Issue - meetings
Infrastructure Funding - Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Policy
Meeting: 05/03/2026 - Cabinet (Item 11.)
11. Infrastructure Funding - Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Project 
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Purpose:
The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a charge levied on development to help fund infrastructure. It is a vital mechanism for supporting the delivery of infrastructure to underpin sustainable growth across the District, while also creating opportunities for projects that enhance local communities.
The Council introduced a CIL charge in 2019; at which time a process for stakeholders to apply for CIL funding was put in place. Now, with experience of operating the process, is an appropriate time to review it for best practice.
The existing process allows stakeholders to make ‘bids’ for CIL funding once a year, during the period of March – May. Concise guidance for making bids is available on our website. Once the bid period closes, an officer panel convenes to consider the bids, applying an existing high-level scoring system.
Having now completed two strategic bid rounds under the existing process, the Council has gained valuable insights, supported by stakeholder feedback, into how the process can be further strengthened. A review by officers has identified opportunities to enhance transparency, engagement, collaboration, and ensure ongoing alignment with the Council’s strategic priorities and the Development Plan. There are opportunities to improve the effectiveness of the bid cycle, ensuring that CIL funding continues to be allocated legally, responsibly, strategically, and accountably, and in line with the CIL Regulations 2010 (as amended) support development of our area.
The purpose of this report is to seek delegated authority for the Associate Director of Planning, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing, to implement a programme of enhancements.
Recommendation:
That Cabinet resolves to:
1. Delegate authority to the Assistant Director, Planning Service in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing to implement a CIL Enhancement Programme detailed at Section 3 of this report.
Additional documents:
Decision:
The purpose of the report was to seek delegated authority for the Associate Director of Planning, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing, to implement enhancements to the Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding bid process.
The report was introduced by Councillor Juliet Layton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, who explained that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), adopted in 2019, was collected from most developments to fund strategic infrastructure.
Drawing on experience from the first two funding rounds and stakeholder feedback, the report proposed enhancements to improve transparency, strengthen alignment with the Council’s Corporate Plan and Infrastructure Development Plan, introduce a year-round bidding process with assessments between October and December, and improve monitoring and reporting. It was noted that these changes related only to the allocation process and not the charging schedule
The recommendation was proposed by Councillor Juliet Layton and seconded by Councillor Patrick Coleman.
Cabinet RESOLVED to:
1. Delegate authority to the Assistant Director, Planning Service in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing to implement a CIL Enhancement Programme detailed at Section 3 of this report.
Voting record:
6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstentions.