East Sussex County Council Infrastructure Funding Statement 2025
East Sussex County Council Infrastructure Funding Statement 2025
This document provides details on development contributions, section 106 planning obligations and Community Infrastructure Levy for December 2025 for East Sussex for the district and borough councils of Wealden, Rother, Hastings, Lewes and Eastbourne
1. Introduction
This is East Sussex County Council’s fifth Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) covering the financial year 2024/25. A new requirement was introduced from the 2019/20 financial year for local authorities to produce an annual IFS, which provides details on development contributions; section 106 planning obligations (S106) and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), receipts and expenditure. The aim of an IFS is to improve transparency, increase accountability and promote infrastructure delivery.
This IFS provides information which complies with the reporting requirements set out in The Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) (England) (No.2) Regulations 2019, Schedule 2, Paragraph 3. This requires an authority to publish a S106 report for the previous financial year on the amounts which an authority has received, allocated, and spent.
The matters required to be included in the S106 report are listed below and in brackets where they are located in the report.
(a) the total amount of money to be provided under any planning obligations which were entered into during the reported year – (see Table 1).
(b) the total amount of money under any planning obligations which was received during the reported year – (see Table 2).
(c) the total amount of money under any planning obligations which was received before the reported year which has not been allocated by the authority – (see Table 4)
(d) summary details of any non-monetary contributions to be provided under planning obligations which were entered into during the reported year - None
(e) the total amount of money (received under any planning obligations) which was allocated but not spent during the reported year for funding infrastructure – (see Table 4)
(f) the total amount of money (received under any planning obligations) which was spent by the authority (including transferring it to another person to spend) – (see Table 3)
(g) in relation to money (received under planning obligations) which was allocated by the authority but not spent during the reported year, summary details of the items of infrastructure on which the money has been allocated, and the amount of money allocated to each item;
- Transport (see Tables 9, 10, and 11)
- Education (see Table 14)
- Libraries (see Table 16)
- Rights of Way (see Table 18)
- Environment (see Tables 21 and 22)
(h) in relation to money (received under planning obligations) which was spent by the authority during the reported year (including transferring it to another person to spend), summary details of;
(h) (i) the items of infrastructure on which that money (received under planning obligations) was spent, and the amount spent on each item –
- Transport (see Tables 6, 7 and 8)
- Education (see Table 13)
- Libraries (see Table 15)
- Rights of Way (see Table 17)
- Household Waste Recycling Sites (see Table 19)
- Environment (see Table 20)
(h) (ii) the amount of money (received under planning obligations) spent on repaying money borrowed, including any interest, with details of the items of infrastructure which that money was used to provide (wholly or in part) – None
(h) (iii) the amount of money (received under planning obligations) spent in respect of monitoring (including reporting under regulation 121A) in relation to the delivery of planning obligations – None
(i) the total amount of money (received under any planning obligations) during any year which was retained at the end of the reported year, and where any of the retained money has been allocated for the purposes of longer term maintenance (“commuted sums”), also identify separately the total amount of commuted sums held. – (see Table 4 and Transport see Table 12)
2. Context
2.1 Development contributions – S106 and CIL
Development contributions are payments made by developers to help fund the provision of infrastructure which supports developments. There are two main mechanisms which are used to collect contributions; S106 and CIL.
S106 involves the use of legal agreements which secure contributions as part of a planning permission. They are used to make a development proposal acceptable in planning terms and are focused on mitigating the impact of that specific development.
CIL is a standard charge on development which can be levied by charging authorities on new development in their area. It is used to help deliver infrastructure which support development across their area. CIL only applies where a charging authority has an approved charging schedule which sets out its CIL rates. In most cases it replaces contributions which were previously collected through S106.
The County Council is not a CIL charging authority. In East Sussex the charging authorities are the districts, boroughs and the South Downs National Park Authority. Currently all authorities other than Hastings Borough Council have an adopted CIL charging schedule in place. The County Council does not have an automatic right to access CIL funding.
As a consequence, the County Council must bid for funding from the charging authorities, who each have their own governance processes and proportion of CIL allocated towards strategic/county council infrastructure. Generally, funding from CIL receipts rarely covers the cost of the required infrastructure, particularly regarding larger, higher value transport infrastructure projects such as the A22 Major Road Network (MRN) Improvements.
2.2 S106 process
Most S106 contributions are secured through planning applications which are determined by other authorities. The County Council only deals with planning applications in East Sussex, outside of the South Downs National Park, for waste, minerals and our own development (such as schools or roads).
In some areas (Rother, Eastbourne, Hastings) S106 contributions are paid directly to the County Council by the developer. In the National Park, Wealden and Lewes contributions are mostly paid to the districts and the national park authority who then hold the contribution on our behalf until we request the transfer of the contribution to a specific project.
For new developments being granted planning permission CIL has mostly replaced S106 contributions sought. However, there are still S106 agreements on some planning permissions where site-specific mitigation is required and there are contributions from historical S106 agreements which are to be collected once the payment point has been reached and spent. Most contributions have 10 years to be spent or allocated after receipt.
2.3 Infrastructure planning and overall funding
Infrastructure which is required to support development is identified through the development of Local Plans and when individual developments are considered through the planning process.
