East Suffolk Council
New charging agreed to improve local infrastructure
A new range of charges, which developers are required to pay to help improve infrastructure in East Suffolk, has been agreed.
Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a fee which East Suffolk Council charges developers when new development is built in the district. CIL can then be put towards improvements to local infrastructure, such as play areas, schools, transport schemes and GP surgeries.
At a Full Council meeting on Wednesday 28 June, a new East Suffolk CIL charging schedule was adopted, which will come into force from 1 August 2023. The new schedule replaces two separate schedules for the former Waveney and Suffolk Coastal districts.
Cllr Kay Yule, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Planning and Coastal Management said: “Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is an important tool for local authorities as it can help us improve essential facilities and the new schedule sets out the amount of CIL that developers are required to pay to contribute towards these improvements. Several major projects currently under construction in the district have been supported through developer contributions collected and allocated by East Suffolk Council, including expansions at local schools and new leisure facilities.”
The spending of CIL contributions is determined by CIL regulations in line with the Council’s adopted CIL Spending Strategy and is approved by Cabinet.
Two other policies have also been adopted - the East Suffolk CIL Instalment Policy which will allow developers to pay their CIL contributions in instalments, and the East Suffolk Discretionary Social Housing Relief Policy which provides relief for some affordable housing developments.
The East Suffolk CIL Charging Schedule was subject to two public consultations in 2021 and was submitted for independent examination in July 2022, with a public hearing held in October 2022. The schedule was recommended for adoption by the examiner in April 2023, subject to three modifications, all of which have been made.