Consultation on allocation of the neighbourhood portion of the Community Infrastructure Levy
Overview
Background
The Council collects money for infrastructure from new developments through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). This is a charge based on the floorspace of new developments.
Under the CIL regulations, the Council needs to put 15% of the collected CIL money towards infrastructure in the relevant area where development takes place. This is referred to here as ‘15% local CIL’. For many other authorities, this means passing the money to parish councils, but in Reading, as there are no parishes, it can be spent on local schemes within the Borough.
Of the remaining CIL, 80% is used for strategic infrastructure, and this usually means items within the Council’s capital programme. The Council can retain 5% for administration of CIL.
This consultation is about how we should spend the 15% local CIL. We last consulted on this matter between July and September 2018, and received 347 responses. This led to a total of £1.204 million being allocated to 22 projects across Reading in November 2018, and these projects are either completed or are in the process of delivery.
The consultation asks for your views on two main points:
- Whether you agree with our suggestions for how to spend the outstanding money already collected by 31 March 2020; and
- What your priorities are for future spending in 2022 and beyond.
Spend of money collected up to 31 March 2020
We have continued to collect 15% local CIL, and by the end of March 2020 a further £1.669 million was available to allocate to local schemes.
We believe that the priority for this money should be on those projects we already consulted on in 2018, but which did not receive funding at that point. These schemes have been considered, fully costed, and in most cases are ready to deliver in 2021-22. Many of these were popular in the last consultation.
One of the main things we need to take into account is where development that pays CIL takes place, because CIL is about addressing the additional demands that new development places on an area. Therefore, if an area of Reading sees less development that makes CIL payments, it is also less likely to receive 15% local CIL funds.
We therefore propose that the following projects be funded from the 15% local CIL collected up to 31st March 2020:
| Project | Ward | Proposed allocation | Further information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borough-wide graffiti removal project | Borough wide | £75,000 | Highway and cleansing inspections |
| Town centre monuments and statues | Abbey | £50,000 | Inspection, cleaning and repairs |
| War memorials and public art | Abbey | £100,000 | Inventory, maintenance and cleaning of war memorials & public art |
| Thames cycle/path route at Kings Meadow | Abbey | £100,000 | The surface of the cycle/footpath along sections is cracked and broken from tree routes. Given its continual use by pedestrians and cyclists is in need of attention. |
| High Street Heritage Action Zones project | Abbey, Battle and Katesgrove | £275,000 | Ongoing programme to make the high street within three town centre conservation areas a more attractive place through physical, community and cultural activities. Awarded £150,000 of 15% local CIL in previous allocations. |
| Improvements at Shinfield Road Recreation Ground, Linden Road, involving improving upgrading the park and facilities | Church | £75,000 | Upgrading the park and facilities. Removal of the carpet style surfacing within the play area along with some of the fencing and returned to parkland. New furniture. Resurfacing of footpaths. |
| Skate park at John Rabson Recreation Ground | Church | £95,000 | Installation of skate park. Previous consultation in 2018 proposed that this could be located at Cintra Park, but proposal is now that it be delivered at John Rabson Recreation Ground. |
| Play area improvements at Waterloo Meadows | Katesgrove | £95,000 | Some items of play equipment need replacing along with safety surfacing. |
| Arthur Newbery Park play area improvements | Kentwood | £100,000 | The large main play unit is over 30yrs old and needs replacing. Parts are obsolete and have to be specially hand made. |
| Oxford Road Recreation Ground play area improvements | Kentwood | £95,000 | The play equipment is very old and in need of replacement. |
| Pedestrian crossing on Norcot Road, close to number 91 | Kentwood/ Tilehurst | £50,000 | Convert refuge island to a full pedestrian crossing, as the island is too small for push chairs. This would also be a safety benefit for school children. This is a significant distance from the nearest controlled crossings and near to the linking footway between Norcot Road and Wealden Way. Requires full site survey and feasibility investigation. |
| Dover Street play area improvements | Minster | £85,000 | Equipment and surfacing is at the end of its life. Steep sloping site restricts improvement and is unsuitable for children with disabilities. It suffers from regular drug abuse and anti-social behaviour. |
| New laptops for Coley Park Community Centre | Minster | £2,000 | Replace 8 old laptops with fully functioning new hardware to be used by the Community Centre, so that more members of the community could benefit from education and support. |
| Improvements and tidy up of wooden bridge area at Brook Street West | Minster | £100,000 | Open out the area to make it more desirable for local people to visit and less desirable for drug users. Need for a full project plan. Could include cycle path link to Berkeley Avenue and/or nature trail. |
| Moriston Close play area improvements | Norcot | £30,000 | Play equipment is old and has little play value. The size of the site limits potential improvements. |
| Palmer Park play area improvements | Park | £100,000 | Offer for disabled children and for toddlers of all abilities needs to be improved. Investment in all-inclusive play a priority. Loose fill surfacing requires replacement to improve access. Several swing units require replacement for health and safety reasons. |
| Road marking on Morpeth Close, involving parking bay markings | Redlands | £5,000 | Installing parking bay markings to assist in easing some of the area parking issues. |
| Pedestrian crossing on Addington Road, between the junctions with Erleigh Road and Eastern Avenue | Redlands | £50,000 | Provision of controlled crossing at this location. Requires full site survey and feasibility investigation. May necessitate removal of some on street parking to enhance crossing visibility. Aspects of the scheme will require legal public consultation. Will require independent Road Safety Audit. |
| Pedestrian crossing on Church End Lane, in the vicinity of Moorlands Primary School | Tilehurst | £50,000 | Installation of controlled pedestrian crossing facilities at this junction, as requested by 2017 petition. Requires full site survey and feasibility investigation. May require some on street parking restrictions to enhance crossing visibility and locating the crossing among the many driveway accesses will be challenging, if it is feasible at all. Aspects of the scheme will require legal public consultation. Will require independent Road Safety Audit. |
| Lining alteration on The Meadway at the roundabout with St Michael’s Road | Tilehurst | £10,000 | Review lining on approaches ('unnecessary' 2 lane approaches) to encourage correct use of the roundabout and reduce the number of vehicles cutting across it. May require independent road safety audit. |
| Landscaping improvements at South Whitley Park | Whitley | £15,000 | Re-landscape the area next to the ballcourt and swings to support informal play, look attractive and make best of areas that will drain. |
The projects above total £1.557 million. The remaining £112,000 will be carried forward and allocated in future years.
Priorities for future allocations
For allocations of 15% local CIL from 2022 onwards, we propose that the consultation we undertake focuses on residents’ general priorities. These priorities can then be used to help to assess the specific projects for allocation every year. We propose that we would undertake a similar consultation every three to four years to understand if priorities have changed.
The consultation therefore asks you to rank the following priorities, to help us to assess future projects.
- Highways, transport and travel measures
This might include footpaths, crossings, cycle provision, traffic calming, signage and junction upgrades. - Play areas and public open spaces
- Heritage and cultural provision
This might include work on conservation areas, monuments, public art etc. - Community centres and hubs
- Healthcare provision
Spend on healthcare provision would usually be in conjunction with the relevant Clinical Commissioning Group - General environmental enhancements
- Natural environment, e.g. trees and biodiversity
- Climate change and renewable energy proposals
- Education provision
A form will be made available on the website later in 2021 to allow residents to suggest specific projects for allocation of 15% local CIL money.
How to respond
Please respond to the consultation by using this consultation. Please ensure that you have submitted your comments by 5pm on Friday 16th April 2021. If you have any questions, please contact the CIL team on CIL@reading.gov.uk
Areas
- All Areas
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