Infrastructure delivery

Tower Hamlets is experiencing significant levels of growth in terms of homes, jobs and population.

With this growth comes the pressure on existing infrastructure and the need for additional infrastructure to be delivered in the right place and at the right time.

Infrastructure delivery is required to meet the needs of residents, workers and visitors of the borough as well as addressing the impacts of future growth and development.

It requires a planned and coordinated view of priorities across the borough and requires allocating and utilising existing and new sources of funding that can deliver infrastructure projects.

Infrastructure Delivery Plan

The Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) identifies infrastructure requirements such as schools, health centres, parks and open spaces to meet current and future need across the borough.

The Infrastructure Planning team works collaboratively with internal and external partners like the NHS and TFL to build a picture of what is needed to support growth. This will ensure current and future demands for infrastructure are understood and met.

The IDP is reviewed and updated annually and includes projects that have been identified to meet current/future infrastructure demands. For each one, details are provided on their location, funding requirements and timescales for delivery.

Capital Programme

The Capital Programme is a list of capital schemes the council is investing in. It shows where they are located, the approved budget allocation and when they are expected to be delivered.

The decision on what to spend developer contributions like the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 (S106) on and when, is approved by the Mayor in Cabinet through the Capital Programme.

The Capital Programme is also supported by other funding sources apart from CIL and S106 such as external grants, payments, capital receipts (including Right-to-Buy (RTB) receipts) and borrowing. 

The current Capital Programme was approved in Cabinet in September 2020. It includes a range of projects that the council will deliver across the borough using CIL/S106 contributions and other funding sources.

Utilities planning

To tackle some of the challenges facing utilities infrastructure, our Infrastructure Planning Team, coordinate/lead the council’s relationship with the GLA’s Infrastructure Coordination Service.

This is in the form of the Infrastructure Delivery Coordination Pilot Programme, which covers the Isle of Dogs, South Poplar and the Leaside parts of the borough.

The pilot projects included within the programme are:

• Streetworks Construction and Coordination
• Infrastructure Coordination Service
• Energy
• Digital
• Waste
• Water
• London Underground Assets Register
• Integrated Mapping Application

Integrated Water Management Plan (IWMP)

We have been working in partnership with a number of stakeholders to develop our understanding of this type of utilities water infrastructure.

An output of this partnership work is the publication of an Integrated Water Management Plan (IWMP). The purpose of which is to assess the water demand and existing infrastructure provision/capacity. It's also to recommend measures to mitigate these impacts – it is an options document to look at potential solutions.

We are working with a number of stakeholders to find out how and which of the measures are preferred, effective and deliverable. We'll then use this to decide what we take forward from the IWMP.

• IWMP Main Report
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 1 IOD and South Poplar opportunity area
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 2 Integrated Water Management plan study zones
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 3 Topography
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 4 Green and Blue grid
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 5 Flood Risk Tidal and River Flooding
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 6 Flood Risk Surface Water Flooding
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 7 Third Party Assets
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 8 Thames Water Waste Water and Clean Sewer Network
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 9 Thames Water Sewer Network Capacity
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 10 Planned Housing and Commerical Development Location
• IWMP Technical Appendix A Fig 11 Spatial Options Identification
• Technical Appendix B Policy Review
• Technical Appendix C Water Balance
• Technical Appendix D Option Details and Case Studies
• Technical Appendix E Developer Checklist

Waste infrastructure study

A Waste Infrastructure Study for the Isle of Dogs and South Poplar Opportunity Area. This work focuses on recycling in existing flats to guide the roll out of the Flats Recycling Package.

The study is in two stages. The first stage report includes results from a survey led on bin stores in existing estates.

The second stage compares survey results with standards for recycling in new buildings. It also provides a cost estimation for matching comparable standards in existing estates.

Recommendations for the borough on how to roll out these measures is also provided.

Note: some appendices are mostly for internal use and are not available online but can be requested by email at infrastructure.planning@towerhamlets.gov.uk

• Stage 1 Report – Waste Infrastructure Survey  
• Stage 2 Report – Waste Infrastructure Strategy 
• 6.3 Survey script
• 6.5 Landlord data
• 6.6 Bin store scores
• 9.2 FRP tool cost assumptions
• 9.2 FRP Tool general assumptions
• 9.3 Setup and ongoing cost breakdown
• 9.4 Evaluation matrix and scoring
• 9.7 Stakeholder map
• 9.9 Landlord monitoring
• 9.10 Lambeth Council case study
• Appendix 9.11 Communication plan timeline

Appendices 6.1 and 9.1 is available on the ReLondon website.

Funding infrastructure

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 are funding streams that are used by the council to fund infrastructure across the borough.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

CIL is a charge local authorities place on most new developments over a certain size to raise funds for building infrastructure in the borough.

This can help to pay for local infrastructure projects that are needed to support new developments, such as schools, health services, leisure, open spaces and transport improvements.

The neighbourhood portion of the Community Infrastructure Levy (Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy - ‘NCIL) in Tower Hamlets known as the Local Infrastructure Fund (LIF) can be used to fund small scale local neighbourhood level infrastructure improvements.

The focus of LIF as a whole is to enhance delivery of local infrastructure provision in local areas and address the demands that development places on an area.

Every year we engage with the local community to find out what projects they would like funded to improve their local community.

Section 106 (S106)

Planning Obligations under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 also known as S106 agreements are a mechanism which make a development proposal acceptable in planning terms, that would otherwise not be acceptable.

The obligations focus on reducing the site specific impacts of development and can be secured as a financial or non-financial contribution to provide infrastructure or services.

Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS)

The Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) sets out the year’s income and expenditure relating to the CIL and S106.

Local Planning Authorities (LPA’s) are required to publish an IFS on their website each year under the CIL Regulations 2010 (as amended).

The IFS replaces the CIL annual report that was previously required under the CIL regulations. The council’s CIL annual reports can be viewed on the CIL page.

View the:

• Infrastructure Funding Statement 2021/22
• Infrastructure Funding Statement 2020/21
• Infrastructure Funding Statement 2019/20