Introduction

The 2025/26 Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) bidding cycle is open for bids from 1 September 2025 until 30 November 2025.

The guidance within this prospectus aims to provide assistance to those completing a Strategic CIL Bid Application Form. (The application form is included within this prospectus.) We strongly advise that potential bidders read the guidance prior to completing an application form. If submitting a bid, all questions on the form should be answered in full.

All your personal information will be held and used in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). For details of how we gather, define, and use your information please see our Privacy Notice.

If you are interested in preparing a bid, but unsure about any aspect, you are encouraged to contact the CIL Team via cilbids@maidstone.gov.uk.

Completed application forms should be submitted alongside all supporting evidence to cilbids@maidstone.gov.uk by the deadline of 30 November 2025.

Bid process

Who can apply?

Any infrastructure delivery person, body or organisation may bid for Strategic CIL funds to help deliver eligible infrastructure projects in the borough.

The following timetable will apply for the 2025 Strategic CIL bidding cycle:

What needs to be submitted?

You will need to submit:

• a completed Strategic CIL Bid application form
• all other evidence and supporting documentation

Bids should be submitted by email to cilbids@maidstone.gov.uk.

The final decision on which projects will receive Strategic CIL funds is made by our Cabinet in May/June 2026. Applicants will be informed of this decision in writing, following the committee meeting.

Bid assessment

The Council has approved the CIL governance arrangements for the allocation of Strategic CIL receipts to enable the delivery of specific infrastructure projects that will support development in the borough.

The assessment will include the use of scoring criteria for evaluating bids for infrastructure. The ‘Strategic CIL Bid Scoring Criteria’ which will be used for assessing bids is included in Appendix B.

We advise applicants to carefully consider the scoring criteria and Maidstone’s Infrastructure Delivery Plan published January 2025 when preparing a bid, as we will use it to help determine how well the proposed infrastructure project delivers benefits to residents and businesses within Maidstone. We will only assess a bid using the information provided; any supporting evidence or additional information should accompany the submission of a bid.

The scoring of valid bids will be presented to the CIL Steering Group, who will meet to discuss and consider the merits of each valid bid. In addition to the scoring, the CIL Steering Group will discuss, and consider, each bid against the available Strategic CIL, as well as the potential strategic impact of each project. External expert advice may be sought to moderate if some applications are complex. Following this, the CIL Steering Group will make recommendations to the Cabinet Committee on the allocation of Strategic CIL funding.

The Cabinet committee will then consider the recommendations of the CIL Steering Group and have the final approval of successful bids.
It should be noted that the CIL Bidding Process is competitive and not all applications will receive funding. It is also not necessary for the CIL Steering Group and Cabinet committee to allocate all CIL funds available in each bidding round. If schemes are not deemed high priority in accordance with the IDP highest priority projects, the CIL may not be allocated and could be reserved for the next CIL bidding cycle. There is no right of appeal against decisions on the allocation of Strategic CIL funding.

The CIL Steering Group has been established by us to make recommendations to Cabinet on the allocation and expenditure of Strategic CIL. The CIL Steering Group membership comprises of Director of Regeneration and Place (Chair), Head of Planning, Head of Finance (delegate), Head of Legal (delegate), Principal Planning Officer (Strategic Planning), and CIL Team Leader.

You are advised to carefully consider the Strategic CIL Bid Scoring Criteria when preparing your bid. Other aspects to consider when compiling a bid include:

• Ensuring the application form is fully complete, keep wording for the answers to a minimum and all relevant supporting evidence is included with the bid. We will only assess a bid using the information provided; any supporting evidence or additional information should be included within the submission.
• Ensuring that your proposed project meets the definition of infrastructure, as defined by the Planning Act 2008. Bids failing to meet this requirement will be assessed as invalid.
• If landowner consent is required to deliver the project, gaining, and evidencing this within the bid submission.
• Ensuring that you include evidence of existing demand on infrastructure and how your project will address this existing demand.  Where the project intends to remedy pre-existing deficiencies, you must evidence how those deficiencies will be made more severe by new development.
• Demonstrate how the scheme aligns with Maidstone’s corporate priorities and helps to deliver the corporate outcomes as set out in the Maidstone Strategic Plan 2019-2045. The stronger the alignment, the higher the prioritisation.
• Make clear how much CIL funding is required for the project. Applications left blank or unknown will not be prioritised.
• Make clear where the allocation of strategic CIL funds may unlock alternative funding sources.
• Carefully considering the timing of your project. Projects identified in the IDP as ‘critical’ and to be delivered in the ‘short term’ will be prioritised. Within your application you must include a detailed timeline of the project. Applications that do not have a start date will not be prioritised. We understand that delays can occur, however, extended delays will call into question the deliverability of the project.
• If your project is large, consider breaking it down into phases. Funding may be easier to secure in smaller more manageable parts. Large-scale projects will be more successful if there are strong communication links between all involved parties and where match funding is successfully utilised.
• We would strongly advise that you provide a detailed cost estimate for the proposed infrastructure, provided by a suitably experienced Quantity Surveying and Project Management company, inclusive of any anticipated cost inflation and an appropriate contingency sum too.
• Make clear the potential risks involved in your project and set out proposed mitigation measures to minimise the identified risks to delivery.
• If your project needs planning permission or requires other approvals, where appropriate start progressing these before you apply for funding or build in securing these approvals into your project timeline.

Yes. There is no limit to the number of projects an organisation can submit.

Monitoring

We are required to prepare a report (Infrastructure Funding Statement) outlining how much CIL has been collected, how much CIL has been spent, and on what items, during the financial year. This report must be published by 31 December following the end of the financial year.

Details of the progress, completion, evidence, and community benefit of successful projects would be required and should be sent to us upon request in accordance with the grant agreement.

All your personal information will be held and used in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). For details of how we gather, define, and use your information please see our privacy notice.

If a bid successfully secures Strategic CIL funding, you will need to agree to publicise the support of Maidstone Borough Council. We reserve the right to use images of the project resulting from the award of the CIL funding as part of any publicity material.