Agenda item

To receive the report of the CIL Task Group.

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a new charge that local authorities can choose to impose on development in their area. It will contribute towards bridging the funding gap between the total cost of infrastructure necessary to deliver new developments and the amount of funding available from other sources following the reduction in contributions to be received through section 106 legal agreements as part of the CIL regulations. Under the CIL regulations the Council must prepare and publish a charging schedule which sets out the rates of CIL which apply in Wiltshire.

In 2012 the Cabinet and Corporate Leadership Team identified the introduction of CIL as one of its corporate priorities. The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Task Group was established in August 2012 to test out the charging proposals for CIL and report on recommendations for the future implementation of CIL.

Cllr Tony Trotman, Chairman of the CIL Task Group updated the Committee on the work of the Task Group.

Cllr Trotman thanked members of the Task Group for their work and contributions since the inception of the task group, noting four sets of revised regulations on CIL had been received from central government since the formation of the Task Group, necessitating additional work from its members. On behalf of the Task Group he also paid particular thanks to the support from Geoff Winslow (Manager - Spatial Planning Environment) and Maggie McDonald (Senior Scrutiny Officer) in facilitating the work of the Task Group.

The need to consider the whole county and find a solution appropriate for the cities, towns and villages in Wiltshire was highlighted, and therefore the Task Group had determined that a single set rate for the county was not the most appropriate solution, concluding that those areas which could support a higher level of CIL should be required to do so and so supported the concept of different CIL rates for different areas, noting also that the guidance suggests differential rates are more flexible to local conditions.  It agreed with the levels proposed in Option 3 as detailed in the report papers.

The Committee considered whether it would be appropriate for the Task Group to continue working until the law had reached a stable point.

A discussion followed, where it was noted that a paper on the Community Infrastructure Levy that was due to be presented before Cabinet made different recommendations from those contained within the Task Group report.

The Committee also discussed the administration of any charging schedule for contributions, and that while a single set rate would be simpler to administer, the positive benefits of a schedule with differing rates would outweigh the additional administrative cost. That affordable housing would not incur a CIL contribution was raised, along with the comments of the Planning Inspector assessing the Council’s emerging Core Strategy that the target rate of 40% affordable housing was unsustainable, and what impact this could have on what CIL rate was most appropriate.

Other points discussed included developments on strategic sites would only be liable for half the CIL rate of other areas, and the possibility of reviewing the set CIL rate at a future date.

Cllr George Jeans also made a statement supporting a reduction in the CIL rate for dwellings of 100m² or less in order to encourage affordable housing by design.

After discussion it was,

Resolved:

a)    In drawing up the Preliminary Draft Charging Schedule for consultation, the Council adopts the CIL charges outlined in paragraph 16 of the report.