Community Infrastructure Levy – What it is all about
The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL’) is a charge levied by local authorities on new development in their area. The purpose of the levy is the provision, improvement, replacement, operation or maintenance of the infrastructure needed to support development and anything else that helps to address the demands that new development is placing on their area.
Whilst there is a degree of flexibility in how this is interpreted an initial key element in the assessment of an identified initiative or project will be how it can be shown to help address the demands that are placed on the area by the new development.
A total £107,738.56 of CIL funding has been generated by the development of the Folly Farm site in Yetminster to provide 85 new homes.
The potential for CIL Funding generally falls within the following areas – Green Infrastructure and recreation provision serving the needs of the wider area; Culture & Leisure Facilities; Waste Management Facilities; Transport, including highway safety and improvements, bus services, walking and cycle improvements
As an example a project could, for instance, propose the increase in the Hamcrate Allotment area in Yetminster with the new space being set aside for the occupants of the new housing. Supplementing this could be an initiative to engage with the Highways Authority to provide a permanent pavement to provide safer access at Brister End to the Hamcrate Play Area and the Sports Field to encourage newcomers to the village to use these facilities.
A more general “recreational” proposal could be better signposting of the Rights of Way and Village Maps at key locations showing these and where facilities are thereby encouraging newcomers to explore and “own” their area.
A further initiative could be the recognition that soft landscaping may be desirable to neutralise some of the boundaries caused by the different styles of development within the Parish over the last 50 years to make a more homogeneous mix.
The Yetminster & Ryme Intrinseca Parish Council agreed, at their meeting on the 2nd December 2020 to set up a working group (the YRIPC CIL Working Group) consisting of councillors and volunteers from the community with the intention that they provide an opportunity for the community to put forward their ideas and for the group to then identify suitable projects and arrange for these to be implemented.
The timespan to complete the projects and to use the CIL funding is a period of 5 years from October 2020 ( a previous CIL amount of £1440.00 for development of a property in Coles Lane was received in May 2020 and is subject to the same time constraints).
Last updated 10 03 2022 DIT