What is CIL?

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a planning charge, introduced by the Government through the Planning Act 2008 to provide a fair and transparent means for ensuring that development contributes to the cost of the infrastructure it will rely upon, such as schools and roads.  The levy applies to most new buildings and charges are based on the size and type of new floorspace. There is an additional Mayoral CIL charge if developing in London – click here for more details.

This charge is in addition to S106 costs and is generally non-negotiable. There is talk that CIL and indeed S106 will be replaced by a new charge set by each local authority. What form that will take, we do not yet know. 

Using the menu to the left, here at Planning Geek, the reader can find answers to many frequently answered questions, the forms to complete and lots more information besides.

If you feel that you are exempt or entitled to relief from the charges then you submit a commencement notice to the charging authority before work starts or the exemption/relief is lost and the full CIL amount has to be paid. From September 2019 the new rules stipulate that a surcharge equal to 20 percent of the notional chargeable amount, or £2,500, whichever is the lower, will be charged if a commencement notice is not submitted. See our FAQ for more information

Not all local authorities have introduced CIL yet – it is not in Scotland, the majority of Wales or Northern Ireland. In England around a third of local authorities have not yet introduced the levy. But where it has been introduced the figures go to £830 per square metre including the Mayoral CIL charge in London!!

if you are confused by CIL it is one of the subjects that we can cover in our one to one mentoring zoom or skype calls.