'Payment in kind' plan over new developments in Shropshire

The authority is looking at accepting "in-kind" payments from developers – which would see them carry out work to the county rather than paying the council a cash sum.

It could be applied to projects including additional burial land, allotments, village hall improvements and footpath changes in towns across the county.

The plans will go to next week's Shropshire Council cabinet meeting, following a report from council officer George Candler, director of commissioning.

In his report, he says: "Given the significant financial pressures facing the authority, a key principle behind the council's economic growth service redesign and planning policy approach has been around creating the right conditions for sustainable growth through supporting, brokering and commissioning investment in infrastructure.

"It is recognised that no single delivery mechanism will be sufficient to deliver all the necessary infrastructure to support new development within Shropshire and a packaged approach is therefore being developed which seeks to prioritise needs and coordinate all appropriate delivery mechanisms."

At the moment, when a developer is given planning permission to build in the county, it must pay the council what is called a Community Infrastructure Levy, which goes towards paying for infrastructure improvements in communities.

But the new plans would instead see the developer carrying out that work directly, rather than paying the council to carry it out.

In its list of projects, those identified as potential schemes suitable for the in-kind payments include additional burial land in Broseley, Craven Arms, Cleobury Mortimer, Oswestry, Selattyn, Ellesmere and Dudleston Heath.

It could see land provided for allotments in Bridgnorth, Pontesbury, Oswestry and Baschurch.

Other projects include sports provisions in Gobowen, raised pedestrian crossing outside a school in Hinstock, near Market Drayton, provision of a new community centre or village hall in Ruyton XI Towns and provision of a roundabout on the A53 at Shawbury.

Mr Candler said: "There is a risk that developers will regularly seek this form of contribution rather than making a financial payment.

"This could significantly increase administrative burdens and slow down the planning process."

He added that while there was no burden on the council to accept this form of payment, it will result in a reduction of the amount of financial contribution from the levy.

He said it could pose a risk to the council's ability to make Neighbourhood Fund payments – money taken from the levy collection and passed on to parish and town councils.

The plans will be discussed by members of the cabinet at Wednesday's meeting.

The meeting will be held at Shirehall in Shrewsbury at 12.30pm.