Developer contributions fund over £2 million in strategic and community improvement projects

Funded schemes include schools, play areas, greenspaces, sports facilities, community buildings, medical facilities, war memorials and energy-saving measures.

The funding comes from money collected by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a charge on the amount of floorspace in new developments that contributes towards infrastructure and services needed to support them.

Since April 2016, the Council has collected over £22.04 million in CIL funding, of which £2.4 million was collected between April 2024 and March 2025, and a total of £12.34 million has been spent to date.

Investing in strategic infrastructure

The majority of CIL funding (about 80%) is collected as 'strategic' CIL to help deliver infrastructure that supports development. The Council allocates its strategic CIL funding through a five-year programme of projects - its Strategic Infrastructure Programme (SIP). 

The CIL collected to date has helped fund a range of facilities and services across the borough, from school expansions and health facilities to community buildings and roads.

During 2024-2025, projects supported by strategic CIL funds included:

• £305,873 to extend Horley Town Council’s offices and make them more accessible
• £153,789 to replace the sports pavilion at Howard Close Recreation Ground, Walton on the Hill, with a new modular building
• £160,986 to Dovers Green School, Reigate and £85,859.00 to St Matthews CofE Primary School, Redhill to expand their specialist SEND units to enable more places.

On the impact of strategic CIL funding for Howard Close Pavilion Paul Devine, Chairman of Walton Warriors Football Club says:

"The new pavilion has been incredibly important for the development of Walton Warriors and its reputation. It has significantly increased the capacity and safety for equipment storage, including for the village’s popular Walton Pageant, and the addition of a kitchen allows us to run a catering kiosk on matchdays, providing a valuable income stream for us.

We have a strong girls presence at the club, and importantly, we have been able to welcome more girls to make use of the pavilion, thanks to the addition of new toilet facilities. Not only has the new building been vital for the club’s development, but it has also created a venue that can be used the wider community."

Local improvement projects

A smaller proportion of the overall funding - the CIL Local Fund - helps the Council invest in smaller neighbourhood projects to improve the local area in which new development is built. Many of these are nominated by residents, local groups, ward councillors or council officers.

Over the last year, projects benefitting from CIL Local Fund contributions include:

• £17,400 to convert a storage room at Heathcote Medical Centre, Tadworth into an additional practice room for virtual clinics and improve access for disabled visitors
• £29,000 for improvements to Chipstead Scouts’ buildings
• £10,000 towards the renovation of Burgh Heath War Memorial Hall
• £31,998 for all weather footpaths connecting local homes with Priory Park and Reigate town centre
• £20,000 to improve irrigation of Merstham Cricket Club’s pitches
• £1,350 to refurbish the ‘little libraries’ in Lady Neville Recreation in Banstead, Brook Road Open Space in Merstham and Priory Park in Reigate.

On the benefit of getting CIL local funding, a representative of Heathcote Medical Centre, says:

“The CIL funding has allowed us to provide important improvements in our car park, including the introduction of two Blue Badge bays, which enable safe entrance to and exit from the practice. Additional bike racks have also been installed, which are important for the environment and allow secure storage for bicycles while visiting the practice. The funding has also supported the decoration of a room to potentially expand our clinical workforce within the practice, enhancing the services we can offer to the community”.

Give us your ideas

Councillor Kate Fairhurst, Executive Member for Place, Planning and Regulatory Services, says:

“Over £22.04 million has been collected since 2016 through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). This funding has had a significant impact on the delivery of both strategic and local improvement projects, from supporting our growing communities with the services and facilities they need, to enabling local community projects with vital funds.

The CIL Local fund supports a wide range of causes across the borough. Anyone that has an improvement idea that could deliver positive change for their local community can submit their own bid. So, we encourage everyone to get involved.”

Submit your project funding bid

To find out more about CIL, or to submit a bid for funding (via the project bidding form on the ‘Local Fund’ page), visit our CIL webpage.