Issue - items at meetings - Community Infrastructure Levy

Report of the Acting Executive Director for Economy, Environment & Culture (copy attached).

19.7    RESOLVED:

1)        That the committee agrees work should commence on putting a Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule in place for Brighton & Hove.

2)        That the committee notes the key stages, outline timetable and resources required to prepare and adopt a CIL charging schedule.

19.1    The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director for Economy, Environment & Culture in relation to Community Infrastructure Levy. The report provided a briefing on Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). It set out the reasons for and sought agreement to a CIL charging schedule to be put in place in Brighton & Hove and that work would start immediately.

19.2    In response to questions from Councillor Mac Cafferty the following was explained. The Council was much more confident in the viability levels in the city; as part of the process of introducing CIL it would be necessary to undertake a further viability assessment; a robust study would help to ensure investment remained viable. It was not mandatory for local authorities to introduced CIL charging, but when introduced it was mandatory for CIL payments to be made against the type of development. There was no indication from Central Government that CIL had changed or was going to change.

19.3    In response to Councillor C. Theobald it was explained that the local authority had a duty to be open and honest about how funds raised through CIL were used; these tended to be citywide. CIL should not on the whole cost developers more, but the threshold for payments was lower. It was usual for there to be some Member oversight of how the funds were used.

19.4    Councillor Peltzer Dunn highlighted that he had concerns in relation to the viability of schemes if CIL was introduced. In response to a further query some figures were providers of comparator authorities; however, it was noted that once it was introduced there was discretion in relation to charging; it was likely that land values would be impacted, but the trend elsewhere was for them to become more viable. It was confirmed that the viability study would home back to the Committee for consideration.

19.5    Councillor Nemeth noted that he was not in favour of an addition ‘tax’ on developments, and he opposed the recommendations in the report.

19.6    The Chair put the recommendations to the vote, which was carried by 7 votes to 3.

19.7    RESOLVED:

1)        That the committee agrees work should commence on putting a Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule in place for Brighton & Hove.

2)        That the committee notes the key stages, outline timetable and resources required to prepare and adopt a CIL charging schedule.