Local Plans, which set the levels and location of future development, are produced by districts, boroughs and the South Downs National Park Authority. During the production of Local Plans, the County Council works with planning authorities to identify infrastructure requirements, these are included in Infrastructure Delivery Plans which authorities produce to outline the essential infrastructure required to support Local Plans. These Plans inform the County Council’s capital strategies and our funding priorities.
The County Council is also consulted when individual developments apply for planning permission and provides advice to the planning authorities on the site-specific infrastructure requirements. These generally relate to transport measures as other service area contributions are now covered under CIL payments in most areas of the County.
Development contributions support the funding of infrastructure requirements, however the levels of investment required cannot be funded solely from these contributions and require a blend of funding sources, particularly large-scale transport and education projects which require additional external funding from Government or other funding providers. The County Council works extensively to secure further funding from a variety of sources to enable projects to be delivered. The current levels of growth proposed across the county will require additional infrastructure which will, in turn, require substantial levels of funding beyond what can be funded by the County Council. Therefore, funding from all available sources will be essential.
Development contributions can act to facilitate leverage of additional external funding crucial to meet the County’s infrastructure requirements. Development contributions will therefore play an important part in achieving necessary funding, either through S106 contributions or, increasingly, through CIL allocations.
In this report the amount of contributions and projects within each district and borough reflects the level of development, completions, infrastructure requirements and delivery within that area. There will be some fluctuation in these levels in future statements as this statement reports only on activity in the financial year 2024/25 and provides a snapshot of the situation as at 31 March 2025.
With the emerging changes arising from the establishment of the Sussex and Brighton Combined County Authority (CCA) and Local Government Reorganisation in Sussex in 2028, there are likely to be changes to the collection and use of s106 and Community Infrastructure Levy funding in the coming years.
2.4 Capital Strategy and Programme
Development contributions are applied wherever possible to capital strategy and programme priorities. The capital programme supports delivery of the County Council’s priority outcomes:
- Driving sustainable economic growth
- Keeping vulnerable people safe
- Helping people help themselves
- Making best use of resources now and in the future
The Capital Strategy focuses on the delivery of basic need for the County Council to continue to deliver our services as efficiently as possible. Basic Need for the purposes of the Capital Strategy is:
- Place: ensuring we can deliver services by planning for future need;
- Asset Condition: maintaining assets to an agreed level;
- ICT Strategy: ensuring that our ICT is fit for purpose for delivering modern council services in a digital era and protecting data; and
- Climate Change: supporting the Council’s aim of reaching carbon neutrality from our activities as soon as possible and in any event by 2050 in an appropriate and cost-efficient way.
Development contributions will be used in the first instance to support basic need projects in the capital programme, however it is recognised that there are some contributions that can only be used on projects outside of these purposes. There will also be contributions where it will be appropriate to be spent through revenue budgets, such as for bus services, and also to be delivered by third parties.
3. Scope and content
3.1 Scope
This IFS is focused on S106 reporting. The County Council is not a CIL charging authority therefore other authorities will be reporting on the amounts of CIL collected across the county and how this has been allocated and spent. This IFS will provide information on the amounts of CIL that have been allocated so far by charging authorities to the County Council.
S106 reporting in line with the CIL regulations and guidance focuses on the S106 contributions which we have received and retain. To provide a comprehensive picture of the amount of contributions available the report also provides an indication of money retained by other authorities on our behalf to be spent on County Council infrastructure.
Further details on amounts retained by other authorities including S106 and CIL can be obtained from their IFSs:
- Eastbourne Borough Council IFS
- Hastings Borough Council IFS
- Lewes District Council IFS
- Rother District Council IFS
- South Downs National Park Authority IFS
- Wealden District Council IFS
This IFS provides data on S106 monies secured to cover the cost of progressing Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs). It does not include information on Travel Plan Audit contributions, monitoring of this area continues to be improved so that it can be included in a future report. The detail of highway works secured through S278 agreements (e.g. new accesses, footways, bus stops, crossing facilities, etc) are also not included but will be considered for inclusion in future reports.
3.2 Content
For the financial year 2024/25 (April 2024 to March 2025):
- Contributions for County Council infrastructure in new S106 agreements signed in 2024/25, through applications both ESCC and other authorities determine (see Table 1)
- Contributions which have been received either directly from a developer or transferred from another authority (See Table 2).
- Contributions spent within the year and what infrastructure they have been spent on (see Table 3, Table 6, Table 7, Table 8, Table 13, Table 15, Table 17, Table 19 and Table 21).
For all contributions retained as at 31 March 2025
- Total amount retained (see Table 4).
- Amount which is not allocated to a specific project (see Table 4).
- Amount which is allocated and the infrastructure projects they are allocated to (see Table 4, Table 9, Table 10, Table 11, Table 12, Table 14, Table 16, Table 18, and Table 20).
All figures in the tables are rounded to the nearest pound, therefore there are occasions where the rounded figures within the tables do not match the totals which have also been calculated and rounded from the source data.
The report is divided into three main sections:
- Overall S106 figures: total money in new agreements, received, spent and retained
- Service area S106 information: details of projects money has been spent on or is allocated to and examples of recent projects completed using contributions
- CIL allocations: amounts charging authorities have so far allocated to the County Council
4. Overall S106 figures
4.1 Amount of money in S106 agreements signed in 2024/25
The totals in Table 1 include contributions for County Council infrastructure in S106 agreements signed relating to planning permissions for developments determined by other authorities.
Some of the contributions in the agreements are based on a formula therefore an estimate of the contribution has been made based on the most current information, this is in line with the CIL Regulations (paragraph 5c).
