Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

Use this guide to find information about the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

Lambeth CIL 2022

Lambeth's new Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule came into force on 1 January 2022. It replaces in full the previous CIL Charging Schedule that was adopted in 2014. The new CIL rates will apply to chargeable developments in which planning permission first permits development on or after 1 January 2022. The old rates will continue to apply to chargeable developments where planning permission first permits development before 1 January 2022.

In most cases, planning permission first permits development on the date planning permission has been granted. For outline permissions, this will be the date of final approval of the last reserved matter for that development. In a phased development with full planning permission, this may be on the day any of the pre-commencement conditions associated with a phase is fully discharged. Where a phase of a development has no pre-commencement condition, first permits will be on the date planning permission has been granted.

A development is liable to pay CIL if it comprises one or more residential dwellings or includes 100m² or more new-build floorspace. The new CIL rates in Lambeth (per square metre of gross internal floor area) set out by the approved 2022 Charging Schedule shown in the following table.

Development Type

Zone A – Waterloo and Vauxhall

Zone B – Kennington, Oval and Clapham

Zone C – Tulse Hill, Brixton and Herne Hill

Zone D – Streatham, West Norwood, Streatham Hill

Residential including co‑living schemes or shared accommodation

£500

£350

£250

£200

Self-contained sheltered housing, self‑contained extra care schemes and care homes

£250

£175

£100

£100

Hotel

£200

£75

£75

£75

Office

£225

£225

Nil

Nil

Large retail development*

£225

£225

£225

£225

Other retail

Nil

Nil

Nil

Nil

Student accommodation

£400

£400

£400

£400

All other uses not identified above

Nil

Nil

Nil

Nil

* Retail includes such uses as shops selling consumer goods, including food and essential items, to visiting members of the public, premises for the provision of financial and professional services, a café or restaurant, and gymnasium. It will also include related sui generis commercial uses such as pubs or drinking establishments, takeaways, cinemas, betting shops, launderette, and car showrooms. Large retail development includes:

  • Superstores/supermarkets/shopping mall/shopping centre/shopping arcade which are shopping destinations in their own right, with over 280m² of retail space, with or without a dedicated car park; or
  • Retail warehouses which are large stores specialising in the sale of household goods (such as carpets, furniture, and electrical goods), DIY items and other ranges of goods catering for mainly car-borne customers

Because CIL charges relate to land values, and these vary across the borough, there are four CIL charging zones in the borough. See our 2022 CIL charging zones map.

You may apply for statutory relief from CIL for social housing and buildings in operational use for charitable purposes.

Background to CIL

The government introduced the CIL Regulations in 2010, giving councils the power to charge CIL to help fund infrastructure. CIL is levied on new development, in proportion to the amount of floorspace in the development. In addition, the CIL rate depends on development viability, so there are different CIL rates for different forms of development, and in different parts of the borough.

CIL rates are set on the basis of studies on development viability, and the rates recommended by these studies are subject to public consultation and an examination in public before they can be put in place.

Associated Lambeth CIL policy statements

As part of the operation of CIL in Lambeth, the following associated policy statements set out the way that the CIL system is administered.

Annual CIL rate summary

The CIL charge will include indexation which will take account of price increases between the time when charging schedules setting out an authority’s rates come into force, and the time at which planning permission is granted. The CIL regulations state that from the year 2020, the council must publish an Annual CIL Rate Summary, setting out how indexation will be applied on CIL. For more information, see our annual CIL rate summaries.

Infrastructure funding statement

The Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2019 (the ‘2019 Regulations’) amended the CIL Regulations and took effect on September 2019. The 2019 Regulations revoked Regulation 123 of the CIL Regulations. Removal of the regulation gives the council two ways to provide greater flexibility for funding infrastructure. It can use as many planning obligations as it needs to fund a specific piece of infrastructure, and it can use planning obligations and CIL revenue to fund the same infrastructure. From December 2020, the council must publish annual infrastructure funding statements that include an infrastructure list setting out the infrastructure projects or types of infrastructure that the authority intends to fund, either wholly or partly, by CIL and/or planning obligations. You may view Lambeth's Infrastructure Funding Statements since 2019/20 as well as previous annual CIL reports before 2019/20.

CIL instalments policy

The regulations provide for councils to allow payment of CIL on larger projects in instalments, to help cash flow on those projects. For developments that commence prior to 1 June 2019, the instalment policy applied is the same as that issued by the Greater London Authority. For developments that commence on or after 1 June 2019, the instalment policy applied will be Lambeth's CIL instalments policy.

CIL land and infrastructure payments

These allow for the payment of CIL liability, in part or full, through, either provision of land, or infrastructure provision directly by developers, at the discretion of the council. This will be subject to the Infrastructure provided being included in the published Regulation 123 List. See our land payments and availability of infrastructure payments statement.

Exceptional circumstances relief policy

There may be individual projects where a matter peculiar to the proposal or the site would make the scheme unviable if the standard CIL charge were to be applied. This policy gives the council the power to consider granting full or partial relief from the CIL liability if it can be demonstrated to the council’s satisfaction that payment of the full CIL liability would make the project unviable. See our exceptional circumstances relief policy.

Charitable CIL relief

The CIL regulations give the council the power to offer discretionary relief from CIL to charities, for charitable purposes and commercial developments that they make. The council has updated this approach as from 9 November 2021. See our charitable development CIL relief policy.

Discretionary social housing relief

Mandatory relief will be applied for social housing provided by local authorities or registered providers. In addition, in Lambeth, discretionary relief may also be considered for discounted market sales. See our Discretionary social housing relief statement.

For more information, email the CIL team at cil@lambeth.gov.uk.

Read our CIL frequently asked questions.