Local organisations have still got time to submit an application for the next round of Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding for the Bath City area.

To be eligible for funding, projects need to demonstrate that they support the development of the local area.

The current round of CIL funding is open for applicants until June 24, 2022 and the board is keen to see more applications for projects under £5,000 which can be submitted using the express application form.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a planning charge, introduced by the Planning Act 2008 as a tool for local authorities in England and Wales to help deliver infrastructure to support the development of their area.

From the overall Community Infrastructure Levy that is allocated, Bath receives 15% of the receipts which are allocated to The Neighbourhood Portion of CIL for the Bath City area.

Councillor Kevin Guy, council leader, said: "We want to encourage community groups to consider applying for funding. It doesn't have to be a massive project, the smaller projects are just as important as the larger schemes and the application process is very straightforward. So far, the Bath Advisory Panel has awarded over £1.27m towards 40 projects and it's always very gratifying to see some of these long-planned projects come to fruition."

A handful of community projects that received Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding have recently been completed after delays due to the pandemic.

Construction on Bath City Farm's café finally began in September last year after various hold ups and residents and trustees celebrated the opening earlier this month. In July 2019 the project was awarded £125,000 CIL funding towards the new building, which will allow the charity to deliver on new projects providing social cohesion to the local and wider areas of Bath.

The cafe will be run as a community business with all the profits from the café reinvested in the farm.

Brendan Tate Wistreich, Bath City Farm director, said: "Without the support of CIL funding the cafe project never would have got off the ground. It came at a critical time for the farm and helped us realise our dream of a community cafe on the site."

Other local projects which have been completed include Bath City Football Club, which was awarded £9,950 to make drainage improvements to the football pitch.

The Bear Flat Residents Group used a grant of £5,000 to repair the Grade II listed Queen Victoria Drinking Fountain and make improvements to the Gore Green Space, a triangular strip of land between Wellsway and Bloomfield Road.

Moorlands Sandpits Park used their £37,500 funding towards the cost of new play equipment and a football play area.

Details of CIL and links to the application forms can be found on the council website. Completed forms need to be returned by June 24, 2022.

All applications will be published on the council's consultation website and residents will be asked to help decide which neighbourhood projects should receive CIL funding.

You can find details of the locations and state of progress of successful applications on our Community Funding Projects Map