Community Infrastructure Levy Partial Review Draft Charging Schedule Consultation

Tower Hamlets Council – Proposed Update to CIL Charging Schedule

Tower Hamlets Council intends to update its Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule to reflect increased interest in Research and Development-led (R&D) development, particularly within the life sciences sector.

Under the Council’s 2020 CIL Charging Schedule, R&D uses fall under the ‘All Other Uses’ category, which carries a nil rate. In response to market trends, the Infrastructure Planning service commissioned a borough-wide viability study to assess the feasibility of introducing a dedicated rate.

What is CIL?

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a charge that local authorities can apply to new developments in their area. The Council then uses CIL to help fund the infrastructure needed to support growth across the borough, including schools, hospitals, roads, parks, and leisure facilities. More information on how CIL is adopted, monitored, and spent is set out in the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 (as amended).

The process of changing the schedule

The first stage of adopting and updating a CIL Charging Schedule is to consult on a Draft Charging Schedule (DCS), which sets out the proposed new charges for different types of development in the borough. This is informed by evidence produced by specialist consultants.

The Council proposes to introduce a dedicated CIL rate for Research and Development (R&D) uses in the Tower Hamlets CIL Charging Schedule, with the remainder of the schedule unchanged.

Have your say

As part of this consultation, you are invited to comment on the DCS from Thursday 15 January 2026 to Thursday 26 February 2026.

You will be able to comment on the associated evidence base and supporting documents, including:

• Draft CIL Charging Schedule
• Research & Development CIL Viability Study
• CIL Funding Gap Statement 2025

How to submit your comments

• Send comments by email to: CIL@towerhamlets.gov.uk (please include ‘Tower Hamlets CIL consultation’ in the subject line).
• Send comments by post to: CIL Consultation, CIL Team, Infrastructure Planning Team, Planning & Building Control, Tower Hamlets Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ

Deadline: Comments must be received by 5pm on Thursday 26 February 2026 to be considered.

Responses will be submitted to an independent examination for consideration. We will update you as the process progresses.

Online Drop-in Session

If you have questions about the proposed changes to the CIL Charging Schedule, we will be holding an online Q&A drop-in event.

To access the online event, please email CIL@towerhamlets.gov.uk, and we will send you a link to join.

For more details on how you can join in, please see Appendix 4 – CIL Statement of Representations Procedure attached below.

Hard copies of documents

Hard copies of the consultation documents are available at the Town Hall and Idea Stores / libraries.

Why your views matter

The Council will review all responses and make any necessary amendments to the Draft Charging Schedule (DCS).

We will store the data you provide and use it to send you updates about the Community Infrastructure Levy, including details of future consultation exercises.

We will publish an anonymised summary of the responses received during the Draft Charging Schedule consultation on the Council’s website as part of the submission for independent examination.

You can withdraw your details at any time by emailing CIL@towerhamlets.gov.uk and requesting removal from our database.