PROPOSED PLANNING APPLICATION FEES INCREASE

[This article is now out-of-date – please see our latest article on application fees HERE]

APPLICATION FEES PROPOSED TO RISE BY UP TO 35%

GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION RUNS TO 25 APRIL 2023 – COSTS TO RISE IN SUMMER

The government are currently consulting on a proposed planning application fees increase, expected to come into effect in Summer 2023. 

Ministers are keen to improve the performance and delivery of local planning authorities in their planning functions and would potentially be looking to ring-fence any increased revenues for use by local planning departments. 

The proposed uplift in costs is proposed to be in the region of 35% for major applications and 25% for all other applications with annual increases thereafter in line with inflation.   

Applications for householders would increase by £52 from £206 to £258 as an example.    

The consultation seeks views on the use of a range of new performance indicators which include:

• Average time taken to validate planning applications
• Number of extension of time agreements issued
• Average time taken to respond to enforcement complaints
• Number of open enforcement cases over six months
• Ratio of delegated to committee decisions
• Percentage of committee decisions where members refuse planning permission against the advice of planning officers that are subsequently allowed at appeal

Future funding for a council could be related to performance using the above metrics as well as other wider ranging customer performance measures. 

The consultation runs until 25^th April 2023.