Issue - meetings

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

Councillor Tim Ball in proposing the item, said that the levy would be a tax on building, which would cover the infrastructure costs which presently were covered by s.106 agreements.  The levy would essentially replace s.106 although some s.106 agreements might still exist.

Councillor David Bellotti, in seconding the proposal, asked Councillor Ball to agree to an amendment to table 2 in section 4.21 of the Draft Schedule document (and reproduced in section 5.7 of the report), the effect of which would be to amend the “Office” row in the table from nil to £30 per  m².  He suggested this because he felt that offices have workers, who use the local infrastructure.  In explaining his thinking, he pointed out that he disagreed with a sentence in table 1 of section 3.20 of the Draft Schedule which stated “although there is an adequate demand for space, this has not generated rents that would be high enough to support new development”.  He reminded Councillor Ball that the charge could be reconsidered each year.

Councillor Tim Ball accepted the amendment although with some reservations that the proposals might not prove to be acceptable to developers.  In summing up, he said that it would be illegal to impose any tax which prevented development, so it would be necessary to pay attention to what the market said about the proposals.

On a motion from Councillor Tim Ball, seconded by Councillor David Bellotti, it was

RESOLVED (unanimously)

(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.

[Clause 1 above was included as a result of an amendment suggested by the seconder and accepted by the proposer of the motion].