From community buildings and highway projects to playground equipment and improved footpaths, a wide range of local projects benefited from developer contributions funding last year (2020-21).

The Council collects money each year through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a charge on developers of new developments to contribute towards infrastructure and services needed to support them. In the latest reported year, 2020-21, we collected over £2 million pounds that can be used across the borough in a variety of ways.

Total CIL funding of £8.9 million since 2016 has already contributed to completed strategic schemes including:

• £500,000 towards the expansion of secondary school provision at St Bede’s School in Redhill and Oakwood School in Horley.
• £51,700 towards new facilities at Tattenham Health Centre to enable the GP surgery to extend its patient list and host other health services.

In the past year, strategic contributions include:

• £84,000 towards transport infrastructure to construct a shared pedestrian cycle path between the A240 Reigate Road signalised junction into the Asda superstore in Burgh Heath, Tadworth and the existing cycle route along Church Lane.

The Council also invested in many smaller neighbourhood projects through the CIL Local Fund – a proportion of the overall funding raised from new developments reserved specifically to improve their nearby area. The latest projects to benefit were nominated by residents, local groups, our Greenspaces Team or ward councillors and include contributions to help:

• refurbish Hooley Village Hall toilet facilities (£5,000)
• replace wooden planters and benches at the courtyard area of Whitebushes, Kiln Walk (£9,500)
• resurface the footpath from Hatch Gardens east across Burgh Heath (£15,000)
• replace South Park Sports Association’s football goals with new set of FA approved goals. (£1,500)
• buy a defibrillator for Merstham Cricket Club (£500)
• create a sensory garden at Lady Neville Recreation Ground (£3,116)
• build a new pump track for mountain or BMX bikers and skaters in South Park, Reigate (£20,000).

Cllr Richard Biggs, Executive Member for Planning Policy and Place Delivery, explains: “With this year’s collection of over £2 million, a total of £8.9 million CIL funding has been collected since 2016, which has already helped fund a huge variety of important strategic and community projects.

“Our CIL Local Fund also gives communities an opportunity to inform how money we collect from developers is spent to improve the facilities or services in their neighbourhood, making sure that everyone can benefit from any new development. We continue to invest in future projects, so please let us know if you have an idea for an improvement project near you that might need help with funding.”

To find out more about CIL – or to submit an improvement idea for your area via the Project Suggestion Form under ‘Local Fund’ – visit https://www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/CIL

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