A PROPOSAL which includes charging the highest level of developer contribution for new residential dwellings at Sandbanks, has been slammed by a Poole councillor.

Borough of Poole’s economy overview and scrutiny committee has recommended to cabinet that changes in the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) go out for consultation in February.

Included are plans to hike the rate payable per square metre from £150 to £1,300 for Sandbanks, introducing prices for other areas and reducing Poole Town Centre from £100 to £60 and the rest of the borough from £75 to £20.

“We can all support the big increase in contributions on the Sandbanks peninsula and in Lilliput and Branksome Park, but to allow developers in a great swathe of the middle of the borough to reduce their contribution from £75 to £20 per square metre of new residential development towards the infrastructure of the borough is extraordinary,” said Cllr Phil Eades, chairman of the planning committee.

“The council’s own figures show that developers have been happy to make contributions of over £300,000 in two years.

“There is not a shred of evidence that going forward they cannot afford this amount,” he said.

If the proposed rates had been implemented, the council’s income from CIL would have doubled to £1,305,861 rather than £644,455 between January 2 2013 and November 30 2014.

Cllr Eades said he will be pressing the committee to revise the proposals and pointed out that a proposed new charge on “greenfield strategic sites” of £200 was higher than that currently paid by developers in Sandbanks.

The report which came before the committee on Thursday said the levy charge should not be set so high as to stifle development or so low that insufficient funds were available for infrastructure.

Councillor Brian Clements, chairman of the Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said: “The Committee had a lively debate on the proposed draft rates for Poole’s Community Infrastructure Levy.

“There is a balance to be struck between getting a cash receipt that enables the council to provide amenities to serve an increasing population and ensuring that the development remains viable.

“In the end members voted to recommend to Cabinet that the draft charges should go out for consultation, as suggested in the officer report.”