The council’s charging schedule sets out our CIL charging and levy rates for different types and locations of development.
East Cambridgeshire District Council is the charging authority and the collecting authority for the purposes of CIL in the district.
The levy applies to most new buildings.
The charges are based on:
CIL is normally collected as a monetary payment, although there is also provision for it to be paid by transfer of land to the local authority if certain criteria are met.
CIL is exempt from VAT. The charging schedule, once adopted, is for fixed amounts and cannot be negotiated.
| Development type - Use class | CIL base rate (2013) Adopted CIL charging rates | Revised charging rates after indexation applied (in accordance with the CIL regulations applied annually) Applicable to planning applications granted from 1 January 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Zone A – Littleport and Soham (C3) | £40.00 | £67.14 |
| Residential Zone B – Ely (C3) | £70.00 | £117.49 |
| Residential Zone C - Rest of the district (C3) | £90.00 | £151.06 |
| Retail development* Use Class E (previously A1/A2/A3/A4/A5) and sui generis uses akin to retail (e.g. petrol filling stations and motor-sales units) | £120.00 | £201.41 |
| BCIS AITPI rate used | £227.00 | £381.00 |
*The retail levy will generally be applied to separate retail units, even where these are part of the same planning application. The main exception to this will be where retail uses are part of the same operation – for example, supermarkets which have on-site petrol stations and fast-food outlets; in these cases the operation will be measured as one development.
The responsibility to pay the levy rests with the owner(s) of the land on which the liable development will be situated.
Although liability rests with the landowner, the regulations recognise that others involved in a development may wish to pay.
To allow this, anyone can come forward and assume liability for the development. See our CIL process page for more information.
CIL can be paid in instalments. For further details please refer to our Instalment Policy:
Allowing payments over a longer period can assist with cash flow and development viability.
If the liability is over £30,000 the Instalment Policy is triggered and the instalments and dates due will be set out in your Demand Notice.
This Instalment Policy will not be available if liability has not been assumed and a Commencement Notice has not been submitted before the relevant development commences, or if payments are not made in time.
In calculating individual charges for the levy, regulation 40 as amended by the 2014 regulations requires collecting authorities to apply an index of inflation to keep the levy responsive to market conditions.
The index is the RICS Building Index for CIL published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors website.
This annual index figure will be published on or around 1 November each year and will apply from 1 January of the following year for the whole calendar year.
Please call the CIL team on 01353 665555 for the indexation rate applied on older planning applications to assist in your calculation of the levy.
CIL is payable upon commencement of development.
The liable party or their agent/architect is required to submit a Commencement Notice Form 6 to the council, to notify them of works starting on site for all chargeable development.
If you are applying for relief from CIL you must have these documents in place before starting work on site or making CIL payments.
See our CIL process page for more information.
Once the Commencement Notice has been received, we will issue a Demand Notice.
This will detail who is liable for payment, confirm the amount payable as well as any reliefs or surcharges and it will also specify the dates and instalment amounts, if East Cambs Instalment Policy has been triggered, on which payments are due.
Where the Instalment Policy does not apply, the chargeable amount must be paid in full within 60 days of the notified or deemed commencement date of the chargeable development, as stipulated by CIL Regulation 67.
If the Instalment Policy applies, but work starts on the site before a commencement notice has been submitted a Demand Notice will be issued for the whole chargeable amount and will be payable immediately.
Where a relief or exemption from the CIL has been granted but work starts on the site before a commencement notice has been submitted we can apply proportionate penalty as a surcharge, which must be paid. This surcharge is £2,500 or 20% of the chargeable amount; whichever is lower.
BACS and online banking: Please ensure you enter the CIL Reference Number (starting with BC), which can be found on the Demand Notice you should have received, as the payment reference. Each payment due will have its own reference, please ensure you use the correct reference.
Pay via online banking or BACS to the council's bank account:
Sort Code: 52-41-19
Account Number: 43135897
Phone: Please call Customer Services team on 01353 665555 and have your credit/debit card details to hand. You will need to quote the CIL payment reference number, which can be found on the Demand Notice (the CIL reference number starts with BC), please ensure you provide the correct reference number.
By cheque: Payment by cheque payable to East Cambridgeshire District Council may be sent to The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, Cambs, CB7 4EE, with the CIL reference number on the reverse of the cheque.
If you do not use the correct CIL reference number when making a payment, it could delay acknowledgement of your payment and may result in further payment requests.
Most of those liable to pay the levy are expected to pay their liabilities without problem or delay. If you are experiencing difficulties, it is vital you contact us immediately.
If payment is late, the regulations enable the council to impose both late payment interest (at 2.5% above the Bank of England base rate) and late payment surcharges, which will increase over time.
In cases of persistent non-compliance we will consider direct action such as the issuing of a CIL Stop Notice, or applying to the courts for seizure of assets to pay the outstanding monies, or for custodial sentences.
We also have the powers to issue a CIL Stop Notice on development if we believe interest and late payment charges will be ineffective in securing payment of the overdue CIL.
Full details about the enforcement of CIL can be found in Part 9, Regulations 80-111 of the Regulations.
To find out more please read our impact of CIL on existing buildings page.