Elmbridge Council leads the way on new planning levy
9:00am Saturday 19th January 2013 in News By Laura Proto
Elmbridge Council has become the first authority in Surrey to have its Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) approved by the planning inspectorate.
The news comes following a formal examination of the proposed charges on November 27, 2012.
The CIL is a charge on some forms of new development to help deliver infrastructure improvements in areas such as transport, education, health and leisure.
Once in place, it will take over from the existing tariff-based approach for collecting planning infrastructure contributions.
Elmbridge was appointed as a frontrunner to deliver this new initiative in June 2011, and the approved charging schedule proposed a rate of £125 per square metre for new residential accommodation and £50 per square metre for retail development.
No charge will apply for all other types of development.
Councillor John O’Reilly, leader of the council, said: “This welcome announcement is the culmination of 18 months of hard work. Once again, the council has shown itself to be a market leader in delivering positive change for its residents.
“The introduction of the levy will have considerable benefits for the Borough, delivering tangible improvements on the ground in local areas, whilst being realistic about the ability of developers to pay.”
It is anticipated the council will begin collecting the levy from April 1.
For more information, visit elmbridge.gov.uk/planning/policy/cil.htm.
