About the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

What is the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)?

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a fixed rate charge per square metre of qualifying development, which was introduced by Worthing Borough Council to offset the infrastructure impacts that arise from development in an area. CIL is now the dominant means for securing financial contributions from development in the borough, with Planning Obligations (section 106 agreements) being scaled back, although they will continue to play a key role in relation to affordable housing and certain site specific requirements.

The CIL charge was implemented on 1st October 2015, meaning it is charged on all relevant planning permissions granted on or after this date. You are advised to carefully read the CIL webpage for specific types of development and limitations, but, in summary, the following types of planning applications are liable for the Community Infrastructure Levy in Worthing:

• Any new dwelling (of any size)
• Over 100 square metres of gross internal floorspace (new build), before making deductions for existing floorspace that is to be demolished

How is CIL calculated?

CIL is charged in £ per square metre and is levied on the gross internal area (GIA) of the liable development. The CIL charge depends on the size, type and location of the development proposed. Where buildings are demolished to make way for new buildings, the charge will be based on the floorspace of the new buildings less the floorspace of the demolished buildings. However, the applicant must demonstrate that the existing floorspace has been in continuous lawful use for at least six months in the last three years (prior to development being permitted), with evidence supplied to support the claim.

The CIL Process Guide below explains the formula used to calculate the CIL charge, as well as what is included in CIL chargeable floorspace:

• Worthing CIL - Process Guide (V4) - July 2021 (1,476KB)

The Levy Rates: 1st August 2021 onwards

A revised 'CIL Charging Schedule - August 2021' was implemented on 1st August 2021, having been approved by the Inspector at Examination in January 2021. The main changes between the previous CIL Charging Schedule and the revised CIL Charging Schedule are as follows:

• removal of the 'Zone 2' nil rated residential charge (Broadwater, Castle, Gaisford & Selden wards)
• splitting the residential CIL charge by development type - includes:
  • 10 dwellings or fewer (all dwelling types) on previously developed land (PDL)
  • more than 10 dwellings (excluding flatted development) on PDL
  • flatted developments of over 10 units on PDL
  • greenfield housing development
• uplift in the 'greenfield' residential charge to £200 per square metre
• revised wording of retail CIL charge to only include food store / supermarket / retail warehousing development (greater than 280 square metres)

Charging schedule:

• Worthing BC Community Infrastructure Levy - Revised Charging Schedule - August 2021 (1,216KB)

The charging area covers all areas of Worthing borough, apart from land that is designated as being within the South Downs National Park (the National Park Authority is a local planning authority in its own right, and they adopted CIL in April 2017).

The following rates apply to any planning application approved on or after 1st August 2021 and are subject to indexation to keep the levy rates responsive to market conditions:

Note: For mixed use schemes on PDL, of more than 10 dwellings, the flatted part of the development would be charged at £25 per square metre, and the housing part of the development would be charged at £125 per square metre.

The rates above will be index-linked to the CIL index published by RICS, in accordance with the CIL Regulations. The 'Annual CIL rate summary 2025' below gives a breakdown of the indexed rates applicable to applications approved on and between 1st January 2025 and 31st December 2025 (it also includes annual figures back to 2021):

• Worthing Borough Council - Annual CIL Rate Summary - January 2025 (1,532KB)

Map showing greenfield land in Worthing:

• see also: online/interactive version of the map showing greenfield land in Worthing

The levy rates: October 2015 to July 2021

The CIL Charging Schedule - 2015 details the CIL rates for various types of development for planning applications which were approved between 1st October 2015 and 31st July 2021.

A charge of £100 per square metre for residential development (C3) was found to strike the most appropriate balance for most of the Borough (Zone 1).

As illustrated in the map below, a nil charge for residential development is currently set for the following four wards (Zone 2): Broadwater; Castle; Gaisford; and Selden:

• Worthing Borough Council - Charging Schedule for CIL - Feb 2015 (743KB)

The differential between food supermarket and general retail viability is not significant and therefore a single CIL rate of £150 per square metre is set for all forms of retail development across the borough.

The charging area covers all areas of Worthing borough, apart from land that is designated as being within the South Downs National Park (the National Park Authority is a local planning authority in its own right, and they adopted CIL in April 2017).

The following rates are subject to indexation to keep the levy rates responsive to market conditions:

Worthing CIL charging rates by zone:

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