A firm building dozens of new homes in Brighton has paid more than £330,000 towards community projects in the area.
The sum is the first big payment since Brighton and Hove City Council adopted the community infrastructure levy (CIL) – a charge payable by property developers.
The council said that Gold Property had paid almost £335,000 as it prepared to start work on building 72 homes at Coombe Farm, in Westfield Avenue North, Saltdean.
Gold would have paid more – just over £491,000 – but 40 per cent of the new homes would be classed as “affordable”. As a result, Gold was given relief worth more than £156,000.
The council said: “It is the first major payment from the community infrastructure levy (CIL), charged to developers as part of the planning process for some developments.
“Coombe Farm will provide 72 homes in Saltdean. They will range from one to four bedrooms, with 29 affordable to rent or buy. At least four will be designed to be wheelchair accessible.
“The money will be spent on infrastructure projects (with) £50,000 is ringfenced for councillors to decide with their communities how it will be spent in Rottingdean Coastal ward.”
The rest will be spent on projects anywhere in Brighton and Hove.
Green councillor Marianna Ebel, the council’s lead member for planning policy, said: “The community infrastructure levy (CIL) is a set charge which provides much more certainty for developers about how much money we expect them to contribute.
“It is great news for communities across Brighton and Hove which will benefit from the CIL payments.
“The CIL charge also encourages developers to provide the full quota of affordable homes as they may then receive a discount.
“The city’s planning policy states that developers should offer at least 40 per cent affordable homes to rent or buy.
“A recent report listed the city as being one of the least affordable to live in for people earning the living wage so providing as many well-designed low-cost homes as possible is crucial.”
In addition to the CIL, the council’s planning team negotiated further contributions of £53,400 for public art on the site – and £32,000 towards the local employment scheme which offers opportunities for apprenticeships and work for local people in construction.
The scheme also includes “highways improvements” including a new pedestrian crossing.
The developer, Gold Construction, said that it planned to start work on site in October.
The first phase, expected to take five months, will involve the demolition of buildings and construction of an access road.
Gold plans to employ a local workforce, with half from Brighton and Hove and half from the East Sussex area.
The council said: “Gold Construction is responsible for setting out how it will undertake construction works to minimise disruption, keep residents and neighbours informed and respond to any concerns. This includes hours of working and measures for managing local traffic.”
The company said that it was committed to resident liaison group meetings – and contact details for the site manager, Jonny Mitchell, would be highlighted on the construction hoardings.
A planning enforcement officer is expected to visit the site at an early stage of the construction programme to check on and ensure compliance with planning conditions.
The council added: “The site is registered with the Considerate Constructors Scheme. Any persistent issues (eg, inconsiderate parking, out of hours work and deliveries, etc) can be logged direct with the scheme by email at complaints@ccscheme.org.uk or call 0800 783 1423.”
Let’s see 24/7 staffed Libraries and public toilets.
Safe, pleasant loos which open late would be a boon for the night-time economy: but are you honestly suggesting that enough people want to browse books at 3 o’clock in the morning, to justify paying librarians to work through the night?