Though the contributions have been secured in agreements, the payment is conditional on developments being implemented therefore there is no guarantee that contributions will be received.
| District or borough | Transport Schemes | Passenger Transport | Rights of Way | TROs | Libraries | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastbourne | - | £170,100 | - | - | - | £170,100 |
| Hastings | - | - | £984 | - | £16,043 | £17,027 |
| Lewes | £20,000 | £128,250 | - | £6,000 | - | £154,250 |
| Rother | £130,000 | £287,900 | - | £10,200 | - | £428,100 |
| Wealden | £366,933 | £688,810 | £26,500 | £15,000 | - | £1,097,243 |
| Total [1] | £516,933 | £1,275,060 | £27,484 | £31,200 | £16,043 | £1,866,720 |
4.2 Money received in 2024/25
The total amount of money received by the County Council in 2024/25, including money paid directly from a developer and money transferred from another authority who were holding the contribution on behalf of the County Council is provided in Table 2.
| District or borough | Paid directly from a developer | Transferred from another authority | TROs – Paid directly from a developer | TROs – Transferred from another authority | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastbourne | £5,052 | - | £5,252 | - | £10,304 |
| Hastings | £2,151,952 | - | - | £2,151,952 | |
| Lewes | £140,706 | £611,897 | £29,547 | - | £782,150 |
| Rother | - | - | - | £0 | |
| Wealden | - | £1,107,325 | £20,200 | - | £1,127,525 |
| Total [2] | £2,297,710 | £1,719,222 | £54,999 | £0 | £4,071,931 |
4.3 Total money spent 2024/25
Table 3 provides the total amount of money spent by the County Council in 2024/25 including transfers to other organisations for them to spend on projects which meet the requirements of the S106 agreement. Table 3 also includes a breakdown by district and borough of where the infrastructure has been spent and also the service area.
Details of the specific projects the funds have been spent on are within the section on individual service areas.
| District or borough | Transport Schemes | Passenger Transport | Transport Regulation Orders | Education | Libraries | Rights of Way | Waste | Environment | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastbourne | - | £16,794 | £12,000 | - | - | - | - | £28,794 | |
| Hastings | £111,035 | £21,557 | £15,000 | £987,297 | - | - | - | £1,134,889 | |
| Lewes | - | £92,845 | £31,667 | £213,546 | - | £871 | £29,341 | £368,270 | |
| Rother | - | £19,070 | £5,000 | - | £234,334 | £4,821 | £18,788 | - | £282,013 |
| Wealden | £688,839 | £207,233 | £15,000 | £816,282 | - | £7,888 | £17,766 | - | £1,753,008 |
| Total [3] | £799,875 | £357,499 | £78,667 | £2,017,125 | £234,334 | £13,580 | £36,554 | £29,341 | £3,566,975 |
4.4 Total amount of money retained at 31 March 2025
Table 4 shows the total of money retained by the County Council as at 31 March 2025, after considering the money received and money spent during 2024/25. It shows the amount of retained money that is allocated to a specific project and the amount that is unallocated.
Table 4 also includes the amount retained for Traffic Regulation Orders (i.e. monies secured to cover the cost to the County Council of progressing the TRO’s) and the amount for long term maintenance (commuted sums) of highway works undertaken by third parties, generally through S278 or S38 agreements. More details on these are included in the transport section.
| Main Section 106 contributions | Commuted Sums | TROs | Environmental site measures * | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total allocated to a specific project [4] | £11,162,445 | £2,928,948 | £321,008 | £141,284 | £14,553,685 |
| Total unallocated [5] | £622,909 | £0 | £0 | £622,909 | |
| Total retained [6] | £11,785,354 | £2,928,948 | £321,008 | £141,284 | £15,176,594 |
* For applications determined by the County Council.
Details of the specific projects the funds have been allocated to are provided within the individual service area sections.
The contributions which remain available to be allocated towards future projects will need to meet the specified requirements within the S106 agreement relating to each site. Though not allocated yet to a specific project the funds do relate to a particular service area as outlined below.
| Service area | Allocated | Unallocated | Total Retained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport Schemes* | £7,538,630 | £211,255 | £7,749,885 |
| Passenger Transport | £1,678,402 | £268,790 | £1,947,192 |
| TROs | £321,008 | - | £321,008 |
| Commuted Sums | £2,928,948 | £2,928,948 | |
| Education | £1,188,412 | - | £1,188,412 |
| Libraries | £195,221 | £72,752 | £267,973 |
| Rights of Way | £533,229 | £55,218 | £588,447 |
| Household Waste Recycling Sites | - | £6,316 | £6,316 |
| Environment | £28,550 | £8,578 | £37,128 |
| Environmental site measures ** | £141,284 | - | £141,284 |
| Total | £14,553,685 | £622,909 | £15,176,594 |
* Some contributions may be able to be spent on passenger transport projects
** For applications determined by the County Council
4.5 Monies retained by other authorities
Further contributions have been collected from developers and retained by authorities on our behalf, principally Wealden District Council holds approximately £10.45m and Lewes District Council approximately £230,000.
The majority of money retained by Wealden District Council is for education provision and transport projects, further details on this is provided in the individual service area sections. The majority of money retained by Lewes District Council is for transport projects, further details are outlined in the transport section.
