Planning Obligations for Education Provision

On 8th June 2010 Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) adopted a document produced by the Children and Young People’s Service – “Guidance on Planning Obligations for Education Provision”. It is available to view at Bucks County Council website.

The Guidance aims to ensure that developers provide or make appropriate contributions to meet the costs of additional education infrastructure requirements, generated by new housing development.

Following a meeting of the District Council’s Sustainable Development Planning Advisory Group on 24th November 2010, the District Council has agreed to endorse the use of the BCC Guidance as part of the evidence base for Development Management purposes.

The District Council will consult the County Council’s Education Authority on all applications for 4 or more dwellings (net). The Education Authority will then advise whether an education contribution should be sought, and the value of that contribution. As a consequence, prior to submitting a planning application for 4 or more dwellings (net), prospective applicants are encouraged to liaise with the County Council as the Education Authority on education issues and the potential need for a Section 106 agreement.

Planning permission will normally be refused by the District Council, if it is clear that a proposal would have an unacceptable impact on local education infrastructure, and the appropriate Section 106 agreement is not in place.