Department for Communities and Local Government

• Planning, building and the environment
• The planning system
• CIL

Planning, building and the environment

The Community Infrastructure Levy

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a new levy that local authorities in England and Wales can choose to charge on new developments in their area. The money can be used to support development by funding infrastructure that the council, local community and neighbourhoods want - for example new or safer road schemes, park improvements or a new health centre. The system is very simple. It applies to most new buildings and charges are based on the size and type of the new development.

Local authorities should introduce the levy because it:

• delivers additional funding for them to carry out a wide range of infrastructure projects that support growth and benefit the local community
• gives them the flexibility and freedom to set their own priorities for what the money should be spent on - as well as a predictable funding stream that allows them to plan ahead more effectively
• provides developers with much more certainty 'up front' about how much money they will be expected to contribute, which in turn encourages greater confidence and higher levels of inward investment
• ensures greater transparency for local people, because they will be able to understand how new development is contributing to their community and
• enables local authorities to allocate a share of the levy raised in a neighbourhood to deliver infrastructure the neighbourhood wants

The Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (external link) came into force on 6 April 2011. The regulations have been amended to ensure local authorities have more control over the processes for operating the levy by removing the centrally prescribed arrangements for payment, removing the threshold for in kind payments of land, making minor amendments to close potential loopholes and improve how the levy system works.

Further details can be found in the Explanatory Memorandum. 

Please see the related documents for further information.

In this section

• Community Infrastructure Levy Front Runners Project 2

Related publications

• Community Infrastructure Levy: An Overview

  • Published: 9 May 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• The Community Infrastructure Levy: Summary

  • Published: 18 November 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Local Authorities (Contracting Out of Community Infrastructure Levy Functions) Order 2011

  • Published: 26 January 2012
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Community Infrastructure Levy: Detailed proposals and draft regulations for reform - Consultation

  • Published: 10 October 2011
  • Closing date: 30 December 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Community Infrastructure Levy Relief: Information document

  • Published: 12 May 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Community Infrastructure Levy: collection and enforcement - Information document

  • Published: 10 October 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Community Infrastructure Levy Guidance: Charge setting and charging schedule procedures

  • Published: 25 March 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

Archived content

• The Community Infrastructure Levy: An overview (November 2010)
• Community Infrastructure Levy: An overview (March 2010)
• New Policy Document for Planning Obligations: Consultation
• Detailed proposals and draft regulations for the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy: Consultation - Summary of responses
• Community Infrastructure Levy: Final Impact Assessment
• Detailed proposals and draft regulations for the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy: Consultation - Draft Regulations and Reference documents
• Detailed proposals and draft regulations for the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy: Consultation - Partial Impact Assessment
• Detailed proposals and draft regulations for the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy: Consultation
• The Community Infrastructure Levy (August 2008)
• Community Infrastructure Levy: Impact Assessment
• The Community Infrastructure Levy (January 2008)
• Community Infrastructure Levy: Initial Impact Assessment