Wiltshire Council is to consider plans to allocate £8.75 million of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding on projects to expand a school and safeguard wildlife habitats.

The Council's Cabinet will discuss the proposals at a meeting on Monday, 27 September.

The CIL is a charge that most developers must pay when building new homes. It is used to help deliver the infrastructure needed to support population growth. In Wiltshire, around £7.6m of CIL funding has been passed to town and parish councils for them to decide how it is spent on local infrastructure projects to improve facilities in their communities.

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The Cabinet will consider whether to release £8.75m of CIL funding for two education and environmental projects, including the expansion of Abbeyfield School in Chippenham to ensure sufficient places are available to meet the growing number of pupils attending the school.

It will also decide whether to award CIL funding totalling up to £2.32m on environmental infrastructure projects to protect habitats and manage the impact of new developments.

Cllr Nick Botterill, Cabinet Member for Planning, said: "The Community Infrastructure Levy is an effective tool to generate funding from developers and allow for investment in our communities when they build new homes.

"We're asking Cabinet to approve spending some of the CIL fund on expanding Abbeyfield School in Chippenham, and on protecting important wildlife habitats in the north and south of the county.

"If approved, the funding will pay for the first phase of expansion at Abbeyfield School, with an extra 150 places created for pupils. Work would be expected to start in the summer of 2023, with completion expected by summer 2024."