Our local councillors put forward 4 projects, proposed by residents, for funding from the over £250k Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) accumulated in the Wolvercote Neighbourhood area in the period before our plan was made.
These were:
- White Hart Pub & market garden seating
- Cutteslow Park Woodland Trail
- Five Mile Drive notice board
- John Rowland portrait and clock
They were not accepted by Council Officers. Council policy is that projects from areas without a made plan have to be included in the annual City budget. The council, however, had failed to divulge to local residents and councillors in neighbourhoods without a made plan how they might influence decisions on the local portion of CIL. There is currently no process by which councillors can apply to have projects in the annual budget.
It is also Council policy that this pot of CIL funding can be used anywhere in the city, no matter where it is raised. Obviously, we think that the money should be used to mitigate the effects of development in the actual area where it takes place. The City Council thinks ‘the area’ is the whole city.
Andrew Gant, Liz Wade, and I had a meeting on Thursday 3 March to discuss this with the Chief Executive of the City Council. A note of the paper we presented can be found here. We will keep you up to date.
We will now fund the 4 approved projects from the smaller pot of CIL money that became available after our Neighbourhood Plan was made.
Christopher Hardman
Chair Wolvercote Neighbourhood Forum