Second bite of funding cherry for local groups
Test Valley Borough Council has agreed to a second bidding round for community representatives to apply for money to help fund new local infrastructure.
At a cabinet meeting on July 15, council chiefs approved a recommendation to allow local groups a further opportunity to submit an application for a share of the council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds between 1 September and 30 November 2020.
The decision comes as many of those who would have submitted bids have been heavily involved in the response to the coronavirus pandemic, with the previous bidding round running from 1 April to 30 June. This now gives groups a second bite of the cherry.
Developers generally have to pay the levy to the local authority to make sure that a particular area is not adversely impacted by the building of new houses.
After collecting the levy, the council then invites ward councillors, parish councils, Hampshire County Council, the Environment Agency and other community groups and organisations to bid for a share of the funding to help deliver new infrastructure for residents and businesses in Test Valley.
Planning portfolio holder, councillor Nick Adams-King, said: “The decision to open up a second round of bidding is hopefully great news for all those groups and organisations that could benefit from a share of the CIL funding. Many of them have been heavily involved in responding to the pandemic over the past few months, so this will give them extra time to consider those projects they are keen to deliver locally.”
The authority’s cabinet members also agreed to defer developer contributions for six months to help housebuilders impacted by the pandemic.
More information about CIL and how to bid for funds can be found at www.testvalley.gov.uk/cil