Following an examination hearing in November, examiner Nigel Payne issued his examination report (11-page / 566 KB PDF) on the DCS last month. He said that the DCS provided "an appropriate basis for the collection of the levy in the borough" subject to minor modifications proposed by the Council.
The inspector said the DCS was "supported by detailed evidence of economic viability and local community infrastructure needs" and that the evidence was reinforced by an 18% increase in average local land values since the Council collected the data for its viability report.
Payne said the Council had acknowledged that there were "differing considerations applicable to new build schemes for [care home] and [sheltered housing] uses" than applied to other residential development in the borough. He agreed with the Council that the DCS should be modified to include these uses under "all other uses", attracting a levy of £10 per square metre, rather than as "residential development" attracting a levy of £40 per sq m in the north of the borough and £60 per sq m in the south.
The inspector recommended that the DCS be modified to accurately describe the application of the £20 per sq m mayoral CIL to development in the borough. He also advised that the word "convenience" be omitted from the definition of retail development in the DCS "for clarity for all concerned and to facilitate practical implementation".
The Council said it expected its final charging schedule to be approved in early 2015 and CIL to be implemented from 1 April.