Hundreds of thousands of pounds for much needed infrastructure and leisure facilities have been passed on to town and parish councils by Conservative-led Wealden District Council.
Each year councils across the Wealden district are passed Community Infrastructure Levy payments – funds paid by developers to contribute towards providing much needed facilities for the communities in the area.
Spending by many of the town and parish councils has seen improvements ranging from new equipment in playgrounds to a roadway being reconstructed.
Over the past year the parish and town councils have spent an amazing £414,300 on infrastructure projects throughout the district. These include £77,872 on our community buildings, £35,093 on provision of new and repairs to recreational facilities for all age groups and £53,341 on landscaping and street furniture such as benches and seating.
The possible uses for CIL are wide and far reaching and in addition the councils spent almost £7,000 on speed surveys and speed watch schemes; £14,172 on local transport infrastructure works; £53,341 on highways works; £4,944 on Finger Post repairs; £29,585 on street lighting; £8,536 on repairs to bus shelters; £38,356 to footpaths and green lanes; £1,600 on Christmas lights; almost £21,000 on CCTV and local security; £13,115 on allotments; £20,000 towards a new mini bus for the use of the community and £33,425 on drainage works.
Some councils have not yet spent their CIL payments while others did not receive them due to there being no CIL liable developments in the areas.
For detailed information on town and parish councils spending please visit: Infrastructure Funding Statement and CIL Annual Monitoring Reports – Wealden District Council – Wealden District Council
Leader of Wealden District Council Councillor Ann Newton, who is also the portfolio holder for Planning, said, “CIL payments are a legal commitment by developers and they help pay for vital infrastructure that is needed where developments are taking place. All but the smallest development projects will make a contribution.
“The regulations require Wealden to pass a proportion of CIL funds raised to the relevant parish council/s. This is called meaningful proportion and the figure is 15%, subject to an annual cap. The cap is equivalent to £100 per dwelling in the parish. When development is built in an area covered by a neighbourhood plan, the parish council will receive a higher CIL proportion of 25%, uncapped.
“Money raised via the meaningful proportion can be spent on anything that deals with the demands that development places on the area. We encourage parish councils to work closely with neighbouring parishes and us (at the district council) to agree on infrastructure spending priorities. If the parish council shares our priorities, they may agree that we should keep the parish portion of CIL to spend on that infrastructure.”
