Published: Friday, 19th March 2021
Sevenoaks District Council has approved a round of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding to support exciting community projects across the District.
Projects in Kemsing, Knockholt, Otford, Sevenoaks, Swanley and Weald will all be getting contributions totalling just over £2 million bringing economic, social and environmental benefits to their communities.
The money is collected from ‘CIL liable’ new developments across the whole of the District and, once a meaningful amount has been collated, infrastructure providers are invited to submit bids to help to pay for projects that will benefit residents.
The biggest cash injection in this latest round of CIL funding has been allocated to Trinity School, Weald of Kent Grammar School and Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys in Sevenoaks. A huge £1.5 million of CIL has been agreed for the creation of playing fields and other sporting facilities at the three schools. When these facilities are not being used by the schools, they will be open for use by local community sporting groups.
Carrying on with the sporting theme, £158,000 has been allocated to Orchards Academy in Swanley to improve sports and hall facilities and to make them available to the public when the schools are not using them. The improvements include new flooring, roof insulation, redesign of the changing rooms and much more.
Other projects include allocating £117, 380 for an extension to the Kemsing branch of the Otford Medical Practice. The money will be used for a first floor extension, building a further three clinical rooms, patient toilets and an extended waiting area. A further £49,507.50 was awarded to Otford Parish Council to introduce traffic calming measures in the village. This is to improve road safety for pedestrians, ease congestion and encourage sustainable modes of travel.
Further to this, £15,000 has been set aside for Weald Parish Council for the maintenance and renovations to Weald Memorial Hall. The hall hosts activities, programmes and events and is especially important for residents who cannot or do not wish to travel outside of the village.
Finally, £200,000 was allocated to the Knockholt Village Centre refurbishment. Once finished, the centre will be available for pre-school use with new space for historical records, heritage archives and a community-based library.
Sevenoaks District Council Portfolio Holder for Development & Conservation, Cllr Julia Thornton, says: “As a Council, we are delighted to be able to use this CIL money to champion these much needed local community projects and improve our residents’ quality of life. I am thrilled that these six worthy projects from all around the District have benefited from this latest round of CIL funding allocation. New developments naturally add additional pressure to existing infrastructure, such as health provision, sporting facilities, educational needs and highways improvements, so CIL funding is an important mechanism for us to be able to help our infrastructure providers meet these additional needs.”
To find out more information on these projects, visit www.sevenoaks.gov.uk
CIL funding was agreed at the Council’s Cabinet meeting on 18 March 2021.
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