Proposed Housing and Mixed-Use Site Allocations

Comment

Representation ID: 3941

Received: 23/07/2025

Respondent: Department for Education

The department notes that significant growth in housing stock is expected in the district in the Local Plan consultation document and anticipates an annual housing requirement of 886 dwellings per year to the end of the plan period in 2043. This will place additional pressure on social infrastructure such as education facilities.

The Local Plan will need to be ‘positively prepared’ to meet the objectively assessed development needs and infrastructure requirements.

The NPPF advises that LPAs should take a proactive, positive and collaborative approach to ensuring that a sufficient choice of school places is available to meet the needs of communities and that LPAs should give great weight to the need to create, expand or alter schools to widen choice in education (para 100).

The department supports the principle of South Kesteven safeguarding land for the provision of new early years. When new schools are developed, local authorities should also seek to safeguard land for any future expansion of new schools where demand indicates this might be necessary, in accordance with Planning Practice Guidance and DfE guidance on securing developer contributions for education.

South Kesteven should also have regard to the Joint Policy Statement from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Education on Planning for Schools Development (2011) which sets out the government’s commitment to support the development of state-funded schools and their delivery through the planning system.

Comment

Representation ID: 3942

Received: 23/07/2025

Respondent: Department for Education

We welcome the references made within the document SKPR-278: Spitalgate Heath – Garden Village which require the provision of sufficient school places as part of these developments. The next version of the Local Plan should seek to identify specific sites which can deliver the early years, school and post-16 places needed to support growth, based on the latest evidence of identified need and demand in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan. The site allocation and associated safeguarding policies should also seek to clarify requirements for the delivery of new education infrastructure, including when it should be delivered to support housing growth, the minimum site area required, any preferred site characteristics, and any requirements for safeguarding additional land for future expansion where need and demand indicates this might be necessary. Establishing these requirements within the plan is particularly important for securing sites at an appropriate value when additional land or standalone sites for schools need to be purchased, as DfE ‘Basic Need’ funding allocations do not factor in the costs of site acquisition.

Comment

Representation ID: 3943

Received: 23/07/2025

Respondent: Department for Education

We welcome the references made within the document SKPR-279: Rectory Farm which require the provision of sufficient school places as part of these developments. The next version of the Local Plan should seek to identify specific sites which can deliver the early years, school and post-16 places needed to support growth, based on the latest evidence of identified need and demand in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan. The site allocation and associated safeguarding policies should also seek to clarify requirements for the delivery of new education infrastructure, including when it should be delivered to support housing growth, the minimum site area required, any preferred site characteristics, and any requirements for safeguarding additional land for future expansion where need and demand indicates this might be necessary. Establishing these requirements within the plan is particularly important for securing sites at an appropriate value when additional land or standalone sites for schools need to be purchased, as DfE ‘Basic Need’ funding allocations do not factor in the costs of site acquisition.

Comment

Representation ID: 3944

Received: 23/07/2025

Respondent: Department for Education

We welcome the references made within the document SKPR-65: Prince William of Gloucester Barracks which require the provision of sufficient school places as part of these developments. The next version of the Local Plan should seek to identify specific sites which can deliver the early years, school and post-16 places needed to support growth, based on the latest evidence of identified need and demand in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan. The site allocation and associated safeguarding policies should also seek to clarify requirements for the delivery of new education infrastructure, including when it should be delivered to support housing growth, the minimum site area required, any preferred site characteristics, and any requirements for safeguarding additional land for future expansion where need and demand indicates this might be necessary. Establishing these requirements within the plan is particularly important for securing sites at an appropriate value when additional land or standalone sites for schools need to be purchased, as DfE ‘Basic Need’ funding allocations do not factor in the costs of site acquisition.

Comment

Representation ID: 3945

Received: 23/07/2025

Respondent: Department for Education

We welcome the references made within the document SKPR-281: Stamford North which require the provision of sufficient school places as part of these developments. The next version of the Local Plan should seek to identify specific sites which can deliver the early years, school and post-16 places needed to support growth, based on the latest evidence of identified need and demand in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan. The site allocation and associated safeguarding policies should also seek to clarify requirements for the delivery of new education infrastructure, including when it should be delivered to support housing growth, the minimum site area required, any preferred site characteristics, and any requirements for safeguarding additional land for future expansion where need and demand indicates this might be necessary. Establishing these requirements within the plan is particularly important for securing sites at an appropriate value when additional land or standalone sites for schools need to be purchased, as DfE ‘Basic Need’ funding allocations do not factor in the costs of site acquisition.

Comment

Representation ID: 3946

Received: 23/07/2025

Respondent: Department for Education

We welcome the references made within the document SKPR-272: Low Road which require the provision of sufficient school places as part of these developments. The next version of the Local Plan should seek to identify specific sites which can deliver the early years, school and post-16 places needed to support growth, based on the latest evidence of identified need and demand in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan. The site allocation and associated safeguarding policies should also seek to clarify requirements for the delivery of new education infrastructure, including when it should be delivered to support housing growth, the minimum site area required, any preferred site characteristics, and any requirements for safeguarding additional land for future expansion where need and demand indicates this might be necessary. Establishing these requirements within the plan is particularly important for securing sites at an appropriate value when additional land or standalone sites for schools need to be purchased, as DfE ‘Basic Need’ funding allocations do not factor in the costs of site acquisition.