Stratford-on-Avon District Council (SDC) is a charging authority and a collecting authority and may therefore charge and collect Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) in respect of development in its administrative area.
Following examination by an independent examiner, SDC adopted its CIL charging schedule on 11 December 2017, with it becoming effective on 1 February 2018. This means that a flat fee can now be charged for each square metre of floor area in new eligible residential - and some retail - developments granted planning permission from 1 February 2018.
The charging schedule identifies which types of development are liable to pay CIL and a number of different levy rates that apply in various locations (shown on maps). These rates are informed by local evidence regarding infrastructure requirements and the impact of a levy on the economic viability of development. These aspects were scrutinised during the Examination. CIL replaces Section 106 planning agreements for many forms of infrastructure, although Section 106 agreements can still be used for site-specific mitigation and to provide affordable homes.
Revised CIL Instalments Policy
In light of Covid-19 and the expected economic impact on the development and construction industries, the Council temporarily adopted a revised CIL Instalments Policy between 20 July 2020 and 31 October 2021. Now that the financial effects of the pandemic have eased the Instalments Policy reverts to the original February 2018 version from 1 November 2021.
The revised policy from 1 November 2021 applies to both CIL liable planning applications that are granted permission following the adoption of the revised policy and to existing permissions which have not commenced. Those developments that commenced prior to 1 November 2021 will be required to comply with the instalments policy that was in place at the time that the development commenced, as required by regulations.
Indexation
There is a need to index link CIL contributions in order to keep the levy responsive to market conditions. The requirement to apply an index of inflation is set out within Regulation 40 of the CIL Regulation 2010 (as amended).
User Guide
SDC has prepared a User Guide to assist applicants in understanding the CIL process. The guide works through different examples of when and where CIL charges may or may not apply and how CIL is calculated. It also provides answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQs). An explanation of the CIL forms is included, with links to all of the required forms. These forms are standard national forms used by all local authorities and are hosted by the Planning Portal.
Regulation 123 List
In line with regulations at the time, the 2018 Charging Schedule included a ‘Regulation 123 List' identifying items of infrastructure that CIL receipts will be used towards. Following changes to CIL regulations in September 2019, the Council's adopted Infrastructure Funding Statement (adopted 14 December 2020) sets out the list of infrastructure projects that the Council intends will be, or may be, wholly or partly funded by CIL. This Statement supersedes the Regulation 123 List as listed within the 2018 Charging Schedule. Further information is available on our Infrastructure Funding Statement page.
