “Creating Sustainable Communities”
(2015). This document provides information to developers, planning
officers and stakeholders on the types of infrastructure which may
be impacted by new development and sets out circumstances where
Section 106 planning obligations (developer contributions) may be
necessary to mitigate the impact of development, and make it
acceptable in planning terms.
 
The current version of the Planning
Obligations Framework and Guidance Document (the Framework) was
adopted and published by the former Northamptonshire County Council
in 2015, following extensive consultation with statutory
consultees, the development industry and local planning
authorities. It sets out requirements in respect of key service
areas such as Education and Libraries, for which the Council has
statutory responsibility.
 
The Framework aids in the decision-making
process on S106 obligations and helps to provide transparency and
consistency in the Council’s approach to developer
contributions. The Framework also provides evidence to support in
the preparation and production of development plans and
policies.
 
In September 2021, North Northamptonshire
Council’s Executive approved technical updates to the
Framework to confirm updated baseline pupil yields and benchmark
costs, replacing those in the original Framework. The Executive
also delegated authority to the Executive Member for Growth and
Regeneration (now Planning and Economic Growth) to review and
approve future Technical Updates to the Framework as needed, to
ensure the pupil yield and benchmark costs remain up to date and
relevant.
 
The purpose of this decision is to confirm a
further Technical Update to come into effect from
1st
September 2025, based on the
latest available benchmark costs and guidance. This is recommended
to ensure the level of Section 106 contributions secured towards
new infrastructure continues to be based on an up-to-date evidence
base.