What is CIL?
The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a charge which can be levied by local authorities on new developments in their area. Local authorities use this to help them deliver the infrastructure required to support development in their area.
Why is it important for developers to understand CIL data?
The levy can present sizeable charges for your development, so it's vital for you to understand as much as possible about the levy, and how it could affect you.
Where is CIL applied?
The levy only applies in areas where a local authority has consulted on, and approved, a charging schedule which sets out its levy rates and has published the schedule on its website.
Most new developments are potentially liable for the levy, if they:
create net additional floor space of 100 square metres or more, or
create a new dwelling
Some developments may be eligible for relief or exemption, but there are strict criteria that must be met. Examples of these developments are:
residential annexes and extensions
houses and flats built by 'self-builders'
social and affordable housing
What is MCIL?
The Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL) is a charge on new developments in London. It was introduced in 2012 to help fund the Elizabeth Line (Crossrail).
Two reviews of MCIL rates have occurred, one in 2014 and the other in 2017. These reviews have resulted in a new charging schedule named MCIL2. The charges reflected in the Appraisal Tool refer to those laid out in MCIL2.
The rates are indexed for inflation annually.
For more information, please refer to the Mayor of London's information page here.
What is the CIL Charges Summary in the Appraisal Tool?
We created this feature so you can get as much information as possible around CIL, all in one place. From inside the Appraisal Tool, you can see:
CIL status: whether the charges are implemented or not
Date: the most recent date that the charges were implemented
Zones: whether there are charging zones within a local authority
Charge summaries: for Residential, Retail, Commercial and other charge categories
Local authority CIL information: direct link to the councils' CIL information page
How can I access the CIL Charges Summary feature?
Head to the Appraisal tool, and then:
Scroll down to 'Other costs'
Select the 'Check CIL charges' button to the right of the section title
How do I use the CIL Charges Summary feature?
Once you've selected the 'Check CIL charges' button, the CIL tray will overlay on the right of the appraisal. You can then simply select the local authority that your development is in from the provided list.
The appropriate CIL information will then appear, and you can use this to enter the correct CIL charge in £/m2 for the Gross Internal Area (GIA).
If you require some additional information, scroll down to the bottom of the summary and select 'View local authority CIL website'. This will take you directly to the council CIL information page.
Can I copy and paste from the CIL Charges Summary into my appraisal?
Yes, but it's important that you change the unit of measurement from Imperial to Metric.
This is because the CIL charge summary costs are provided in £/m2.
You can switch the measurement unit in the top right corner of the appraisal.
It's important to know:
The CIL charges published are subject to indexation to reflect inflation. It could be that some CIL rates were published several years ago, and so it's important to account for the indexation applied in this scenario. Indexation rates for individual councils can be found on their linked CIL information pages. You can find out more about how CIL is calculated on the Government website here.