Dorset Council has agreed a protocol that will allow Section 106 funds from developers to be transferred to town and parish councils and community groups to spend on agreed community facilities.
Section 106 funding is a legal agreement between developer and planning authority (Dorset Council). It is used to make a development acceptable in planning terms where it would otherwise be undesirable. It is based on the specific needs of the local community and can be used for facilities such as village halls, schools, or for affordable housing and roads.
Any money that is transferred will be the responsibility of the council or community group to manage. These funds, usually, have to be spent within 10 years of receipt and, if not, the funds may be returned.
Cllr David Walsh, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Planning, said:
“This is a big step forward with our promise to work closer with Town and Parish Councils when we became a unitary authority. Local communities are often better placed to make decisions about the location of facilities than we are.”
The protocol came into effect on 19 May 2021.
Where a development is being made by several different builders/developers, is the Section 106 funding being provided by each developer separately? If a development is proposed to take several years to complete, when is the funding available to the parish council?
I will come back to you with the answer. Fiona
Section 106 funding is a legal agreement between developer and planning authority (Dorset Council). It is used to make a development acceptable in planning terms where it would otherwise be undesirable. I refer to your comment above , and wonder how money can make a development acceptable where otherwise it would be undesirable ? Planning policies do not equate with community facilities – a proposed development is either good or bad in planning terms . Please explain yourselves. Thank you.
Section 106 funds are very useful if not wasted on vanity projects. It is much more important that the infrastructure is built before planning is agreed and that building companies clear the roads each night when they have finished work,and that there is a representative from the council to check this.
From yvonneknp@gmail.com
As above
Please can Parish and Town Councils be provided with a copy of this protocol?
We will be sending it out to all the clerks.