Good Moooooos! £250k now available for your community projects

Southwark Council has got £6m to spend on local community projects across the borough including more than £250k for projects in Old Kent Road and South Bermondsey.

The money comes from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which is a levy raised on development schemes (new buildings such as housing, hotels or shops).

It’s just one of the ways in which developments can benefit the local community and one of the ways in which developers can give-back to the community – especially to those who’ve been impacted by the development.

The council currently has £6m for projects throughout the borough and this includes more than £250k for Old Kent Road and South Bermondsey wards.

CIL money can be spent on one-off projects that will benefit the local community. This could mean redecorating a community centre or installing new play equipment in a park, but it can’t be used for projects with ongoing costs such as paying employees or renting offices. The projects must meet the local priorities (or themes) of each ward and align with the commitments in the area’s Social Regeneration Charter.

The council has set up a website where local residents, businesses and workers can share their ideas for how the money should be spent and wants to hear your ideas for projects before 30 April 2020.

One project which recently benefitted was Surrey Docks Farm.

Watch the video to find out more.

One of the first recipients of local CIL, the farm used money raised from the levy on a local housing development to refurbish their Tower Building so that it could be used by the local community for meetings, workshops and classes.

If you have an idea for a project that could benefit from CIL funding, visit the website to find out more.

Cllr Johnson Situ, Cabinet Member for Growth, Development and Planning, said:

“The growth in the borough over the past decade has created new homes, new jobs, more trade and better transport.  Local CIL money is a direct investment in the local community on infrastructure projects that you can see, touch and smell. Our approach to allocating the money means the funds are spent in the neighbourhoods in which they were generated.

So now we want to hear the ideas from our local communities.

If you have an idea to support growth in you area – whether it’s infrastructure for transport, green spaces or community facilities (like the one at Surrey Docks Farm) this is an unprecedented opportunity to share your idea and get your project off the ground. We’ve got a six week window to gather the best and the brightest ideas from across Southwark and decide upon the best way to spend this money.

So don’t delay – you’ve got until Thursday 30 April to get in touch.”