Winchester City Council officesWinchester City Council: At long last another local authority manages to adopt the Community Infrastructure Levy (if you need a reminder on CIL then take a look at our briefing note). Winchester City Council adopted its CIL on the 8th January 2014 and it will begin charging as of the 7th April 2014. Any application not already approved at that date will become subject to the CIL charge. Note the levy will not apply to the area of Winchester District within the South Downs National Park where the usual Section 106 contributions will continue until the National Park Authority adopts its own CIL.

The adopted rates are:

Residential: Zone 1 (the strategic allocations which will contribute separately): nil; Zone 2 (Winchester settlement boundary) £120 per sqm; Zone 3 (everywhere else outside the National Park) £80 per sqm

Hotel: £70 per sqm

Retail: (all Winchester town centre shops plus convenience stores, supermarkets and retail warehouses elsewhere only) £120 per sqm

Everything else (including other retail types): nil

So Winchester joins the following Council’s now charging in the Dorset/Hampshire area: Poole, Portsmouth, Southampton, Fareham and Havant. Those likely to follow this year being at the examination stage include Purbeck, New Forest District, West Dorset and Weymouth and Portland Borough.

Meanwhile we await confirmation of amendments to the CIL regulations which among other changes will provide an exemption for “self-build” housing projects.

If you have any queries on CIL and how this might affect your project then do please get in touch.