Applying for CIL funding

East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) is obligated, under The Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2019  to produce a statement of the infrastructure projects or types of infrastructure which the East Cambridgeshire District Council intends will be, or maybe, wholly or partly funded by The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). This is referred to as the Community Infrastructure Levy Infrastructure List and replaces the Regulation 123 list (R123 list). 

At East Cambridgeshire District Council the CIL Infrastructure List comprises infrastructure projects necessary to deliver sustainable growth and improve quality of life for residents across the district. Rather than have a long list of projects that the council may not have sufficient funds to support or that may never be delivered, East Cambridgeshire District Council is committed to having a meaningful list of projects that:

  • support growth across the district
  • fit with the council's infrastructure priorities
  • are match funded

In order to be included on the list a project must meet the criteria set and be approved by East Cambridgeshire District Council full council.

A project being included on the CIL Infrastructure List does not signify a guarantee of CIL funding. Whether a project receives CIL funding will depend on East Cambridgeshire District Councils' priorities at the time of the application for funding being made, and the amount of CIL funding available. The District Council will ensure timely release of funds when invoices are received for satisfactorily completed works.

Application Process

A stakeholder can apply, at anytime, for a project to be included on the CIL Infrastructure List. After establishing that a project meets all the pre-application criteria, the stakeholder should submit a completed CIL Infrastructure List Expression of Interest form (available below) to East Cambridgeshire District Council.

All your personal ​information will be held and used in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). For details of how we gather, define and use your information please see the East Cambridgeshire District Council Privacy Notice

Once the Expression of Interest has been received, Officers assess the application against the criteria. If the project meets the stated criteria and scores 50% or over, a recommendation will be made to full Council that it is included on the CIL Infrastructure List. A decision will then be made at the next full Council meeting, whether to approve the recommendation.

If an application is unsuccessful, the applicant will be advised why and, if appropriate, whether they should consider re-applying at a different time.

Please note this process only applies to East Cambridgeshire District Council CIL funding and not Parish Councils ‘meaningful proportion’. Guidance for Parish Council can be found on the CIL guidance notes and other information sources webpage

Scoring criteria

A copy of the scoring criteria and details of sources of evidence and potential match funding can be found below. Applicants are advised to consider this information before completing the Expression of Interest form.

In order to be eligible for CIL funding a project must satisfy the criteria below:

  • Be necessary to support local growth
  • Match funding and a financial contribution from the organisation submitting application must have been secured.
  • The project must be deliverable within three to five years
  • If the project is highways or education related, the application must be accompanied by a letter of support from the relevant Cambridgeshire County Council department.

Eligible projects will be scored on their ability to meet the criteria set out below; extra weighting will be given to the scores awarded for good fit with the councils' infrastructure priorities.

What CIL can and cannot fund

CIL Regulations state that funds must be spent on ‘infrastructure necessary to support growth’.

The Planning Act 2008 provides a wide definition of infrastructure which can be funded by the levy, including (but not exclusively) transport, flood defences, schools, hospitals, other health care, social care, play areas, parks and green spaces, cultural and sports facilities, district heating schemes, police stations and other community safety facilities.

CIL can only be spent on capital projects, although associated revenue spending to maintain those capital items is also permissible.

It can be used to increase the capacity of existing infrastructure or to repair failing infrastructure if that is necessary to support development.

CIL cannot be used to fund solutions to existing problems for example traffic calming/management or on repairs to existing infrastructure in an area that has not experienced housing growth.

Sources of evidence and links to key documents

The websites below offer local information and statistics which you may find useful when completing your application.

Below are also links to the documents referred to in the Expression of Interest form.

Potential sources of match funding

The Amey Community Fund offers financial assistance to local not-for-profit organisations that deliver benefits to the general public, biodiversity or the environment, within a ten-mile radius of a landfill site.

The Biffa Award was established in 1997 under the Landfill Communities Fund and through the Fund they support a wide range of community and environmental projects across the UK.

The Big Lottery Fund awards grants to UK organisations to help improve their communities.

The East Cambridgeshire District Council Community Facilities Grant offers funding to develop and improve village halls, community centres, sport and leisure centres, play facilities and public open spaces, protecting and enhancing the quality of life for residents within East Cambridgeshire.

WREN is a not-for-profit business that helps benefit the lives of people who live close to landfill sites by awarding grants for community, biodiversity and heritage projects.

Useful contacts

The contacts below will be able to assist you with your application:

CIL Team

Cambridgeshire County Council Education Team

Cambridgeshire County Council Transport Team