Waverley Borough Council is set to bring forward proposals to the council’s Executive on 1 July for a new discretionary review scheme for homeowners who believe they may have been incorrectly charged under the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) for residential extensions or annexes.
Councillor Liz Townsend, Waverley Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development, said:
“We know that the Community Infrastructure Levy Legislation has been a source of stress and concern for some of our residents who believe they have been unjustly charged and unfairly penalised by these complex and inflexible rules. I want to assure them that we are absolutely committed to addressing those concerns through a fair and transparent review process.
“This is a new process for the Council and we have taken independent legal advice to ensure our approach is both robust and fair.
“I want to thank residents for their patience as we necessarily progress through the Council’s formal committees. This work is progressing at pace, and we’re on track to deliver a process that reflects the values of fairness, transparency and accountability.”
Initial options for how the discretionary review scheme might work were presented to key members, including political group leaders, on Wednesday 4 June, with a view to finalising proposals later in the month. All discretionary review options would see cases examined by an independent person or persons, unrelated to the council, ensuring the process is impartial, transparent, and fair to each resident.
The council has obtained independent legal advice to ensure any new process is fully compliant with national legislation, whilst providing an effective and reasonable way of reviewing CIL cases.
The council plans to publish details of the proposed review scheme on Wednesday 12 June, ahead of formal scrutiny and discussion at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 23 June. Formal recommendations to the Council’s Executive will be published on 23 June ahead of a decision on 1 July.
The council will continue to update residents as the scheme progresses and is aiming to implement the new process later this summer.
ENDS