Cllr Jane Austin: Waverley has failed spectacularly over CIL

This week, I spoke with an estate agent in Godalming who shared a troubling new trend: prospective buyers are actively avoiding homes that require building work. Why? Because they fear being hit with huge Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charges by Waverley Borough Council.
And the problem is - I couldn’t tell him they were wrong.
For those unfamiliar, CIL is a charge designed to ensure developers contribute to local infrastructure. CIL is not intended to capture homeowner work such as extensions, self builds or annexes (granny annexes), which are all exempt (in some cases householders must fill out forms to secure the exemption).
CIL legislation is complex and requires lots of form filling, but Waverley residents have learned the hard way just how unforgiving the system can be. We are supporting 11 householders who have been hit with crippling charges ranging from £40,000 to £235,000. A further four residents managed to fight and overturn householder CIL charges -all had legal or taxation expertise.