Training Programmes

Securing Community and Infrastructure Funding through Planning Agreements and related mechanisms

Developers and/or land owners can make a lot of money if they can obtain planning permission or planning policy support for financially attractive development. The planning system in the UK has long struggled to establish reasonable and effective mechanisms for securing at least some of the benefits for the community.

Through the s106 agreement and related mechanisms, local authorities have been able to secure a range of direct benefits and financial contributions towards community services and facilities, and in this respect the planning system can become a significant driver of local regeneration and service provision. This is why Councillors are interested in these mechanisms, but also why they need to know how to make the most of them on the one hand and understand their limitations on the other.

The background is also changing. A decade of consideration of options (with several false starts in proposals which were then abandoned) is ending with the introduction of an additional mechanism, the Community Infrastructure Levy, which will operate alongside, not replace, the existing s106 provisions (although restrictions may be placed on the latter).

Experience of using planning agreements and similar funding mechanisms varies widely. Practice advice on the subject is neither as extensive or as clear as it might be, and many myths abound. The purpose of this Workshop is to demystify the subject and allow Councillors to focus on the critical aspects of successful practice, so that they can feed this experience into their authorities and, with the support of their officers and colleagues, make more effective use of the tools available.

More specific objectives of the workshop are:

to equip participants with a clear understanding of the background and context of s106 agreements and similar community funding mechanisms
to outline the essence of the Community Infrastructure Levy and its implications for local authorities
to compare how local authorities are organised for handling planning agreements, and the establishment of key points of good practice in this respect
to focus on the role of councillors in establishing and negotiating developer contributions
to consider the role of the community more generally and how councillors can involve it in the process
to encourage participants to go back to their authorities with some specific ideas in mind for making more effective use of the powers available.

Download a leaflet/booking form here

Presenters:	Lee Prebble and Nigel Eveleigh
Course Type:	2 Day Workshop
Max. Numbers:	20
Date(s):	TBC...
Programme:	Workshops for Key Councillors on Planning/Development Control Committees
Discount Scheme: