CIL glossary

Planning often has legal implications and so the language often needs to be quite technical. We do realise that this can often make planning quite difficult to understand so we do our best to explain everything in Plain English. A glossary is provided below of some of the most common terms, and acronyms. We can always be contacted if you need further explanations.

Term Acronym Description
Community Infrastructure Levy CIL The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge placed on certain developments, to be paid by developers, to provide necessary infrastructure. Take up of CIL is in accordance with the CIL Regulations, 2010, and their subsequent amendments.
Infrastructure Delivery Plan IDP A document which identifies the infrastructure required to support the Local Plan.
Infrastructure Delivery Schedule IDS A list of infrastructure projects which the Council has identified as being necessary to support the Local Plan
Infrastructure   Is defined within the CIL Regulations. Examples include transport, education, utilities, open spaces
Annual Monitoring Report AMR A document produced annually which assesses and reports on performance of the Local Plan and other policies. It will be used to report on CIL receipts and expenditure.
Infrastructure Funding Statement IFS From December 2020, will replace the R123 list. The statement will set out those infrastructure types or projects we plan to fund through CIL and report receipts and expenditure.
West Lancashire Local Plan 2012-2027 WLLP12-27 The development plan for West Lancashire, which sets out the policies governing how development will occur in the Borough
Statement of Community Involvement SCI A document which sets out our commitments to consulting on planning matters, including CIL
Mandatory relief   The CIL Regulations make provision for certain types of development to be eligible for relief from CIL.  This is called mandatory relief. The Regulations specify the criteria under which relief can be claimed.
Commencement   Generally, this is the date in which planning permission is implemented, and includes demolition or the ground being dug.  
Charging Schedule CS Sets out the fees for CIL, based on the type of use and the area of the Borough in which development is located. CIL charges are calculated using floorspace, and the schedule shows the fees by square metre.
Charging Zone   Different geographical areas of West Lancashire are subject to different CIL charges. This is based on evidence on viability. These areas are known as charging zones.
Charging Authority CA  The Council is the Charging Authority for CIL
Local Planning Authority LPA The Council is the Local Planning Authority for an administrative area
Section 106 Agreement S106 Legal agreements between a developer and the Council to enable negative impacts of a development to be offset or to enhance the physical environment or contribute to local facilities.
Section 73 S73 Applications can be made of permission to develop, without complying with condition(s) previously required by a planning permission. As set out in Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
General consent   Development that falls under 'permitted development' which means that a planning application is not required for the development. This is set out in Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Land Charges   Land charges are restrictions placed on the use of land and is binding on successive owners or occupiers of the land or property. These charges are recorded by the Local Land Charge Register which people can search to identify what charges are placed on areas of land. CIL is a land charge and is placed on the Land Charges register until payment is received, or until the clawback period expires.
State Aid   Providing financial resources to provide assistance to one or more organisations in a way that gives an advantage over others
Abatement    The process that allows developers to claim a credit for CIL which has already been paid. This will typically only be used where CIL is paid on a Planning Application (A), and then a subsequent planning permission (B) is submitted, also requiring CIL, and Application B supersedes Application A. Therefore there will likely be a wish for the CIL funds to be transferred from permission A to B.