Planners & Development Economists

Roger Tym & Partners
Roger Tym & Partners

Three Myths about the Community Infrastructure Levy

November 2011
If CIL is not already in your thoughts, it is likely to be in the near future.
 
There has been much spoken about CIL, and most local authorities have attended one of the Planning Advisory Workshops, at which Roger Tym & Partners presented.
 
Yet several myths about CIL persist in the market, and can lead to unnecessary confusion and expense for local authorities.
 
Myth 1: ‘This is simply about viability and so only surveying practices can undertake the work.’
 
CIL is not just about viability. A proper understanding of CIL requires an understanding of the relationship between a) the deliverability of your Core Strategy/Local Plan and b) the viability evidence appropriate to get your Charging Schedule through a CIL examination. CIL work requires an integrated blend of planning and property skills, such as those we have in-house at Roger Tym & Partners.
 
Myth 2: ‘CIL is the only show in town; S106 is dead.’
 
Section 106 is far from dead. Thinking carefully about a strategy for delivery of your infrastructure needs potentially involves CIL as much as Section 106. On larger sites, particularly, developers are getting nervous about the lack of ability to ‘nail’ infrastructure delivery under a Community Infrastructure Levy. S106 still looks attractive in these circumstances, and whilst restricted by the Regulations, has the potential to be used positively.
 
Myth 3: ‘CIL work should only be tendered through a brief.’
 
Not necessarily… If there is a lack of clarity about the wider issues around CIL (such as S106), then the brief may not ask quite the right question. Consultants can only reasonably respond to the question at hand, so the answer given may not get you to where you want to go. Discussing your needs with consultants before you issue the brief is sensible, and may take you on a different path to get to where you need to go. By working with you on a ‘critical friend’ basis, as we do with several authorities, the consultant can provide support and advice as and when it is needed on CIL and infrastructure planning. This approach is often a more efficient means of providing the evidence on approach and viability authorities need to sail through a CIL examination.