Issue - meetings

Report of the Corporate Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) on the approval of the draft Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule for final public consultation prior to examination and adoption.

Cabinet approved the Draft CIL Charging Schedule and Instalments Policy for public consultation.

Report of the Corporate Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) on the approval of the draft Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule for final public consultation prior to examination and adoption.

(1)       The Decision Taken

RESOLVED:

Cabinet approved the Draft CIL Charging Schedule in Appendix A and Instalments Policy (Option D as set out in Appendix B) for public consultation.

(2)        Reasons for the Decision

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) was a locally set planning charge to help fund supporting infrastructure.

There was an estimated infrastructure funding gap of £156M over plan period.

The Council prepares Infrastructure Funding Statement and spends collected CIL monies in accordance with the statement. It was particularly useful for strategic infrastructure that were difficult to fund via S106s.

A preliminary CIL report was published in 2017. Further viability work was carried out by BNP Paribas in light of changing property markets, potential impacts of Brexit, etc, but prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

The BNP work judged whether sites are viable/deliverable and can afford levy.

The sites were based on the Submitted Local Plan as agreed by Full Council in 2016. This is the plan that is under consultation at present. The CIL Charging Schedule would be updated if the Local Plan changes later in the year.

11 plus homes = £70 Hatfield, £100 WGC/W Hatfield /Welham Green, £230 villages

Schemes of less than 11 homes = £230 everywhere, as no affordable housing

Supermarkets = £85

Other retail = £20

All other uses = £20, except education, healthcare, emergency services = £0

Panshanger = £100

Birchall = £100

Symondshyde = £100

HAT1 = £0 due to estimated £51 million of S106 costs

CIL is estimated to generate between £30-35M over the plan period. Town and Parish Councils will keep 15% from their area, 25% if neighbourhood plan. There could be mechanism to ringfence 15% for WGC as there is no town council.

The Council would be allowed to keep up to 5% of CIL for administrative costs. The timetable enables CIL to be adopted in advance or alongside the Local Plan.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) was unanimously agreed at the meeting of Cabinet Planning and Parking Panel on 30 July 2020.