Policy information sourced from the Waltham Forest Local Plan

3 Infrastructure for Growth

The Council will require development proposals to make viable provision for infrastructure that is necessary to accommodate additional demands arising from growth by:

A. Working with infrastructure delivery bodies and agencies, landowners and developers to ensure that the growth outlined in this Local Plan is supported by necessary infrastructure as set out in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan. In particular, the Council will prioritise the timely delivery and success of the following key infrastructure projects including:

  • Redevelopment of Whipps Cross Hospital
  • Ruckholt Road New Rail Station
  • Reopening of the Meridian Line
  • Walthamstow Central Station Transport Interchange; and
  • Leyton Underground Station Improvements;

B. Ensuring the provision of expanded schools (including bulge classes) where there is capacity on existing sites to accommodate the pupils arising from new development, and new provision in identified ‘areas of need’ where population change and growth requires its provision (‘Social and Community Infrastructure’);

C. Ensuring the provision of GP Practices and other health care facilities in central locations within walking distance to the residential catchments areas they are expected to serve (‘Social and Community Infrastructure’);

D. Working with the telecommunications industry to maximise access to super-fast broadband, wireless hotspots and improved mobile signals for all residents and businesses. Where a fibre connection cannot currently be provided, infrastructure within the site should be designed to allow for fibre provision in the future (‘Active Travel, Transport and Digital Infrastructure’);

E. Requiring robust evidence to be provided, where developers consider that viability issues will impact upon the delivery of required infrastructure and/or mitigation measures. This evidence will be used to determine whether an appropriate and acceptable level of contribution and/or mitigation can be secured;

F. Requiring developers to provide, finance and/or contribute towards infrastructure provision which is fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the development, through Planning Obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy (or any future replacement) in order to:

  • ensure appropriate provision of facilities and infrastructure for new residents
  • mitigate any adverse impacts where appropriate
  • avoid placing unreasonable additional burdens on the existing community or existing infrastructure; and
  • address cumulative impacts that might arise across multiple developments;

G. Ensuring essential new infrastructure to support new development is operational no later than the completion of development or during the phase in which it is needed, whichever is earliest, unless otherwise agreed with relevant providers; and

H. Refusing planning permission where appropriate agreements or processes ensuring criteria (F) and (G) above are not in place or cannot be met.

For more information please see the Waltham Forest Local Plan