Council seeks views on new development charge

City residents and businesses are being asked to give their views on a new charge on development that could contribute £2 million a year towards much-needed citywide infrastructure.

People will have six weeks to feed back on the proposed charges to be brought in under the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which allows local councils to raise funds from new building developments in their area.

To give your views, visit our consultation portal or write to PlanningPolicy@brighton-hove.gov.uk. Copies of the consultation document can also be viewed in any of the city's 14 libraries. 

Developers will have to pay a financial contribution to the council when they want to build new homes, shops or student accommodation, depending on the size of the development. 

CIL payments can then be spent on supporting infrastructure in need of extra cash including schools, roads, parks, flood defences, health and other community infrastructure.

The consultation will be the second round of feedback the council has asked for, and looks at what the charges should be for each type of development.

The charges could range from £50 per square metre for shopping unit developments to £175 per square metre for purpose-built student accommodation and new housing coming forward in central Brighton & Hove.

Contributions on two strategic development sites, the Inner Harbour at Brighton Marina and the King Alfred Leisure Centre, could be zero. This is due to high development costs and the need to provide significant infrastructure.

Councillor Julie Cattell, chair of the city’s planning committee, said: “The CIL will ensure developers add value to the city by having to invest money in the community if they want their developments to be accepted.

“It’s therefore extremely important that our residents, businesses, investors and developers get involved in the consultation. We have to strike the right balance between gaining income for our residents and ensuring we still make it viable for developers to build in the city.”

Local authorities previously relied on Section 106 planning agreements from larger developments to fund local infrastructure. These agreements will be scaled back to provide on-site requirements such as access roads onto the site. CIL will replace off-site payments and will be charged on a wider range of developments.

The council will be allowed to spend the money on infrastructure projects anywhere it’s needed in the city.

Proposed charging rates are based on an independent study that found new-build residential development, purpose-built student housing and new retail floor space could all bear a CIL charge within a recommended charging range.

Updates on CIL will be included on our Developer Contribution webpage. The consultation will run for six weeks starting Wednesday 28 March.