5. Transport
5.1 Introduction
The current East Sussex Local Transport Plan (LTP4) Strategy (Local Transport Plan 4 | East Sussex County Council) was adopted in October 2024 and will run from 2024 to 2050. LTP4 sets out how we plan to enable safer and more accessible journeys, develop healthy places to enable people to live well, decarbonise transport to help us to achieve net zero targets by 2050 at the latest, maintain and strengthen our transport networks so that they are resilient and support a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable economy within our coastal towns, market towns and villages in more rural areas.
The extent to which we are able to deliver the East Sussex LTP4 over the plan period will be influenced by the levels of funding that will be available and which the County Council can secure over the duration of the plan.
Our plans for the development and delivery of capital funded local and major transport measures are set out each year in our capital programme of local transport improvements and is reflective of the level of funding we have available in that given year. The programme is approved in March each year by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment.
Transport measures are funded through various sources including central government funding (for example, Bus Service Improvement Plan and Active Travel funding), any remaining Local Growth funding (LGF) secured via the former Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP), County Council capital and revenue expenditure and development contributions. Development contributions are necessary to supplement and support other major funding streams and bids for external funding particularly where a local contribution is often required.
Development contributions are used to fund measures at a variety of levels from small site-specific projects, such as a bus stop upgrade or a pedestrian crossing, to helping to fund major transport measures, such as road junction improvements and town centre schemes. All measures mitigate the impact on the transport network from the increased travel demand generated by development including the cumulative impacts from all development in an area.
It is expected that the emergence of the Sussex and Brighton Combined County Authority (CCA) in 2028 will result in a rationalisation in funding sources, especially for transport infrastructure, that will come through the CCA rather than direct to the local authorities. In addition, the Sussex and Brighton CCA will have a investment fund over a 30 year period of £38m per annum that will be available to deliver the Mayor’s priorities, which may include infrastructure.
5.2 Local transport schemes – walking, cycling and other local transport improvements
In order to deliver large scale projects, it is often necessary for funding to be combined either from a variety of sources and/or from various developments. Therefore, it can take some time for the required funding to be secured and assembled. This can delay the development of projects and the spending of individual contributions.
Key projects which development contributions have helped to fund in the past few years include major town centre improvements in Hailsham and Uckfield, new cycle routes including the Horsey cycleway in Eastbourne between Sovereign Harbour and the town centre and Newhaven Ring Road improvements.
5.3 Passenger transport
Funding for passenger transport improvements is mainly through County Council capital and revenue expenditure, Government and regional funding for specific projects and developer contributions. Capital development contributions are being used to improve bus stop facilities, by ensuring they are designed to comply with accessibility requirements, and to help fund the roll out of real time passenger information across the county.
Revenue Contributions are also used to subsidise bus services in areas where development requires sustainable transport solutions but before services have become viable. £41.5m of Government funding was secured in 2023 to implement the East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), initially from 2022-2025, to improve the frequency of service in the daytime, evenings and weekends, as well as for the introduction of bus priority infrastructure.
BSIP2 was published in May 2025 which included updates on what has been achieved through the BSIP and the potential plans beyond the current BSIP period.
Additional revenue and capital funding was allocated to East Sussex to continue improvements to bus service frequency and bus priority measures in 2025/26, with further revenue and capital allocations for 2026/27 to 2029/30 announced in December 2025.
5.4 Transport measures and initiatives delivered by developers
As part of a development, other infrastructure or initiatives can be provided by the developer. Under s278 agreements, the developer can provide off-site highway infrastructure within the vicinity of the site including new junctions or changes to existing to provide access to the site, as well as improvements locally to footways, cycle routes, crossings and bus stops.
In addition, Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) contributions can be secured to enable changes to parking restrictions and speed limits within the vicinity of the site to be advertised and implemented. Also, as part of larger developments, travel plans are developed by the developer to encourage greater levels of walking, cycling and public transport use by new residents or employees; contributions are secured to monitor and audit the impact of these travel plans and implement any ancillary measures necessary to ensure the travel plan is being effective.
Data on TROs is provided below. The monitoring on Travel Plan Audit and full information on S278 agreements is being considered for inclusion in future reports.
