Neighbourhood planning

Parish councils receive a share of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding from development in their area.

They must use this funding to:

• provide, improve, replace, operate or maintain infrastructure
• address the impact that development has on the local area

West Sussex County Council keeps a list of potential Local Transport Improvement schemes (LTIP). Parish councils can use CIL funding to help deliver schemes in their area.

For more information about potential LTIP schemes, email activetravel@westsussex.gov.uk.

Education provision covers children and young people aged 0 to 18, and up to age 25 for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

When planning education provision, we consider housing growth and changes in the local population. New homes can increase demand for school places, so it is important that enough provision is available when new communities are established. School admissions policies and parental preference also affect school place planning.

Neighbourhood planning groups should consider how new housing may affect local schools. Where needed, plans should identify how a new school or the expansion of an existing school could be delivered.

Information about mainstream schools, including:

• the number on roll (NOR)
• the net capacity of individual schools
• the capacity of each planning area

is available in the planning school places document.

You can find information about childcare provision in the securing sufficient childcare in West Sussex document. The annual sufficiency assessment reviews the local childcare market and identifies:

• where demand for childcare is likely to increase
• the types of childcare most needed

You can find further information in the SEND and Inclusion Strategy in West Sussex.

The 'explaining contribution calculations' explains how West Sussex County Council calculates pupil yield from new housing development and the contributions required to improve or expand existing schools. Larger or strategic developments may require a bespoke assessment.

SEND and Inclusion developer contributions help provide additional school places needed as a result of new development. We may use these contributions to expand an existing facility or establish a new school.

For more information about developer contributions required because of housing growth, visit the SEND and Inclusion developers' contributions requirements web page.

Connectivity between people, places and things supports everyday life. It works best when people can access it easily without needing to think about how it works.

New and innovative uses of connectivity, both at home and in business, can:

• increase productivity
• conserve resources
• create high-quality employment opportunities
• attract investment into the county

As connectivity becomes more important, it needs digital infrastructure that is scalable, resilient and sustainable.

West Sussex County Council, together with the district and borough councils, recognises the importance of high-quality, accessible and affordable digital infrastructure. It supports the county's resilience, enables sustainable growth and helps address environmental challenges.

Neighbourhood planning bodies should consider the importance of:

• supporting gigabit-capable full fibre connections in new developments
• improving connectivity in rural areas
• supporting the installation of new telecommunications equipment, including mobile network infrastructure

Find out more on our Broadband in West Sussex web page.

Libraries are integral to the communities; they serve and provide a far wider service than solely loaning of books and development of new homes across the county places increased pressure on library services.

West Sussex County Council seek developer contributions from new residential development to offer our services to an increasing population. Information on how West Sussex calculates contributions can be found in the explaining contribution calculations document.

The qualifying bodies involved in neighbourhood planning should consider the impact of any proposed development on its local library service and offer support to improve and expand library services where required.

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (WSFRS) provides a range of services in addition to responding to fires. New development can increase demand on the service, including responses to fires and road traffic collisions.

WSFRS prioritises protection, prevention and the use of new technology to help it work efficiently and meet future demand.

Planning applications usually consider the impact of new development on WSFRS. However, neighbourhood planning groups should support the retention and improvement of fire and rescue services in their area.

For information about future service planning and priorities, see the West Sussex Community Risk Management Plan 2026 to 2030.

As the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), West Sussex County Council is responsible for local flood risk, which includes flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary water courses. The LLFA can provide qualifying bodies involved in neighbourhood planning with information about drainage and local flood risk in the preparation of neighbourhood plans.

A local planning authority’s Strategic Flood Risk Assessment should be the primary source of flood risk information in considering whether a neighbourhood plan area may be appropriate for development. The Environment Agency provides surface water flood risk mapping via the flood warning information service.

Further information is available at:

• planning for the environment at neighbourhood level
• planning practice guidance - Paragraph 061

West Sussex County Council is the Minerals Planning Authority (MPA) and Waste Planning Authority (WPA) for areas outside the South Downs National Park (SDNP). It prepares local plans for minerals and waste, and neighbourhood plans must be in general conformity with these plans.

Neighbourhood plans should not include policies on minerals or waste planning, as these matters fall outside their scope. However, they should consider the county council's adopted minerals and waste plans when identifying and planning for:

• safeguarded mineral resources
• minerals infrastructure
• waste sites, including allocated and permitted sites

For more detailed information on safeguarding minerals and waste in West Sussex, refer to the Minerals and Waste Safeguarding Guidance.

West Sussex County Council are the local highway authority and review the highway and transport implications of a neighbourhood plan.

At the neighbourhood planning stage, it is only possible to provide high level and suggestive comments. The full transport implications of sites cannot be considered until more detailed transport statements or assessments are considered at the planning application stage.

Neighbourhood planning bodies must provide relevant and proportionate evidence to show that they have properly considered the transport and highway impacts of any proposed site allocations.

They should demonstrate:

• that the site can provide safe access for all types of transport
• that the local road network can accommodate the expected impact of the development
• the results of any transport modelling carried out on key junctions, where relevant
• any highway improvements needed to reduce the impact of the development
• any measures needed to support walking, cycling and other sustainable forms of travel

The evidence should be relevant to the scale and nature of the proposed development.

Find further information about considering the transport implications of proposed allocations below.

• Pre-application advice for roads and transport
• West Sussex Transport Plan

The Care Act 2014 places a duty on West Sussex County Council to ensure there is diversity and quality in the market of care providers, so that there are enough high quality services for people to choose from.

The challenge for social care commissioners and housing authorities lies in shaping the provision of housing support and care for older people, in a way that offers choice and ensures the aspirations and needs of an ageing population can be met.

The qualifying bodies involved in neighbourhood planning should consider ensuring that appropriate provision is made, where relevant, for older people through policies and site allocations. WSCC is currently working on a strategy to identify requirements for additional infrastructure for extra care housing.

The provision and use of Public Rights of Way (PRoW):

• promotes active travel
• contributes to healthy lifestyles
• gives people opportunities to access and enjoy the beautiful West Sussex countryside
• provides valuable ways for people to travel safely to shops, workplaces and other community facilities without contributing to air pollution or climate change

The qualifying bodies involved in neighbourhood planning should consider opportunities to protect and improve the network to provide better facilities for users, including:

• walkers
• cyclists
• horse riders
• carriage drivers
• motorised vehicle users
• less able users

Further information is available on our PRoW web pages.

• Planning practice guidance
• Information to support neighbourhood planning (PDF, 114KB)
• Neighbourhood Planning Support - Locality Neighbourhood Planning
• Planning Portal - Neighbourhood planning
• Planning Advisory Service - Neighbourhood planning