Planning Obligations and Affordable Housing SPD

Ends on 22 March 2026 (29 days remaining)

Overview Comment

This Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) sets out Chichester District Council’s proposed policy for securing developer contributions from new development that requires planning permission, and once finalised will be an important material consideration in determining planning applications.

Note to Reader

The original version of this document, Planning Obligations & Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document (July 2016), was adopted at the same time as the Chichester Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). It was written to support the Chichester Local Plan: Key Policies 2014–2029 and set out how developer contributions (CIL and Section 106 agreements) would be used to secure financial contributions and non-financial / on site infrastructure provision.

This new version of the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) has been prepared to take account of a number of changes in local and national policy since February 2016, including the adoption of a new Local Plan for the Chichester Plan area , the Chichester Local Plan 2021-2039, and changes to national policy introduced by the Government since 1 December 2015.

It is proposed that this draft document will be adopted as an SPD no later than June 2026.

Relationship with other Planning Documents

This Planning Obligations and Affordable Housing SPD applies to the geographic area covered by the Chichester Local Plan. It excludes the part of the district covered by the South Downs National Park because the South Downs National Park Authority is the planning authority for the National Park area.

This SPD will support the Local Plan 2021-2039, providing mechanisms for the achievement of objective 7: strategic infrastructure and the delivery of policy I1 “Infrastructure Provision”. Throughout the Plan there are a number of policies which refer to securing the provision of infrastructure.

This SPD replaces the Planning Obligations & Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document adopted in July 2016.

In liaison with infrastructure providers the council has produced an Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) that supports the Local Plan 2021-2039. The IDP identifies what infrastructure is required to deliver the development anticipated by the Local Plan. The IDP is a live document and will be updated on a regular basis as further details about infrastructure requirements and costs are known.

Purpose of the Planning Obligations SPD

The Chichester Local Plan 2021-2039 makes provision to deliver at least 11,484 homes in the period 2021/22 – 2038/39. This growth will result in increased pressure on local infrastructure services and facilities, creating demand for new provision. The council and developers have a responsibility, through the planning process, to manage the impact of this growth and ensure that any harm caused by development is mitigated and that the necessary infrastructure is provided. The council expects new development to contribute to site related and other infrastructure needs. The purpose of this SPD is to:

  • Explain the council’s approach to using planning obligations to local residents, developers and the wider community;
  • Explain the relationship between the CIL and s106 Planning Obligations;
  • Explain the circumstances under which the council will collect s106 contributions to mitigate the impacts of a development on infrastructure;
  • Improve transparency about the priority and calculation of planning obligations;
  • Provide applicants with greater certainty on when planning obligations will be sought;
  • Provide a consistent methodology for calculating obligations across the Local Plan area; and
  • Explain the council’s approach to the delivery of appropriate market housing and affordable housing to meet local need and demand.

How should it be used?

This SPD will be utilised by the council as a material consideration when assessing planning applications and will be reviewed and updated periodically as necessary. Developers should draw on the document to assist in their costing and inclusion of s106 planning obligations in their financial planning and to help reduce time required negotiating and agreeing obligations with the council.

In some instances, dependent on site specific circumstances, additional mitigation measures outside the scope of this SPD may be sought.

The SPD should be read alongside the CIL Charging Schedule, Infrastructure Business Plan, or subsequent publications, because planning obligations are additional to Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments.

Structure of the Supplementary Planning Document

This document considers the role s106 planning obligations have in the area covered by the Chichester Local Plan by setting out the council’s approach and legislative context. The negotiating process for planning obligations is then outlined and those planning obligations to be sought by the council are detailed. Finally, the procedure and management processes for planning obligations are explained.

For instructions on how to use the system and make comments, please see our help guide.
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