5.5 Projects money has been spent on in 2024/25
Transport Schemes – walking, cycling and other local transport improvements [7]
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hastings | Queensway Gateway Road scheme | £45,270 |
| Hastings | Silverhill Junction traffic signal cycle improvements | £65,765 |
| Wealden | New roundabout, junction improvements, Hailsham | £13,645 |
| Wealden | Uckfield Bus Station | £624,041 |
| Wealden | Bus Stop Improvements | £ 51,153 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £799,875 |
Passenger transport [7]
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Eastbourne | Real Time Passenger Information | £16,794 |
| Hastings | Real Time Passenger Information | £21,557 |
| Lewes | Real Time Passenger Information | £28,328 |
| Lewes | School Bus Service | £64,517 |
| Rother | Real Time Passenger Information | £19,070 |
| Wealden | Real Time Passenger Information | £71,984 |
| Wealden | School Bus Service | £127,349 |
| Wealden | Bus Service Improvements | £7,900 |
| TOTAL | Combined Projects | £357,499 |
Traffic Regulation Orders
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Eastbourne | Traffic Regulation Orders | £12,000 |
| Hastings | Traffic Regulation Orders | £15,000 |
| Lewes | Traffic Regulation Orders | £31,667 |
| Rother | Traffic Regulation Orders | £5,000 |
| Wealden | Traffic Regulation Orders | £15,000 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £78,667 |
5.6 Projects money retained at 31 March 2025 are allocated to
Transport Schemes – walking, cycling and other local transport improvements [8]
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Eastbourne | Eastbourne local cycling and walking improvements | £1,007,017 |
| Eastbourne | Eastbourne bus stop and pedestrian crossing improvements | £31,891 |
| Hastings | Hastings local cycling and walking improvement | £1,120,721 |
| Hastings | The Ridge bus stops improvements | £517,486 |
| Hastings | Hastings Junction improvements | £6,234 |
| Lewes | Chailey pedestrian crossing improvements | £170,088 |
| Lewes | A259 measures between Brighton and Newhaven | £406,758 |
| Lewes | Road safety on the B2192 | £4,740 |
| Lewes | Highway safety measures | £3,310 |
| Lewes | Seaford Walking and Cycling Improvements | £128,508 |
| Lewes | Ditchling Common transport measures | £287,809 |
| Rother | Bexhill walking and cycling network improvements | £305,729 |
| Rother | Bexhill Pedestrian crossing improvement | £74,003 |
| Rother | Rye Greenway | £263,219 |
| Rother | Bus services and infrastructure in Bexhill | £216,665 |
| Rother | School Streets - All Saints, Sidley | £133,292 |
| South Downs National Park | Lewes cycling network improvements | £19,147 |
| Wealden | Uckfield Phase 4 Movement and Access improvements | £325,125 |
| Wealden | A22 corridor: Major Road Network proposals | £1,749,037 |
| Wealden | A272 footway improvements | £25,263 |
| Wealden | Westham Footpath Improvements | £18,962 |
| Wealden | Hailsham movement and access improvements | £67,870 |
| Wealden | Crowborough bus stop and pedestrian crossing improvements | £114,999 |
| Wealden | Polegate High Street pedestrian improvements | £499,188 |
| Wealden | A271 bus stop improvements in Herstmonceux | £20,445 |
| Wealden | Wadhurst High Street pedestrian and traffic management scheme | £21,123 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £7,538,630 |
Passenger transport [8]
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hastings | Bus services in Silverhill area | £198,563 |
| Hastings | Real Time Passenger Information | £63,343 |
| Lewes | Real Time Passenger Information | £75,844 |
| Lewes | School Transport | £193,631 |
| Rother | Real Time Passenger Information | £21,765 |
| Rother | Bus services in Bexhill | £855,721 |
| Wealden | Real Time Passenger Information | £124,711 |
| Wealden | Bus services in Polegate | £11,539 |
| Wealden | School Transport | £133,284 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £1,678,402 |
Traffic Regulation Orders
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Eastbourne | Traffic Regulation Orders | £55,760 |
| Hastings | Traffic Regulation Orders | £51,000 |
| Lewes | Traffic Regulation Orders | £81,295 |
| Rother | Traffic Regulation Orders | £20,253 |
| Wealden | Traffic Regulation Orders | £112,700 |
| Total | £321,008 |
Commuted sums
Commuted sums are financial contributions made by third parties to Highway Authorities as compensation for taking on the long-term future maintenance responsibility for newly created highways or highway improvements. They can be retained for many years as they are based on the life of the asset which can be 16, 30, 60 or 120 years. The commuted sums are generally secured through S278 and S38 agreements.
| District or Borough | Amount |
|---|---|
| Eastbourne | £113,746 |
| Hastings | £206,894 |
| Lewes | £649,103 |
| Rother | £172,795 |
| Wealden | £1,786,410 |
| Total [9] | £2,928,948 |
5.7 Monies retained by other authorities
In addition to the contributions above Wealden and Lewes District Councils hold significant monies on our behalf for transport projects.
Wealden
Approximately £4.6m is retained by Wealden District Council. This will be spent, by the County Council, in line with the relevant S106 agreements, including on the following projects (as of March 2024):
- A22 Junction improvements
- Crowborough bus stop and pedestrian crossing improvements
- Uckfield Phase 4 Movement and Access improvements
- Wadhurst High Street pedestrian and traffic management scheme
- Movement and Access Strategy for Hailsham and Hellingly (MASHH2)
- Walking and cycling improvements in Stone Cross area
Lewes
Approximately £36,500 is retained by Lewes District Council. This will be spent, by the County Council, in line with the relevant S106 agreements, including on the following projects (as of March 2025):
- Lewes walking and cycling network improvements
- A259 South Coast Road Major Route Network (MRN) package
5.8 Examples of recent spending
Uckfield Bus Station Mobility Hub
District or Borough
Wealden
Location
Uckfield
Project description
Uckfield Bus Station Mobility Hub
The contributions were used towards the delivery of a major upgrade of Uckfield bus station to create a Mobility Hub to create an interchange facility between different modes – walking, cycling, bus, taxi and Community Transport. The improvements included:
- the reconfiguration of the layout of Uckfield Bus Station to create a Mobility Hub to provide an improved passenger experience and functionality for buses,
- modern bus shelters with planted roofs and wireless charging points,
- the introduction of enhanced real time information (RTI),
- new footway and crossing points on the south side of Bell Walk,
- enhanced street lighting around the bus station,
- cycle shelter.
- benches and planters
- Better management of parking and vehicle movements in and around the bus station
Implementation
The upgraded bus station opened in November 2024.
