Decision details

The Council is preparing a Community Infrastructure Levy for Bath & North East Somerset Council.  This report proposes a draft charging schedule for public consultation.

(1) To AGREE that the draft charging schedule be amended so that in Table 2 of paragraph 4.21, the CIL Rate for Offices be amended from nil to £30 per m²;

(2) To APPROVE the preliminary draft charging schedule for a public consultation in April – June 2012;

(3) To DELEGATE responsibility to the Divisional Director of Planning & Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Homes & Planning, to make minor textual amendments prior to publication of the CIL Preliminary Draft Charging Schedule for public consultation;

(4) To AGREE that a procedure be established to monitor annually and review the CIL to ensure rates remain appropriate and effective; and

(5) To ASK that following consultation on the preliminary draft charging schedule a further report is brought to Cabinet on the draft charging schedule.

Establishing a CIL tariff will give developers certainty on what they will have to pay. It will also spread the cost of providing infrastructure across a wider range of developments, including the cumulative impact of small schemes, which may not have previously contributed under s106 arrangements. CIL is a levy on all eligible development which is different from the site specific nature of s.106 obligations. This is important as from 2014 it will no longer be possible to pool contributions (limited to 5 schemes) gained through S106, so the council would no longer be able to take open space or sustainable transport contributions in the way it currently does if it does not introduce CIL.

Preparation of CIL is not obligatory. However, the funding that the Council can secure from new development under s106 will be significantly scaled back from 2014. Therefore not producing CIL is not considered appropriate.