To consider the further findings arising from the scrutiny Task and Finish Group - Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and to recommend the report to the Executive for consideration.

The Vice-Chairman, as Chairman of the Task and Finish Group on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), introduced the report with the following remarks:

1.         The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had commissioned the Task and Finish Group to undertake policy shaping scrutiny work, alongside policy development activity, on the implementation of CIL in Herefordshire.  An interim report was presented to the General Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 10 December 2012 (minute 15 refers), with the Executive response reported to the Committee on 4 March 2013 (minute 54 refers).  The Group reconvened in February 2013 and a further interim report was now presented to the Committee on the Group’s findings to date.

2.         Officers and Members of the Group were thanked for their time and engagement on the subject.  It was noted that it was a difficult piece of work, particularly as the timetable mirrored policy development and public consultations on both CIL and the Core Strategy.  Shortly after the consultation was completed on CIL, the government had published further guidance and had also initiated a national consultation on revisions to the existing legislation relating to CIL.

3.         As reported at the last Committee meeting (minute 7 refers), it was understood that the development of CIL would, temporarily, follow behind work on the Local Development Framework and the revised timetable for the implementation of CIL was Autumn 2014.

4.         It was anticipated that the Group would reconvene in September 2013 to review the responses to the CIL consultation, once they had been analysed, and to undertake further work in preparation for recommending revised rates to Cabinet in October / November 2013.  However, a detailed timetable had not yet come forward.

The Vice-Chairman explained that the structure of the report followed the themes of the Group’s investigations since February 2013 and had been informed by the guidance and best practice report to the Department for Communities and Local Government by the Local Housing Delivery Group, entitled ‘Viability Testing Local Plans - advice for planning practitioners’.  An overview was provided of the report, the principal points and related recommendations are detailed below.

The Economic Viability Assessment 2013 (EVA-2013)

a.         The EVA-2013 had been made available to the Group shortly before the public consultation in March 2013.  The Group had identified that there were a differences in the approach taken to viability work for EVA-2013 compared that used for EVA-2011; only a portion of the full infrastructure costs had been taken into account, contrary to guidance in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Viability Testing Local Plans document.

Recommendation 1: That

a.          modelling of the cumulative effect of plan policies, to include full costs of all infrastructure mentioned in the Core Strategy policies, be undertaken as a matter of urgency; and

b.          the results from this modelling be used to inform the setting of draft CIL rates throughout Herefordshire and to assess the viability of the Core Strategy/Local Plan ahead of examination in public.

b.         In terms of sustainable development and realistic  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17