Reigate & Banstead Borough Council welcomes new bids for share of £500,000 funding to support vital facilities and services
Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is now welcoming new bids for a share of £500,000 funding to support vital facilities and services to benefit the borough and its communities.
The money comes from Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds, collected by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, which is a charge on developers of new developments to contribute towards the infrastructure and services needed to support them.
Councillor Kate Fairhurst, executive member for place, planning and regulatory services, said: “It's a huge amount of money and a really exciting opportunity for organisations and the community to get involved and put forward their applications for funding over the next month.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing a number of applications and ideas for community development in the borough.
“Interested parties can bid for CIL funding until applications close on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.”
The news follows last month’s annual review and update of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Strategic Infrastructure Programme (SIP) by the Council’s Executive on Thursday, June, 19 which saw the approval of multiple funding allocations, including for a new Scouting headquarters for 2nd Reigate Scouts, Earlswood.
A recommended allocation of £1.75 million, one of the largest CIL allocations made by the council to date, was approved to enable the Scouts to redevelop their headquarters, as well as providing improved facilities for other community groups using the site.
The council’s executive also agreed that a share of the £1.84 million CIL funding, previously earmarked for improving and modernising the Harlequin Theatre, be reallocated toward the cost of enabling the reopening the theatre.
An allocation of up to £1 million of CIL funding will contribute to the removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and all essential works to reopen the theatre at previous capacity.
Alongside this, the council allocated up to £850,000 in CIL funding towards the creation of an additional arts and culture venue in Unit 5 of The Rise, Redhill.
At the meeting, the executive also heard updates on the progress with the Three Arch Road junction improvement scheme, being led and funded by Surrey County Council, with a CIL funding contribution of over £1.8 million from Reigate & Banstead Borough Council.
This project at the key junction of the A23 Horley Road and Maple Road will reduce congestion and delays along the A23 and improve local access to East Surrey Hospital. It will also provide improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.
Councillor Fairhurst added: “The executive’s decision to allocate strategic CIL funding to these important projects cannot be overestimated.
“Both the decision to reallocate funds towards the reopening of the Harlequin Theatre, and a second arts and cultural venue, alongside our commitment towards progressing the Three Arch Road junction will have a significant impact for our communities and demonstrate that CIL funding is a real enabler for progress in the borough.
“The CIL fund supports a broad range of infrastructure projects, and we want to ensure funds collected from new developments are spent on priority infrastructure projects like this to support development and deliver positive change for our communities.”
To apply for funding, visit: reigate-banstead.gov.uk/CIL-SIP.
To read the full report and its annexes visit the council’s executive committee webpage.