Project costs
Total cost: £1,011,349
S106 contribution: £641,789
Additional Funding Sources
ESCC Integrated Transport Measures (ITM) fund: £369,560
Crowborough Bus Stop Upgrades
District or Borough
Wealden
Location
Crowborough
Project description
Upgrade of bus stops in the Crowborough area to improve bus stop infrastructure in the Crowborough area including the bus stops near relevant development sites to provide sustainable transport improvements to the local Crowborough area.
Implementation
February and March 2025
Project costs
Total cost: £46,180.21
S106 contribution: £42,426.60
6. Education
6.1 Introduction
The County Council has a statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient primary, secondary, and special school places in the right locations to meet demand. The County Council is responsible for promoting a good supply of strong schools through planning, organising and commissioning places in a way that raises attainment, increases diversity, encourages collaboration between schools and promotes community cohesion. The ‘Excellence for All Vision 2024-2030’ outlines the County Council’s shared ambition for education in the county and is available on the County Council’s website at: Excellence for All Vision 2024-2030.
The need for school places fluctuates in response to population changes, new housing developments and government policy and can lead to rising as well as declining pupil numbers. Increases in demand can lead to the establishment of new schools or the expansion of existing schools. Decreases in demand can lead to a reduction in places through changes to admission arrangements or the rationalisation of provision.
Each year the County Council publishes a School Organisation Plan, the purpose of which is to share the projected demand for school places in the future and to set out where the County Council thinks it will need to commission additional places or re-organise existing provision. The current School Organisation Plan covers the period 2024 to 2028 and is available on the County Council’s website at: School Organisation Plan 2024 to 2028 | East Sussex County Council.
Included within the School Organisation Plan are pupil forecasts for each school planning area in East Sussex. In forecasting demand for school places, the County Council takes account of factors such as births, trend data, parental preference, housing growth and existing and planned capacity as well as patterns of inward and outward migration. The County Council works closely with local planning authorities in East Sussex on the production of their Local Plan documents. This planning process identifies the requirement for additional school places and /or land for new schools arising from new housing development.
The County Council receives Basic Need capital funding from the government to support the provision of primary and secondary school places. This funding is provided on a formulaic basis using information provided by the County Council to the Department for Education in the annual School Capacity return. The County Council also receives High Needs Provision capital funding to support the delivery of new provision for children and young people with special educational needs.
The capital funding that the County Council receives from the government is insufficient to cover the entire capital costs of new build and expansion projects and the County Council must supplement the funding provided from other sources, including its own capital programme.
In areas where pressure on school places comes from new housing developments, the County Council works closely with local planning authorities to secure development contributions towards the cost of providing additional school places through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and, in some instances, through the negotiation of Section 106 agreements.
Development contributions are also used to fund small scale school improvements to support additional pressure created by development. In these cases, it is sometimes more appropriate for individual schools to implement projects locally, therefore once a project has been agreed monies are transferred to a school to deliver.
Although CIL has mostly replaced S106 contributions there are still some contributions from historical S106 agreements which are yet to be collected, however it is expected that in most of the county future development contributions for education provision will be through the CIL.
6.2 Projects money has been spent on in 2024/25
(See Footnote 7)
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hastings | School Basic Need Programme - Hastings Primary Schools - Retrospective | £987,297 |
| Lewes | Chailey School Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) 2 project | £178,000 |
| Lewes | Chailey School Sports Hall project | £35,546 |
| Wealden | Outdoor Facilities Improvement at Stone Cross School | £95,622 |
| Wealden | Special Educational Needs provision in Crowborough | £720,660 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £2,017,124 |
6.3 Projects money retained at 31 March 2025 are allocated to
(See Footnote 8)
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hastings | School Basic Need Programme - Hastings | £37,414 |
| Rother | Future Primary and Nursery places in Northeast Bexhill | £1,118,768 |
| Wealden | Special Educational Needs provision in Crowborough | £32,230 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £1,188,412 |
6.4 Monies retained by other authorities
In addition to the contributions above Wealden District Council retains approximately £4.5m on our behalf for education projects. This will be spent, by the County Council, in line with the relevant S106 agreements.
Approximately £190,000 is retained by Lewes District Council. This will be spent, by the County Council, in line with the relevant S106 agreements.
6.5 Example of recent spending
Expansion of Acre Wood Academy
District or Borough
Wealden
Location
Crowborough
Project description
Expansion of Acre Wood Academy (formerly Grove Park School)
Implementation
Acre Wood Academy is a special school in Crowborough that offers provision to children with a range of complex special educational needs and disabilities through primary, secondary and sixth form. The reorganisation and expansion of Acre Wood Academy on its Church Road premises will provide brand new secondary accommodation for additional pupils and new nursery provision for children aged 2 to 4. The new accommodation will benefit the school by bringing together primary and secondary provision on one site, supporting transition and making best use of the Church Road site. The new nursery will mean that children who need this provision can start the school from two years old, ensuring a good start to their education. The erection of the new secondary accommodation with associated outdoor learning and play space is due to complete in the 2026/27 academic year. The nursery project will follow thereafter.
Project costs
Total cost: £18.205m
S106 contribution: £1.053m
7. Libraries
7.1 Introduction
The County Council developed, and is implementing, a Strategy for the Library and Information Service as part of a wider Libraries Transformation Programme (LTP) and is available on the County Council’s website at: East Sussex Libraries: The Way Forward 2022/23 to 2027/28 | East Sussex County Council.
