Community facilities are a valuable resource for any community and are vital in providing a diverse range of recreation, leisure, social and community services. They include facilities such as medical centres, schools, places of worship and community centres.

The availability of a wide range of facilities in close proximity to homes is important in terms of quality of life and vitality of communities.  They act as a focus for communities and their social activities and can help to create a sense of identity and belonging.  In order for settlements to be sustainable it is important that they are well provided by and in close proximity to community facilities.

The Community Plan requires that plan policies are developed to ensure a range of community infrastructure and facilities are provided in accessible locations for all sectors of society.  Current Local Plan policy (Policy L1) seeks to retain existing community facilities and allows the provision of new small- scale community facilities in the existing built-up areas of the town or the villages (Policy L2).

 

Government policy and guidance strongly supports the notion that the community as a whole should not suffer as a result of development proposals and it is reasonable to expect developers to contribute towards the costs of community infrastructure when the need for those facilities arise directly as a result of development. If development takes place without adequate provision being made for the replacement or improvement of lost or inadequate facilities, strain can be placed on the existing local infrastructure to the detriment of the local community and public resources are placed under greater pressure.