With the application mostly falling in Kingston, there is a huge question mark over the distribution of Section 106 payments and whether the required mitigation of the development will be fairly distributed. None of the CIL money will be available to Merton or Sutton.

The Section 106 agreement: The S.106 is a legal contract between the lead local planning authority (Kingston) and the developer (Berkeley) to offset the impact of the scheme. It requires Berkeley to provide financial or material assistance, such as infrastructure improvements, to make the development acceptable in planning terms. Currently Berkeley’s obligation is about £7m.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a charge the local authority (Kingtson) imposes on Berkeley to fund local infrastructure such as schools, transport, health facilities, and green spaces within the ‘neighbourhood’. The neighbourhood in question will not be Worcester Park or West Barnes, as CIL is based on floor space built and spending within a borough, and all the new buildings are in Kingston. The money will more likely go to New Malden than the Station Estate!

We deserve full transparency on how this money is spent – including a local say.

For Section 106, you are well within your rights to comment on where you think payments should go.