The LTP was designed to deliver a modern and sustainable Library and Information Service for East Sussex, based on current and future needs for the county. New library services introduced include an enhanced, modern eLibrary, a new children and young people’s offer to support literacy and numeracy, increased outreach work in our most disadvantaged communities and new Community Library Membership and Teachers Library Membership.
Refurbishment of library buildings are funded by a 10-year Libraries Maintenance and Refurbishment Programme, which started in 2018/19. Development contributions provide additional funding which allows for enhancements. This funding has been used to help fund the expansion of children’s libraries, create multiple use suites for adult educational services and install public study spaces where customers can use their own devices, with charging points whilst creating energy efficiency savings where possible.
Development contributions will continue to be used in line with S106 agreements on improving and increasing capacity of library provision. This will be achieved both within library buildings and by enabling people to access services remotely through the eLibrary and outreach programmes.
7.2 Projects money has been spent on in 2024/25
(See Footnote 7)
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rother | Refurbishment of Bexhill Library | £234,334 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £234,334 |
7.3 Projects money retained at 31 March 25
(See Footnote 8)
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hastings | Hastings Library improvements | £147,507 |
| Rother | Rother library services outreach project | £13,437 |
| Wealden | Hailsham library service project | £34,276 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £195,221 |
7.4 Monies retained by other authorities
Wealden
In addition to the contributions above Wealden District Council retains approximately £245,000 on our behalf for library projects. This will be spent, by the County Council, in line with the relevant S106 agreements, including on the project to improve library facilities in the Hailsham area.
7.5 Example of recent spending
Bexhill Library internal refurbishment project
District or Borough
Rother
Location
Bexhill
Project description
Bexhill Library internal refurbishment project has transformed the library into a modern hub designed to meet evolving customer needs, creating clearly defined zones, improving accessibility, and enhancing the overall visitor experience. Key outcomes included;
- Creating a welcoming environment: including open sightlines and intuitive navigation throughout the space.
- Creating flexible spaces: The library now features movable shelving and modular furniture, enabling quick reconfiguration for events and community activities. A dedicated area accommodates up to 60 people for workshops, story times, and exhibitions.
- Creating an enhanced children’s zone: A vibrant, inviting children’s area includes integrated seating and shelving, age-appropriate furniture, and playful design elements to foster a lifelong love of reading.
- Improved Study and Technology Access: New study spaces with charging points support laptop and mobile device use, alongside 14 public PCs, including an adjustable DDA-compliant workstation.
- Modern Display and Signage: Upgraded shelving and display units showcase stock effectively, promoting discovery and engagement with books, DVDs, and audio resources.
Implementation
September and November 2024
Project costs
Total cost: £585,000
S106 contribution: £234,333.97
Additional funding sources: Libraries capital basic need
8. Rights of Way
8.1 Introduction
The East Sussex rights of way network provides access for travel and recreation. Improvements to public rights of way are funded via the County Council’s revenue and capital streams. Development contributions provide additional funding for public rights of way which have increased use generated by new developments in the area. Contributions are generally used to help fund surface improvements. A significant contribution has been secured towards the improvement and management of Ditchling Common.
Development contributions will continue to be used in line with S106 agreements on improving public rights of way in the surrounding areas of the developments where contributions originate.
8.2 Projects money has been spent on in 2024/25
(See Footnote 7)
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lewes | Surface improvements | £871 |
| Rother | Public Footpath Bridges in the Northiam area | £1,980 |
| Rother | Surfacing of a footpath in Rye | £2,840 |
| Wealden | Footpath resurfacing, Arlington | £2,096 |
| Wealden | Replacement of footpath bridge | £5,792 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £13,580 |
8.3 Projects money retained at 31 March 2025 are allocated to
(See Footnote 8)
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lewes | Implementing the Ditchling Common Management Plan | £520,677 |
| Rother | Footpath bridge replacement | £10,782 |
| Rother | Surfacing in Rye | £1,771 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £533,229 |
8.4 Examples of recent spending
Public Footpath Bridges in the Heathfield area
District or Borough
Wealden
Location
Heathfield
Project description
Replacement of four footbridges in the Heathfield area
Implementation
The project replaced four footbridges on Public Footpaths in the Heathfield area. Specifically replacing footbridges on Heathfield and Waldron Footpaths 94 (B2253), 12e (B2355), 52a (B0485), 40 (B0401).
Project costs
Total cost: £3,459
S106 contribution: £3,117
Surfacing of Rye Public Footpath 38
District or Borough
Rother
Location
Rye
Project description
Surfacing of Rye Public Footpath 38
Implementation
The project resurfaced around 93 metres of tarmac path which had previously been in a poor condition. Access along the whole of the path, which is a useful urban link, is now significantly easier.
Project costs
Total cost: £8,824
S106 contribution: £2,840.47
9. Household waste recycling sites
9.1 Introduction
The majority of contributions that had previously been collected and retained by the County Council for improvements to household waste recycling sites were from developments within the Hailsham area. These had been used to provide additional waste and recycling facilities at Hailsham household waste recycling site in 2022/23.
There was £6,316 held by County Council for waste projects at 31 March 2025 which will be spent in line with the relevant S106 agreements.
