Almost £4m has been secured from property developers by a Merseyside council that will be spent on schools, highways and public transport. Tony McDonough reports
Sefton Council has secured almost £4m from property developers that will be used to improve schools, highways and public transport across the borough.
When a developer secures planning permission for a property scheme they are often subject to what are called Section 106 agreements. These see developers provide funding for local infrastructure improvements as part of the planning approval.
In a new Infrastructure Funding Statement published by Sefton Council it has been revealed it has secured £3.8m from developers during the 2021/22 financial year.
Now the authority says the cash will be spent on improvements to highways and public transport. It will also help boost primary school provision and improve health facilities.
The council says it continues to work closely with developers to ensure any impact from new builds is mitigated by a “substantial investment being put back into the borough for the direct benefit of the communities who live there”.
Cllr Daren Veidman, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, said: “The Sefton Local Plan has helped support local investment in recent years and we are seeing what is perhaps the highest level of developments taking place for many years.
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“Now with more developments set to come, we are acutely aware that this could lead to pressure on local infrastructure and services. This is why we have sought to agree a huge funding package that will directly benefit our communities and mitigate any additional pressures.
“The money secured through our agreements includes over £2m towards increasing local primary school places, plus money to provide health facilities and further public transport investment.
“Additionally this year’s agreements will help secure more than 430 new affordable homes with many more expected in the coming years.
“We will continue to work hard to secure significant levels of financial contributions from developers to support services and facilities, and much needed affordable housing, across the borough.”