Section 106 money for Medical Practice?

As part of the planning process, Local Planning Authorities can impose a charge on the developer to contribute money towards the cost of new or improved infrastructure required as a result of the development. This is known as Section 106 (S106) funding.

As reported previously, following the McCarthy & Stone planning application, Audlem Parish Council had complained to NHS England at their failure to submit S106 requests to help improve the medical infrastructure. NHS England were swift to respond that responsibility for S106 now lay with South Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (SCCCG) and that Cheshire East Planning officials had been notified of this.

It was clear that the Planning department had not taken this change on board and, as a result, the S106 request for funding towards medical facilities was dismissed. Parish Councillors raised a formal complaint that misinformation had apparently been given by the Planning department to Members of the Southern Planning Committee in August.

Councillors are delighted that the complaint has resulted in a review of the S106 application submitted by SCCCG and that on Wednesday 10th January the Southern Planning Committee unanimously approved the request for funds in direct mitigation of the provision of 25 retirement apartments in the community. This decision will now be forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate who are dealing with McCarthy & Stone's Appeal and, hopefully, will be included when the SPC debate the new McCarthy & Stone application (17/5776N).

There is no guarantee that funds will be forthcoming as a result of the request, but at least Audlem Medical Practice is one step nearer getting some funding towards expanding its facilities to accommodate the influx of patients created by development.

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