Rob Shipway has been appointed to act as client project manager for a £34k commission to undertake a ‘first cut’ viability assessment to test out potential CIL charging rates for 9 of the 10 Hertfordshire CIL charging authorities. The promotion of joint working is enabling these authorities to work together on one of the key technical aspects of CIL, promoting capacity building through shared experiences as well as securing substantial cost savings, and setting up the potential for joint work on other aspects of CIL including governance arrangements.

Rob Shipway acted as client project manager for this £460k study into Hertfordshire’s future infrastructure needs to 2031. The study involved a detailed analysis of the county’s infrastructure deficit and future growth related requirements, identifying nearly £4.6bn of investment in transport, education, health and other needs. The HIIS study looked at the means of funding such works and has provided evidence to underpin LDF work on infrastructure panning as well as the basis for future CIL Charging Schedules.

Following the completion of the HIIS study Rob has continued to provide advice to the Hertfordshire authorities on infrastructure planning and delivery, including ways of putting the conclusions from HIIS into practice. Key elements of this work have included potential partnership models for delivering new infrastructure - work on which is continuing – as well as the potential offered by CIL and the implications of the scaling back of the planning obligations regime. Rob is also currently exploring the structure of the potential future relationship between the Hertfordshire authorities and the newly established Local Enterprise Partnership for the county, with particular emphasis on the role of the latter in land use and infrastructure matters relating to strategic investment.