For councils across the UK, the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) can provide an important source of capital to help address the infrastructure demands created by growth.
But securing CIL is only part of the challenge. The bigger opportunity is turning that funding into infrastructure that delivers a meaningful, measurable and lasting benefit for local communities.
With pressure on council budgets continuing, and demand for health, wellbeing, leisure and community facilities growing, unspent CIL could provide an opportunity for councils to bring forward projects that might otherwise be difficult to fund.
From Funding Pot to Community Asset
CIL is designed to help councils fund infrastructure needed to support development. Importantly, the definition of infrastructure is broad and can include sports and leisure facilities, parks, open spaces, healthcare and other community facilities.
That flexibility creates opportunities for councils to think beyond traditional infrastructure and consider how developer contributions can help deliver places that support healthier, more active and connected communities.
The question, therefore, is not simply “how much CIL funding is available?”, it is “what could that investment deliver for the community?”
For some councils, the answer could be new leisure and wellbeing facilities. For others, it could mean the transformation of an existing centre, new outdoor activity provision or facilities that form part of a wider regeneration programme. The key is ensuring that the investment is supported by a robust understanding of local need and a clear route to delivery.
Making the Case for Investment
For councils, community facilities can play a significant role in supporting wider objectives, from improving physical activity and population health to supporting regeneration, social connection and community cohesion.
Developer contributions, including CIL and Section 106 funding, can form part of the funding mix needed to deliver this infrastructure, particularly where new development is creating additional demand for local facilities.
However, a successful community development investment requires more than capital funding. Councils need to understand what their communities need, what is financially viable, how the facility will operate in the long term and how the investment can contribute to wider strategic priorities.
This is where early-stage insight and feasibility can make a significant difference. By researching local demographics, participation data, existing provision, future population growth and community priorities, our Insight and Engagement team at Alliance Leisure can help councils to develop a clearer picture of where investment could have the greatest impact.
Case Study Examples
Across the sector, CIL is already helping councils turn development contributions into tangible community assets.
One example is the Golden Lane Leisure Centre in the City of London, where more than £10 million of CIL funding has been committed to the refurbishment of the facility. The project demonstrates how developer contributions can be directed towards improving existing community infrastructure and creating a more modern facility that responds to the needs of residents, workers and other users.
For Alliance Leisure, this sits within a wider portfolio of projects demonstrating how different sources of capital investment can be brought together to deliver ambitious leisure and wellbeing infrastructure.
In Caerphilly, the new £38 million Leisure and Wellbeing Hub demonstrates how councils can combine Community Infrastructure Levy funding with other capital investment sources to unlock transformational projects. The development brings together CIL alongside external government funding and council investment to create a major community asset incorporating swimming, fitness, sport, active play, wellbeing and community spaces.
The project highlights how developer contributions do not need to work in isolation. When aligned with wider regeneration objectives and supplemented by other funding streams, CIL can play an important role in bringing forward ambitious infrastructure that might otherwise struggle to proceed.
The Opportunity for Councils with Unspent CIL
For councils with CIL balances that remain unallocated or unspent, there is an opportunity to take a fresh look at what those funds could achieve.
That doesn’t necessarily mean committing immediately to a major capital project.
It could start with a strategic review of:
- Where development is creating additional demand for community infrastructure
- Which existing facilities are reaching the end of their useful life
- Where there are gaps in leisure, sport and wellbeing provision
- How population growth will change future demand
- Which projects align with wider regeneration and place-making priorities
- Whether existing CIL, Section 106 contributions and other capital or external funding sources could be combined
- What operating model could make a proposed facility financially sustainable
This process can help councils move from “we have funding available” to “we have a clear investment opportunity.”
Turning Opportunity into Delivery
Having access to funding is only one part of the equation. The real challenge is ensuring investment delivers infrastructure that meets community need, supports local priorities and remains sustainable for the long term.
Achieving that requires a robust evidence base and careful planning from the outset. Key considerations include understanding who the facility will serve, assessing existing provision, identifying future demand and ensuring the proposal is both affordable and operationally sustainable.
By addressing these questions early, councils can create a stronger business case, align investment with wider strategic objectives and reduce the risks associated with capital delivery.
At Alliance Leisure, we work with local authorities to bridge the gap between funding availability and project delivery, combining insight, development expertise and practical delivery experience to help transform investment opportunities into successful community assets.
Community Infrastructure Levy funding offers a valuable opportunity to reinvest growth in the places where it is happening. Whether the ambition is a new leisure and wellbeing hub, improvements to an existing facility, enhanced outdoor provision or part of a wider regeneration programme, the starting point remains the same: understand local need, build a robust case for investment and establish a clear route to delivery.
To explore how available CIL and other sources of capital funding could support your community infrastructure ambitions, reach out to Tom (TFairey@AllianceLeisure.co.uk) for more information.