The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a charge on new development which local authorities can introduce to help fund the infrastructure needed to support development. It takes the form of a charge applied to floorspace, as measured in square metres (sqm). CIL was introduced by the Planning Act 2008 and is governed by the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 (as amended).
The council introduced CIL on 1 April 2016 for new residential and retail development. Our Planning Policy pages explain more.
CIL ensures that new development contributes to meeting the infrastructural demands it generates. Some of the financial benefit resulting from granting planning permission are shared with the community. The tariff-based approach provides greater transparency and clarity as to what level of developer contributions will be required.
The CIL Regulations updated on 1 September 2019 affect planning permissions granted from the 1st September 2019 onwards. CIL liable developments which received planning permission before 1 September 2019 will be processed under the previous regulations.
The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a charge on new development which local authorities can introduce to help fund the infrastructure needed to support development. It takes the form of a charge applied to floorspace, as measured in square metres (sqm). CIL was introduced by the Planning Act 2008 and is governed by the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 (as amended).
Only residential and retail developments are liable to pay CIL.
Development that creates less than 100sqm of new floor space is not chargeable. The only exception to this is a new dwelling which is chargeable, whatever the size.
The following types of development will be liable to pay CIL:
- Residential development of one or more dwellings (including Holiday Lets and Residential Annexes) through new build or conversions even if less than 100sqm;
- The establishment of other residential floor space such as house extensions, loft conversions, and other ancillary buildings such as stores, conservatories, garages if 100sqm or over (or less than 100sqm if it contributes to the creation of a new dwelling);
- Retail development 100sqm or over.
Permitted development (development that does not require submission of a planning application), or development subject to ‘Prior Approval’ is CIL liable if:
- A new dwelling is being created (even if this is through a change of use);
- An extension is being created to a dwelling that is 100sqm or more;
- New retail floor space is being created that is 100sqm or more;
- An annexe is being created to a dwelling
If you intend to commence development under Permitted Development or Prior Approval that meets the above, you will need to submit a Form 5: Notice of Chargeable Development to the Planning Department before you commence development. The CIL charge is then assessed and applied as though planning permission has been issued.
The Notice of Chargeable Development must be accompanied by a scaled plan which identifies the following:
- The land to which the notice relates;
- Any buildings in lawful use on that land which are to be demolished before the completion of the chargeable development;
- Any buildings in lawful use on that land which will be part of the chargeable development on completion;
- The development which is subject to the notice.
Further information may be required if the Council are unable to determine the CIL liability from the information submitted.
Partially, yet not completely, the implementation of legal authority to levy CIL has led to heightened constraints on utilising planning obligations for infrastructure provision.
Presently, planning obligations are mandated to satisfy specific criteria: deemed necessary for rendering a development acceptable within planning parameters, directly linked to the said development, and proportionate in scale and type to the development. Consequently, the aim is for CIL to primarily support extensive strategic infrastructure, while planning obligations primarily address the site-specific mitigation of a particular development’s impact. This includes the provision of affordable housing, explicitly excluded from CIL funding.
Starting in 2020, all councils are mandated to release an annual Infrastructure Funding Statement. This statement will outline the recent and planned utilisation of CIL and section 106 contributions.
Not following the CIL Procedures can be very costly for reasons such as:
- If a Self-Build Exemption is being applied for, this must be agreed by the Council prior to commencement of the development
- Always ensure that, where relevant, the Assumption of Liability Form: Form 2 and Commencement Notice: Form 6 are sent to and agreed by the Council before any work commences (including demolition)
- Always pay the CIL Invoice by or before the due date otherwise surcharges will be applied
- If your planning application is Retrospective and CIL is liable, the CIL payment will be due once planning permission is granted and will incur surcharge interest from the date of the decision to when the CIL invoice is paid
- If your application is Retrospective, you are not eligible for a Self-Build Exemption
- If you are building more than one dwelling you can request a phased consent but this should be done prior to the application being determined by the Council. Once the application has been determined, you will need to send in a Minor Material Amendment application (form No 25 under the heading General Application Forms)
- Where CIL is being paid, the contribution for SANGS/SAMMS is already included within the CIL figure. Should the CIL Liability be lower than the current SANGS/SAMMS payment figure a top up payment would be required
- If you have a Self-build exemption for a dwelling or an annexe, once the development is completed you have six months from the date of completion in which to send in your Self-build Exemption Form 7 Part 2. This needs to be agreed by the Council before the six months expires otherwise you will be liable to pay the full CIL amount.
Further information about CIL is published on the Planning Portal website and on the Government website.
You can also use the pages under the header ‘In this section’.
For CIL related enquiries contact the team by emailing cil@wealden.gov.uk