New Winchester Town Improvement Fund launched
Winchester Town Forum – the consultative and advisory body on issues affecting the five Winchester town district wards – has set up a Town Improvement Fund (TIF) to support community-led improvement of the environment and infrastructure in the town area.
The Town Forum is drawing up a long-list of potential projects to fund and is inviting project proposals from community organisations and local groups in the Winchester Town area.
The TIF is funded by the neighbourhood portion of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) raised from developments in the Town area. By creating this improvement fund, the Town Forum wishes to ensure that this portion of the CIL is used most effectively for community benefit.
Announcing the new fund Town Forum Chair, Cllr Anne Weir, said:
This is an exciting opportunity for our communities to shape improvements in their area to meet the needs of local people. I hope community organisations and local groups will get involved and work with their councillors to bring forward strong project proposals for funding.
The Fund is aimed at one-off capital projects which address individual neighbourhood or multi-neighbourhood issues in Winchester Town. Priority will be given to proposals that support the aims of the Vision for Winchester Town, local community plans, and any other strategies relevant to the Town area.
It is envisaged that proposals will generally have an estimated cost to the Fund of between £1,000 and £50,000. There may be higher value projects where CIL funding is considered appropriate but, in such cases, it is likely that the Town Forum’s contribution to the total would be no more than £50,000.
Groups who are considering a scheme for funding are recommended to discuss their idea with relevant ward councillors before submitting a proposal. Detailed information on how to submit a proposal to the Town Improvement Fund can be found on the City Council web site www.winchester.gov.uk/planning/CIL. Proposals can be submitted between February and September each year.