Following a recent post about planning delays and a struggling system that cited the lack of funding as the fundamental reason, the government have voted through an increase in planning fees, live from 6th December 2023.
- Planning fees are increasing by 25% across the board and 35% for major applications.
- The ‘free go’ within a year for a revised scheme will be phased out over the next 12 months, including for householder applications. This will mean that any changes to a scheme, that in some cases can amount to a new application will attract a fee. This will help with council funding as sometimes these ‘free go’s can take as much time as the original application. Additional care will be necessary in getting it right first time! Most application amendments tend to be due to cost savings following pricing, so it may call for more careful cost planning upfront on larger schemes where planning fees are high.
- Planning fees will continue to rise annually linked to inflation (capped at 10%) from April 2025
- Householder and non-major applications (like housing schemes of 10 or less and or massive sites) will now be eligible for a full planning fee refund after 16 weeks of non-determination, rather than the current 26.
Above is a paraphrased summary – You can read a bit more in depth here: Planning Portal