Issue - meetings

Report of the Leader

RESOLVED THAT

1. the preparation of a draft CIL Charging Schedule for Cheltenham be authorised having regard to the provisional timetable set out in the report;
2. Cabinet agree in principle to investigating options for the delivery of strategic priorities which have implications beyond the administrative boundaries of Cheltenham Borough.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and explained that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) was a new method of funding for infrastructure, needed as a result of permitting development in its area, and administered by the local planning authority. For Cheltenham this would be via the Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Joint Core Strategy and the Cheltenham plan. The CIL would largely replace section 106 agreements as a means of securing infrastructure provision which for instance over the last five years had raised £3 million in Cheltenham.

The Leader emphasised that all the Gloucestershire local authorities were working together to consider solutions for the delivery of strategic infrastructure priorities.

Cabinet members supported the draft recommendations and said CIL was a crucial way to fund infrastructure to support new development, particularly at a time when public spending remained tight. A common countywide approach was sensible and would avoid duplication for businesses and developers who would be faced with a reasonably common and uniform basis for charging for CIL in Gloucestershire.

The Leader added that the Government had intended that CIL be in place from April 2014 but was currently considering deferring this until April 2015. This would be beneficial since it was unlikely that the Cheltenham Plan/JCS would be in place by the earlier date; however it was important that work progressed on drafting the CIL Charging Schedule for Cheltenham and that collaborative work continued on considering solutions for the delivery of strategic infrastructure priorities.

The Leader also referred to the updated legal advice which had been circulated and which is appended to these minutes for information.

RESOLVED THAT

1. the preparation of a draft CIL Charging Schedule for Cheltenham be authorised having regard to the provisional timetable set out in the report;
2. Cabinet agree in principle to investigating options for the delivery of strategic priorities which have implications beyond the administrative boundaries of Cheltenham Borough.