Purpose

The report is intended to provide Cabinet with
an update on the collection and administration of Community
Infrastructure Levy (CIL) monies. To seek Cabinet approval for the
proposed CIL strategic infrastructure spend priorities to the end
of March 2026, presented in the Infrastructure Business Plan
(IBP).

Content

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet:

a)            
approves the proposed CIL strategic infrastructure
spend priorities for 2025-29. 

b)            
approves that the amount of CIL Strategic
Infrastructure strand monies ringfenced for the Three Bridges
Station Improvement scheme be increased from £1,100,000 to
£2,050,000. 

 

c)            
approves that £432,000 CIL Strategic
Infrastructure monies be committed to the A23/ Manor Royal junction project in order for the Highway
Authority to draw down the CIL funds.

 

d)            
approves the removal of the Saxonbrook Medical
Centre and Pound Hill Medical Group projects from the CIL strategic
infrastructure strand priority list of projects for 2025-2029,
subject to final confirmation from the NHS that the projects are no
longer forthcoming.

 

e)            
delegates authority to the Head of Economy and
Planning, in consultation with the Head of Corporate Finance and
the Head of Community Services to allocate any unspent
Neighbourhood Improvement Fund monies and subsequent CIL
Neighbourhood Improvement Strand receipts to enable the delivery of
the Unsupervised Play Improvement Programme and noting that funds
will then need to be committed to individual projects within the
programme through a separate approvals process.

Reasons for the Recommendations

a)            
To provide clarity on the way forward for
Crawley’s Infrastructure Business Plan and the priority
schemes for the CIL Strategic Infrastructure strand
spend.

 

b)            
To increase the amount of CIL Strategic
Infrastructure strand monies ringfenced for the Three Bridges
Station Improvement scheme in recognition of the need for
additional budget to deliver the scheme arising from the station
change procedure led by the railway authorities and due to
increased construction / materials costs.

 

c)            
Approval of £432,000 of CIL Strategic
Infrastructure strand monies for the A23 / Manor Royal junction
project will allow the Highway Authority to offset the expenditure
incurred and to complete the project.

 

d)            
The Saxonbrook Medical Centre and Pound Hill Medical
Group projects have previously been listed amongst the CIL
Strategic Infrastructure strand priority projects.  However. these schemes appear no longer to be
considered to be a priority by the NHS – therefore it is
proposed they are removed from the priority list, pending
alternative project proposals to be brought forward by the
NHS.

 

e)            
The delegation of authority to officers to allocate
subsequent CIL Neighbourhood Improvement Strand receipts to the
ongoing delivery of the Unsupervised Play Improvement Programme
will allow a seamless continuation of the phases of delivery of the
programme and it’s roll out across the Borough.  Allocations of monies to individual project
schemes will still be subject to the required approvals process.
Further information is provided in section 12.2 of this
report.

 

f)              
In November 2022, Cabinet approved the
implementation of a new “hybrid” model for the
Neighbourhood Improvement Strand (NIS), which retained
£75,000 from the CIL NIS, to maintain the Neighbourhood
Improvement Fund with an annual contribution of £25,000, from
the CIL NIS, until March 2025.  It is
proposed that any unspent CIL NIS monies from the Neighbourhood
Improvement Fund at the end of March 2025 be reallocated to the
Council’s Unsupervised Play Improvement programme.