Draft Regulation 18 Sandwell Local Plan

(5) 12. Infrastructure and Delivery

Introduction

12.1 A key role of the SLP is to plan for the growth required for a sustainable and prosperous Sandwell. The Borough is planning to accommodate 11,167 new houses and provide for 1,206ha of employment land (of which 29ha is currently vacant) up to 2041. Ensuring effective delivery of this amount of development will require strong collaborative working with public, private and third sector partners, involving a robust process of infrastructure planning and delivery.

Promotion of Fibre to the Premises and 5G Networks

12.2 Planning policy can play an important role in helping to address the key digital connectivity infrastructure needs of Sandwell. The following policy sets out proposals for ensuring the provision of full fibre broadband connectivity is considered in all new major development proposals. It also sets out the approach for supporting and assessing 5G Network infrastructure proposals.

(1) Justification

12.3 Full fibre broadband is the future of connectivity and increases speeds from the 30MB available for superfast broadband to 1000MB (1GB). Currently, full fibre coverage is very low at 2.1% in Sandwell - compared to 11.5% across England. Full fibre provision is required to meet future demands for connectivity, as highlighted by a 50% increase in demand each year, and to enable the wider economic, health and service delivery benefits it will support.

12.4 At the local level, the availability, reliability and speed of broadband provision is a key consideration for house buyers and many view it to be as essential as more traditional utilities. Wider adoption will help reduce the need to travel, thereby improving highway safety and mitigating the transport impacts of new development, as reflected in the Key Route Network's 'Connecting Communities' programme. Similarly, it is also a key concern in the public health and business sectors. However, despite the obvious benefits to developers and end-users, full fibre is not always provided in new residential and commercial properties.

12.5 Planning policy can play a role in helping to achieve the necessary transformation in broadband connectivity. The NPPF clearly recognises this and supports the delivery of advanced, high-quality communications infrastructure and the expansion of highspeed broadband where possible.

(1) 5G

12.6 Sandwell has nominated a Digital Infrastructure Champion and Co-ordinator to drive this agenda forward in the borough and are working together with other authorities as part of the WM5G Digital Forum to support the rollout of future proofed digital infrastructure.

12.7 Currently most properties in the Black Country are connected to superfast broadband (fibre to the cabinet and copper to the premises with speeds up to 30MB) but future provision will be full fibre (fibre to the premises with speeds up to 1GB). Fibre to the premises (FTTP) is recognised by the Government as a Next Generation Access (NGA) technology^[178] and as a priority for investment. While superfast speeds can be achieved on current generation copper networks, it is widely accepted that NGA technologies should be prioritised.

12.8 The Government has committed to gigabit-capable broadband by 2025 and it is Sandwell's aspiration to support rollout of full fibre across the borough as soon as possible. As part of the WM5G work, an options appraisal case is being pulled together around full fibre. By seeking FTTP, Sandwell is aiming to provide a futureproof solution for broadband delivery. Adopting this approach will prevent the need for fibre retrofitting programmes in the future, which have significant cost implications and can cause considerable disruption through road works. In Sandwell and elsewhere in the Black Country, canal and waterway corridors (especially towpaths) can provide alternative opportunities to provide digital communications infrastructure.

12.9 To help deliver this aspiration, Policy SID1 requires developers to ensure FTTP is available at every new property on all major developments.

12.10 In exceptional cases, where FTTP is not practical, consideration will be given to:

1. non-Next Generation Access technologies that can provide speeds in excess of 30MB per second (or the latest requirement if higher) as an alternative;
2. an affordable 1GB/s- capable connection being made available to all end users.

12.11 The intention of Policy SID1 is not to require developers to deliver FTTP solutions themselves. Instead, it focuses on the need to conduct early dialogue with telecom providers to best understand what their infrastructure specifications are and how these can be accommodated as part of the new development. The involvement of multiple telecoms providers at build stage will minimise the impact later.

12.12 To facilitate this, any application for a qualifying development should be supported by an "FTTP Statement", which provides details of:

1. dialogue with the telecom operators;
2. how FTTP will be provided to serve the development;
3. confirms that this process will be completed upon occupation of the first property on the development;
4. that sufficient ducting space for future digital full fibre connectivity infrastructure is provided to all end users within that development.

12.13 Conditions will then be applied to any subsequent permission to ensure that FTTP will be secured as envisaged by the statement. For outline applications, the statement may be more limited on specific details relating to the imminent implementation of FTTP and provide a commitment to supply these details later, including how and when the telecom operators will be consulted.

5G Networks

12.14 5G is mobile internet that is as fast as fibre, with speeds up to 1GB – five to ten times faster than current home broadband connectivity. 5G benefits include huge capacity, with the ability to connect thousands of users and devices at the same time at consistently ultrafast speeds. They are ultra-reliable and secure with low latency, which will be transformational for industry. The demand for mobile data in the UK is growing rapidly, and as households and businesses become increasingly reliant on mobile connectivity, the infrastructure must be in place to ensure supply does not become a constraint on future demand.

12.15 The Government wants the UK to be a world leader in 5G, and for communities to benefit from investment in this new technology. The NPPF expects planning policies and decisions to support the expansion of next generation mobile technology such as 5G. The West Midlands has been selected as the UK's first multi-city 5G test bed, paving the way for the future rollout of 5G across the UK, making the region the first in the UK ready to trial new 5G applications and services at scale.

12.16 To deploy 5G and improve coverage in partial "not-spots" (a place where wireless internet, especially broadband, services are not available), mobile network operators will need to strengthen existing sites to accommodate additional equipment. To extend coverage into total not-spots or to add capacity in areas of high demand, mobile network operators will also need to identify and develop new sites. Masts will need to be higher than at present to accommodate 5G, which may impact on local amenity and character in some areas.

12.17 Mobile Network Operators are encouraged to have early discussions with planning authorities and to communicate and consult with local communities, especially in the case of new sites. This will help to ensure that the best sites are selected for 5G infrastructure and that equipment is sympathetically designed and camouflaged where appropriate, in line with principles set out in the NPPF and relevant local planning policies.

12.18 Where larger developments are planned, developers can consider the incorporation of potential sites for telecoms equipment to ensure 5G coverage.

Justification

12.19 The ICNIRP guidelines are a set of radiation levels proposed by an international body. These are used as the maximum recommended levels of radiation for base stations.

12.20 To ensure that the proposed mobile phone base station will be within the levels set out by ICNRP, with every application, the operators must provide a certificate of compliance with these radiation levels. Without this certificate, the application will not be determined.

(1) Justification

12.21 To encourage high quality design and the protection of amenities within the borough through appropriate design of telecommunications equipment and digital infrastructure and ensure that digital infrastructure installations do not harm the significance of heritage assets when situated close to historic buildings or places.