9.2 Projects money has been spent on in 2024/25
(See Footnote 7)
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rother | Introduction of separation at Mountfield HWRS | £4,637 |
| Rother | New bay at Pebsham Waste Transfer Station | £14,152 |
| Wealden | Maresfield HWRS and WTS Improvements | £17,766 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £36,554 |
9.3 Monies retained by other authorities
Wealden
Wealden District Council retains approximately £6,500 on our behalf for waste projects. This will be spent, by the County Council, in line with the relevant S106 agreements, on additional household waste recycling facilities which serve the relevant developments.
9.4 Examples of recent spending
Maresfield Household Waste Recycling Site Improvements
District or Borough
Wealden
Location
Maresfield
Project description
The household waste recycling site in Maresfield has had a gantry extended to allow access to two rather than one bin on the gantry. A 40 yard container has been placed there with signage and is being used to allow for the separate collection of waste upholstered domestic seating (e.g. sofas). This has increased capacity on the site and allowed for compliance with new government guidance on how these wastes types, which may contain persistent organics pollutants, should be kept separate from other materials.
Implementation
October 2023
Project costs
Total cost: £21,978
S106 contribution: £11,078
Additional funding sources: Veolia South Downs
10. Environment
10.1 Introduction
The money retained in Table 20 is for the purpose of managing, displaying and interpretation of archaeological findings from various developments sites in Bexhill where the planning applications were determined by Rother District Council.
Amounts which were spent, and are allocated, in Tables 20 and 22 are related to planning applications the County Council has determined and are contributions which will mitigate the local environmental impacts from the developments.
10.2 Projects money has been spent on in 2024/25
(See Footnote 7)
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lewes | New air quality monitoring station in Newhaven and purchase of SO2 analyser | £29,341 |
10.3 Projects money retained at 31 March 2024 are allocated to
(See Footnote 8)
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rother | Managing, displaying and interpretation of site archaeological findings | £28,550 |
| District or Borough | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lewes | Air Quality Action Plans | £5,478 |
| Lewes | Local Wildlife Sites enhancements – to be delivered by the Local Nature Partnership | £23,631 |
| Rother | Bexhill to Hastings Link Road Monitoring: Planning, Landscaping, Ecology, Noise and Archaeology | £112,175 |
| Total | Combined Projects | £141,284 |
11. Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) allocations made to the County Council
11.1 Introduction
CIL charging authorities (districts, boroughs in the county except Hastings Borough Council and the South Downs National Park Authority) are responsible for allocating CIL money they collect in their area. Generally, they allocate money through a bidding process. The County Council, are therefore required to submit competitive bids to charging authorities in order to secure CIL money to fund infrastructure projects, but there is no guarantee that we are successful in securing that funding.
The County Council’s bid prioritisation process prioritises critical infrastructure required to support development which is also identified within the capital programme.
11.2 Projects which have been allocated CIL funding
Table 23 shows the County Council projects which have so far been allocated CIL funds by charging authorities.
| Charging Authority | Project | Amount Allocated | Spend to date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewes | Seahaven Academy Expansion | £ 2,250,000 | £ 2,250,000 |
| Lewes | Newhaven Ring Road | £300,000 | £300,000 |
| Rother | London Road Corridor in Bexhill | £300,000 | - |
| South Downs National Park Authority | Lewes Bus Infrastructure Improvements | £23,425 | £23,425 |
| South Downs National Park Authority | Regional Cycle Route 90 Improvements | £241,597 | - |
| Wealden | New roundabout at Ersham Road, South Road and Diplocks Way, Hailsham | £5,200,000 | - |
| Wealden | Junction improvements on A22 in South Wealden | £4,348,000 | - |
| Total | £12,663,022 | £2,573,425 |
11.3 Examples of recent spending
In 2023/24 £23,425 of South Downs National Park Authority Strategic CIL was used for bus infrastructure improvements within Lewes.
Footnotes
- CIL Regs. Schedule 2, paragraph 3a - the total amount of money to be provided under any planning obligations which were entered into during the reported year.
- CIL Regs. Schedule 2, paragraph 3b - the total amount of money under any planning obligations which was received during the reported year 2024/25
- CIL Regs. Schedule 2, paragraph 3f - the total amount of money (received under any planning obligations) which was spent by the authority (including transferring it to another person to spend)
- CIL Regs. Schedule 2, paragraph 3e - the total amount of money (received under any planning obligations) which was allocated but not spent during the reported year for funding infrastructure
- CIL Regs. Schedule 2, paragraph 3c - the total amount of money under any planning obligations which was received before the reported year which has not been allocated by the authority
- CIL Regs. Schedule 2, paragraph 3i - the total amount of money (received under any planning obligations) during any year which was retained at the end of the reported year and where any of the retained money has been allocated for the purposes of longer term maintenance (“commuted sums”), also identify separately the total amount of commuted sums held
- CIL Regs. Schedule 2, paragraph 3h(i) - in relation to money (received under planning obligations) which was spent by the authority during the reported year (including transferring it to another person to spend), summary details of the items of infrastructure on which that money (received under planning obligations) was spent, and the amount spent on each item
- CIL Regs. Schedule 2, paragraph 3g - in relation to money (received under planning obligations) which was allocated by the authority but not spent during the reported year, summary details of the items of infrastructure on which the money has been allocated, and the amount of money allocated to each item
- CIL Regs. Schedule 2, paragraph 3 (i) - … also identify separately the total amount of commuted sums held