Andrew Proctor, leader of Broadland District Council.
Last chance to have say on £220m ‘tax’ on housing around Norwich
by DAN GRIMMER
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
12:18 AM
A new levy on house builders, which council bosses hope will raise about £220m for improvements to roads and schools around Norwich, has gone out for a final round of public consultation.
Councils are hoping the new Community Infrastructure Levy, due to be introduced in the autumn, will go some way to paying for the infrastructure they say will be needed to cope with new homes.
The Greater Norwich Development Partnership (GNDP), made up of Norwich, Broadland and South Norfolk councils, have all discussed the charges the levy should be set at.
The partnership has adopted a Joint Core Strategy which will see 37,000 homes built and 25,000 jobs created in and around Norwich by 2026.
That blueprint has been challenged in the High Court through a judicial review brought by Stephen Heard, from the Stop Norwich Urbanisation campaign, but a decision on whether the strategy is lawful has yet to be handed down by the judge.
In the meantime, the GNDP has started a final round of consultation on the levies, with interested parties such as house builders and parish councils having until March 5 to comment on whether the charges are legally compliant.
The three constituent authorities want to set the levy at £115 per square metre for residential properties in Norwich and the parts of Broadland and South Norfolk closest to the city.
The new fees – which were originally proposed at up to £160 per square metre - were cut after developers raised concerns.
The levy will be £75 per square metre in the more rural parts of Broadland and South Norfolk which are covered by the Joint Core Strategy.
In Norwich, the levy on blocks of flats of six storeys or more would be £100 per square metre, while developers planning large convenience stores would pay £135 per square metre and smaller shops £25 per square metre.
The GNDP estimates income will be about £220m over time, with some of the money being passed to town and parish councils to decide how it is spent locally.
In Norwich, community organisations will be asked for their views on how funds should be spent.
But critics have raised fears the distribution of the money will become political, with some councils pushing for money to be spent on the Northern Distributor Road and others on the Long Stratton bypass, with smaller schemes missing out.
However, Andrew Proctor, chairman of the Greater Norwich Development Partnership, said the levy was vital for the region’s future.
He said: “Without key infrastructure we can not hope to create the thriving communities which people want to live in and this levy will go a long way to achieving that vision.
“It gives local authorities extra resources to invest in these facilities and also gives developers greater certainty and clarity about their role and contribution.”
• Visit www.gndp.org.uk/our-work/cil to take part in the consultation.
• Do you have a story about a local council? Call reporter Dan Grimmer on 01603 772375 or email dan.grimmer@archant.co.uk
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7 comments
Two values and vague guidelines as to who this development tax applies to make this unfair. Cheaper terms in rural areas will attract more development and generate more traffic. Both the lower and higher charges will be transfered to already hard pressed first time buyers, all buyers. Also there are no exceptions for ecologically sustainable, unconventional buildings, whilst certain commercial developments are mooted to be exempt. Whether this is right in law is questionable, it is definately not fair. The GNDP is bound by planning regulations and the code for sustainable housing and should exempt all buildings that do not use bricks.
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ingo wagenknecht
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
An honest name for this would be a 'tax.' It gives spendthrift councils yet more money to spend on grand schemes to boost their own egos. And all at a cost to the house buyers and in reality to the detriment of the whole comnunity as well. All developments already pay a high level of taxation by having to provide ever more facilities to get planning permisssion which enables councils to waste OUR money.
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andy
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The developers already have to pay for infrastructure, thats part of the planning permission. This is about change will mean that the reposnisibilty will pass to the council rather than developers.
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Crazy
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Being legally compliant is not the issue ( this probably is not legal, but will be passed through anyway) The issue is about finding a fair way to fund infrastructure. Putting up the price of housing through this tax so that local people, especially 1st time buyers, are unable to afford a home of their own is not just unfair but immoral.
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Homes4locals
Monday, February 6, 2012
This was done in Essex years ago, his name was Dick Turpin !!!!!!! Stand and Deliver !!!!
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London in Norfolk
Monday, February 6, 2012
That will put on average nearly £6000 per a house which will further put these properties out of the range of most local people, especially those starting out. I hope the developers realise this is nothing but a GNDP scam and go build elsewhere.
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John L Norton
Monday, February 6, 2012
Its plain Bribery.If the developer has to pay for "Infrastructor" the cost is passed on to the House Puchaser
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Albert Cooper
Monday, February 6, 2012