The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Joint Committee, composed of representatives from Cheltenham Borough Council, Gloucester City Council, and Tewkesbury Borough Council, is scheduled to meet to discuss the allocation of CIL funds, with a focus on the M5 Junction 10 scheme. A key item for discussion is a re-evaluation of the CIL bid for the M5 Junction 10 transport improvement scheme and a reconsideration of the CIL allocation approach. The meeting will be held at the Tewkesbury Borough Council Offices.

M5 Junction 10 Funding

The committee will be asked to consider a report regarding the re-evaluation of the CIL bid for the M5 Junction 10 scheme. Gloucestershire County Council has reported a £110 million funding gap for the scheme, and is looking for further funds from CIL to help bridge that gap.

The report notes that the M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme is considered a critical infrastructure investment for Gloucestershire, which will enable growth across the region. It is expected to unlock the building of 15,000 homes and create 12,000 jobs, as well as supporting the £1 billion Golden Valley development and National Cyber Innovation Centre. The scheme is identified as part of the transport strategy of the Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Joint Core Strategy (JCS).

The report states that the CIL charging authorities recognise that the scheme is a catalyst for transformational growth and opportunity for each of the CIL Charging Authority's areas and the wider region, driving future investment and prosperity. It is fundamental to enhanced accessibility, connectivity and unlocking strategic sites in the approved Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Joint Core Strategy and its wider growth, including the Elms Park development and the wider West Cheltenham and Golden Valley development including its ambitious National Innovation Centre and is aligned with core government policy objectives.

The committee will consider officer recommendations to allocate the unallocated £4,448,369.66 held within the current 75% portion of the Infrastructure Fund to Gloucestershire County Council to support the delivery of M5 Junction 10 scheme. They will also consider ringfencing future CIL income from the 75% portion of the Infrastructure Fund for allocation to Gloucestershire County Council to support the delivery of M5 Junction 10 scheme up to a maximum of £20m (including the £4,448,369.66). The report recommends that regular monitoring will be reported to the CIL Joint Committee and should the 75% portion of the Infrastructure Fund not reach the anticipated levels within the report, further consideration will be given as regards the portion of Infrastructure Fund currently ringfenced for allocation to local strategic infrastructure projects.

The report also presents alternative options for the committee to consider, including:

• Allocating the currently unallocated 25% of the Infrastructure Fund to the M5 Junction 10 scheme, while retaining future 25% allocations for local strategic infrastructure projects.
• Adjusting the 75%/25% split to allocate a higher percentage to strategic project schemes, such as the M5 Junction 10 scheme, while retaining a reduced proportion for local strategic infrastructure projects.
• Removing the 75%/25% split to allocate 100% of the Infrastructure Fund to strategic project schemes like the M5 Junction 10 scheme.

Minutes

The committee will be asked to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2025. At that meeting, with Councillor Richard Stanley (Leader of the Council / Lead Member for Economic Development) as chair and Councillor Rowena Hay as vice-chair, the committee discussed and agreed to allocate funds to several local strategic infrastructure projects:

• £534,251 was allocated to Blackbridge Community Sports Hub
• £150,000 was allocated to the Combined Waste and Recycling Depot for Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Borough Councils (feasibility)
• £120,000 was allocated to the Replacement Legion Footbridge Project (feasibility)

During the discussion of the Blackbridge Community Sports Hub project, a member raised concerns about the project taking 100% of Gloucester City Council's local strategic fund receipts and then potentially taking a shortfall from Tewkesbury Borough Council's local strategic fund receipts without robust evidence. The Strategic Infrastructure Planning Manager said that there was no alternative data available as phase one had only been completed in April 2025. She assured members that it had been robustly investigated but, unfortunately, the data was not there currently which was why the report referenced the principle of Gloucester City Council's Playing Pitch Strategy 2015-2025.