Community projects in areas affected by development to see £20m boost
Community projects in areas affected by development will receive £20million as part of a council scheme.
Southwark council has raised the funds through a levy on development schemes known as the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), since 2021.
CIL is collected from developers to mitigate the impact of construction. Most of the money is spent on “strategic CIL”, and has previously gone towards projects including upgrading Elephant and Castle station.
Around 25 per cent of the funds are set aside for community projects in the neighbourhoods in which they were generated, known as Neighbourhood CIL.
Cllr Helen Dennis, cabinet member for new homes and sustainable development, said: “We are excited to see project ideas come forward for this round of CIL funding over the coming months, so that together with our communities, we build a fair, green and safe Southwark where everyone can life a good life.”
But, the Southwark Liberal Democrats have criticised the Labour-led council for “delaying” the allocation of funds, which it claims have been left to accumulate for almost four years.
Liberal Democrat councillors say they have “pressed” the council to release the money to fund much-needed community facilities for more than a year.
The amount of money varies substantially by ward. Borough and Bankside and North Bermondsey wards have accumulated £4.1million and £3.5million respectively, because of the huge amount of development underway in these areas.
On the other end of the scale, wards like St George’s and Camberwell Green have been allocated £12,319 and £23,648 respectively.
In July, Borough and Bankside cllr David Watson secured a commitment from council bosses that CIL money would be released and called for it to be spent where it was raised, the Lib Dems said.
Cllr Watson said: “This is a huge win for the residents who have endured years of disruption from the mega building developments in the North of Southwark.
“The Labour council has been sitting on this money for too long, while communities struggled with the cost of living crisis.
“I’m delighted the council will now be able to invest this money in facilities and infrastructure to benefit our neighbourhoods.”
The Labour council has denied the claims, which it describes as “absurd”, stating that the local authority had to wait until enough funding was generated due to the scale of the projects seeking funding.
Labour cllr Dennis, said: “The £20million was collected between 2021 and 2024, with a portion being allocated in 2023.
“To do otherwise would have been reckless in terms of viability and deliverability. “
Southwark council has set out how the latest round of Neighbourhood CIL funds in a new report going to Cabinet for approval today. Read the full CIL allocation report on the council’s website.
Pictured top: Southwark council hq in Tooley Street (Picture: Google Street View)