Issue - meetings

To consider the Notice of Motion referred from Council on 23 February 2012

The Board considered a report on the Notice of Motion submitted to Council on 23 February 2012 regarding the operation of the Community Infrastructure Levy.

The motion, which had been proposed by Councillor D Brickhill, was as follows:

1.         At least 80% of all money raised by community levy payments by developers must be spent in the same town or parish council area as the actual development.

2.         The remaining 20%, if any, must be spent in the same district as the actual development, where ‘district’ means the appropriate area of one of the three previous district councils that made up Cheshire East.

3.         The planning department shall consult the parish or town council on how the money should be spent and, if necessary, fully explain at a planning Committee meeting why the parish’s recommendations cannot be implemented.

4.         The planning department shall provide to the parish or town council full accounts on how the money was spent.

The Strategic Planning and Housing Manager explained to the Board that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) was a system of planning charges which the Council would be able to levy on developers undertaking most new building projects in the Borough.  The money raised would be used to fund a wide range of infrastructure that was needed to support new development in the area, such as new road schemes, schools, community services, sports and leisure facilities and green infrastructure necessary to support development. 

Whilst acknowledging the purpose of the Motion, the Strategic Planning and Housing Manager considered that it pre-empted the key questions which would need to be addressed as part of developing the CIL.  Notwithstanding this, he confirmed that the issues raised would be taken into account during this process.  To facilitate this, an amendment to the motion was moved and seconded. 

RESOLVED:  That the Board -    

a)                 notes that the operation of the Community Infrastructure Levy will be considered alongside the preparation of the Local Plan and that the points made in the Notice of Motion will be raised and considered at the appropriate time;

b)                 notes that the Infrastructure Plan, Charging Schedule and other matters relating to the operation of the Levy will be subject to full consultation and Independent Examination, as prescribed by the Community Infrastructure Regulations;

c)                  that the CIL Charging Schedule must be approved by a full meeting of Council; and

d)                 that any decision on the operation of the Levy in Cheshire East is premature at the present time and therefore no further action is necessary at this juncture.