The following is extracted from the Braintree District Council planning website: ‘The Community Infrastructure Levy is a new levy, brought into force in 2010, which local authorities in England and Wales can choose to charge on new developments in their area.

The money can be used to fund a wide range of infrastructure that is needed as a result of development, including transport schemes, schools, and green spaces.

Charging authorities must produce a document called a charging schedule which, supported by evidence such as the economic viability of new development and the area’s infrastructure needs, sets out the rate for their levy.

CIL will be levied in pounds per square metre of floorspace arising from any chargeable development. Braintree District Council will be considering the Community Infrastructure Levy in the latter part of 2017.’

Over the past months and years there have been many letters to this newspaper and others expressing concerns about the scale of development taking place within our towns and villages.

So am I wrong in wondering why this levy has not been introduced by the council?

It also occurs to me that most of the larger developments may have already been approved before the council even considered the introduction of this levy.

The levy was designed to provide the funds for the hospitals, surgeries, police, ambulance and fire service that growing populations need.

Concerns regarding these mat- ters are also regularly expressed in these pages so why are we being let down by our planning authority?

By Steve Nichols of Braintree Road, Gosfield