CCC

We had tried every which way. The council said we had one options to avoid CIL which was we didn't proceed with the extra bedroom and then the CIL exemption would remain. However, if we tried to amend the design in any way shape or form in future we would have to pay the CIL charge as we had already started building the house and hadn't sent a commencement notice for the second. At no point did they even say this was an option to build and then submit a new application to convert the loft to a bedroom. But yet perhaps we should of tried it in hindsight! Thank you all for your comments and please do share to anyone you know affected by these ridiculous, unfair and disproportionate CIL charges.

Just to add our experience to the conversation—as self-builders, we should have been exempt from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). We were granted CIL exemption and submitted our commencement notice before starting any work, as required. However, we made a small revision to the original plans (adding an extra bedroom in the loft) and submitted this as a minor amendment to the existing planning application. Since we already had planning approval, we began digging the footings. To our surprise, we then received a CIL demand that was payable immediately. Unbeknown to us, the Council had treated the minor amendment as a new planning application. This meant we were required to submit a second commencement notice, even though it was clearly related to the original, CIL-exempt approval. The Council sent someone to the site to take photos proving work had started, and we were forced to borrow funds to pay the CIL charge in full. We know we are not alone—many self-builders, and even homeowners extending their properties or building annexes, have been caught out by this simple paperwork oversight mainly between 2010 to 2020. In some cases, people have received CIL bills totaling over £100,000—all because they didn’t submit a commencement notice, often through no fault of their own. What’s most frustrating is that some Councils provided no warning or guidance on how serious the financial implications can be. If we’d known we needed to submit a second commencement notice for the amended plans, we would have done so. That one form would have saved us a huge financial burden. When we tried to discuss the issue with the Council, we were met with a closed door and told simply, “It’s part of planning legislation.” We’re now taking this issue to Parliament in the hope of changing the system and helping others in similar situations—people who should have qualified for CIL exemption, but lost it due to minor admin errors or a lack of clear guidance.

Hello, This message is aimed at self builders who have fallen foul of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). I'm part of a growing group of homeowners and self-builders across the UK who have been unfairly hit with Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charges—often due to small administrative mistakes. Our story is just one of many. We were undertaking a self-build project and should have been eligible for a CIL exemption. However, our nightmare began when our planning agent forgot to tick the CIL exemption box on the application. Thankfully, we managed to get the exemption granted. But then, after submitting a minor amendment to our already-exempt planning permission, we didn’t realise we had to send in a second CIL commencement notice. As a result, and despite having no actual change in the nature of the build, we lost the exemption and were forced to pay the full CIL charge. All because of a single piece of paper. We know we’re not alone in this. Many others have lost their rightful exemption due to issues like: Not submitting a CIL commencement notice Not ticking the correct exemption box Minor amendments triggering reapplication without full awareness One council has conducted a review and refunded for such mistakes. We are trying to understand just how widespread this problem is. If you or someone you know has been affected in a similar way, please reach out—either through this forum or by joining the Fight CIL Justice group on Facebook (Fight CIL Injustice | Facebook). Some people have been hit with demands for tens and hundreds of thousands when they should of been exempt. We are hoping to bring awareness and push for fairer treatment for self-builders and homeowners who are being financially penalised for honest, simple mistakes but also a review and refund of these cases.