Date published: 2024-11-29 | Category: community infrastructure levy, Delivering for local residents
More than £3million of developer receipts from planning charges have helped deliver hundreds of highways, parks and community improvements across Bath & North East Somerset an annual report shows.
The council uses Section 106 agreements and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to mitigate the impacts of new development and fund infrastructure required to support the sustainable delivery of development within Bath and North East Somerset.
The Infrastructure Funding Statement, Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 Annual Report for 2023/24 sets out the council’s income and expenditure from the two levies and has been published on the council’s website.
When CIL is received, the largest proportion, is allocated by the council on infrastructure needed to support the development of the area, known as strategic CIL and a Neighbourhood proportion is passed to parish or town councils, or the unparished Bath area, where the development took place, for spending within their local parish area.
From 2023-24 £3,336,608 of strategic CIL was spent on areas including £1.4million on highways maintenance, £1million on flood defences, more than £150k on the public realm in Midsomer Norton, more than £170k on the Pixash Recycling Centre in Keynsham and more than £40k on improvements to Royal Victoria Park.
Parish and town councils across B&NES received £136,405 CIL funding and Bath Unparished Area received £337,462. As it does not have a parish or town council the CIL allocation for the city is decided by a Bath Panel which is appointed by Bath and North East Somerset Council on behalf of the community.
Schemes which have benefitted from the Bath Neighbourhood CIL include Odd Down BMX track (pictured), Whiteway Green park improvements, Brickfield Park and Percy Community Centre.
The report says the total amount of S106 money which was spent, including transferring it to another organisation to spend was £1,925,633 with funds going on a range of school improvement schemes, highways, parks and community libraries.
Councillor Matt McCabe, Cabinet Member for Built Environment, Housing and Sustainable Development, said: “The annual report clearly sets out where we have spent CIL and section 106 funds across Bath and North East Somerset for the benefit of residents. It also shows the parish and neighbourhood portion which gives residents a say on funding improvements in their communities as a result of local development. For the council the strategic CIL is a vital source of funding and supports a broad range of sustainable infrastructure schemes varying from improvements to flood defences and highways schemes to tree planting and parks projects.”
To read the full report go to https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/section-106-planning-obligations-and-communi…
ENDS
Pictured earlier this year with Council leader Councillor Kevin Guy is Matthew Turner, Vice-Chairman at Bath BMX Club which received £140k to enhance the Bath BMX Club track at Odd Down.