Southern Water would support the proposed policy wording in the preferred option to DIM2: Development Boundaries as it would seem to include infrastructure requirements in the phrase ".. that which accords with specific Local Plan policies...". It would be our preference for the policy to explicitly set out an exception for utility infrastructure as it may be required to serve the housing development elsewhere in the plan.

Southern Water may need to undertake development to meet the needs of development set out in the DaSA or to meet stricter environment standards. We are keen to ensure that any future infrastructure development in these circumstances would not be unduly restricted by inappropriate or highly restrictive policies. Paragraph 157 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that local plans should 'plan positively for the development and infrastructure required in the area to meet the objectives, principles and policies of this framework'.

If the policy is intended to exclude utility infrastructure then the policy fails to recognise the key role of our infrastructure in achieving sustainable development, contrary to the premise of the NPPF. The development identified in the DaSA is likely to generate the requirement for additional infrastructure as set out in our representations on individual site policies. Paragraph 177 of the NPPF emphasises the importance of ensuring the timely delivery of infrastructure to support development and if there is no exception made for utility infrastructure, the application of any countryside policies in the determination of any planning application outside of settlement boundaries may make this difficult.

Proposed Amendment

In the interests of clarity and in order to support the delivery of the level of development set out elsewhere in the DaSA, Southern Water proposes the following wording change to policy DIM2: Development Boundaries (our addition underlined):

Policy DIM2: Development Boundaries

The development boundaries of settlements, defined in accordance with Core
Strategy Policy OSS2, are shown on the Policies Map.

New development shall be focused within defined settlement development
boundaries, principally on already committed and allocated sites, together with
other sites where proposals accord with relevant Local Plan policies.

In the countryside (that is, outside of defined settlement development boundaries), development shall be normally limited to that which accords with specific Local Plan policies, including policies which support the delivery of essential infrastructure, or that for which a countryside location is demonstrated to be necessary.