The Council opened a consultation on the DCS at the end of last month. It has proposed to divide the borough into four separate charging zones for residential developments. The highest proposed rate of £250 per sq m would be charged within Zone 1, which covers Berkhamsted and the surrounding area.
A draft rate of £150 per sq m would be charged in Zone 3, covering Hemel Hempsted and Markyate and a draft nil rate levy would be charged in Zone 4, which covers two Identified Sites in Hemel Hempsted. Zone 2 covers the rest of the borough where the Council has proposed to set a rate of £100 per sq m to apply.
For retirement housing, a draft rate of £150 per sq m has been set in Zone 1 and a draft nil rate across the remaining three zones.
The Council has proposed to set a borough-wide rate of £150 to apply to convenience based supermarkets and superstores as well as retail warehousing with a net retailing space of more than 280 sq m. It has set a draft nil rate levy for all other types of development across the borough.
The consultation is open for responses until 12 March. The Council said it expects the charging schedule to come into effect on 1 January 2015.
