Residents will be denied significant funds for new community facilities if proposed changes go ahead.
Under plans being consulted on by Rushcliffe Borough Council, the developers of 4,000 new homes in Tollerton would no longer have to make any contribution to the facilities that residents say would be necessary.
Landowners and developers would not have to pay any ‘community infrastructure levy’ or CIL – money that should be used to support development by funding infrastructure that the council, local community and neighbourhoods want.
Tollerton residents have consistency highlighted the impacts that this development would have on stretched existing infrastructure and how this could be mitigated.
Under the original proposals money would have been available through the Levy to address some of these needs. This could be as much as £100 per m² of new development and with 4,000 new homes that could be £400,000 of funding for every metre² of living space.
Yet under the new proposals the North of Tollerton development would be the only part of Rushcliffe that is exempt from these payments despite there potentially being the greatest need.
Developers will still have to pay towards some of the larger infrastructure requirements through a different mechanism but crucially the community will have no say in this or how funding is spent to meet the needs of local people.
Tollerton residents were consulted in 2016 and identified needs for future residents which included sport facilities, play grounds, new and refurbished meeting spaces. These could be funded through the levy – and through CIL residents would have controlled up to 25% of how this was spent – but a new study for Rushcliffe now claims that it would not be viable to charge the levy on this site and fund these requirements.
Tollerton Parish Council has objected to the proposals:
“Despite the overwhelming need for facilities identified by Tollerton residents, Rushcliffe Borough Council is set to free developers from the obligation to fund the things that local people require.
The average house value in Tollerton is £375,000, many of the 4000 new homes will sell for more.
It is not credible to suggest that developers could not afford to make any contribute from the sale of these homes for the community facilities needed to give future residents the same great place, great lifestyle and great sport.”
The Consultation closes on 26 October 2018.
You can read our full response here