WODC Community Infrastructure levy examination

Wed 15 Jul 2020, 11:53 (last edited on Wed 15 Jul 2020, 11:57)

I have posted details of this on the News page, but thought I would say a bit more here as I have some pretty strong views about what WODC is proposing which I would like to make people aware of. Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is money that is levied on developers to pay for local amenities such as roads, schools, cycle paths and transport.  It is paid upfront as soon as planning permission is granted.  WODC has not yet introduced this levy but is planning to and there is an examination of their proposals underway to which people can contribute their comments until August 21st.

In their great wisdom, WODC is proposing that big developments with several thousand homes, such as the Garden Village at Eynsham and Tank Farm in Chipping Norton, should pay 0% CIL, while smaller developments will be charged on a sliding scale.  Their reasoning is that a levy would put off large developers. Other districts are levying CIL on big developments and I believe we should be doing the same. I think this is very relevant to Charlbury, as people who buy the new homes in Chipping Norton will use Charlbury station, will drive on the A44 and will send their children to local schools.  We need the infrastructure to support these homes.

To be clear, while WODC does not want to levy CIL on big developments they will still be asking for a contribution under Section 106, but that is only payable once the houses are built, and is used for projects specific to the development, so this would not help us in Charlbury.

I will be writing to the examiner with my views and you can too. See the News page for details.