Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Soho - we need your help
We need your help to decide priority projects for the Soho Neighbourhood Area to be funded by Westminster City Council through the Community Infrastructure Levy (“CIL”)CIL is a charge on developers made by the local authority and is triggered by planning permission. Where a neighbourhood plan such as Plan for Soho has been adopted, 25% of the levy collected within the neighbourhood area is available and 15% of the levy is available where no neighbourhood plan is yet in place.Money raised through CIL must be spent on infrastructure projects that help to meet the needs of the local community. In the case of the neighbourhood portion, it can be used on a wider range of planning issues than infrastructure as long as they are concerned with addressing demands that development places on that area. Local councillors have the final say in allocating the funds, in consultation with neighbourhood forums and local communities.In order to help Westminster City Council assess the degree of public support for particular projects that are put forward, the Soho Neighbourhood Forum intends to survey the opinions of local, Soho residents, workers and businesses on how the neighbourhood element of CIL should be spent.This will be conducted via two surveys. The first survey will seek to ascertain priorities in principle based on the Policies and Recommendations set out in the Plan for Soho and which support the vision, values and objectives of the Plan.Having analysed the results of the first survey, we will need your help prioritising a specific project list and in order to provide the clearest expression of the community’s wishes, the list will then be broken down into three categories:
- Category A: Most Urgent
- Category B: Should be Provided
- Category C: Also Needed
In analysing the survey results an assessment will need to be made of each proposal in terms of its feasibility and deliverability as well as how the proposals fit with the vision and objectives of the Plan for Soho.If you would like more information about CIL spending in Westminster, please look at Westminster City Council’s' website: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/cil and for details on the most recent CIL cabinet meeting please see here
