Fees for planning applications in England will increase by 25% across the board, which will rise to 35% for major schemes based on the legislative interpretation of ‘major development’.
The provision for a ‘free go’ on application resubmissions in England will also be removed. However, individual applications already eligible for a free resubmission before the change (i.e. before December 6 2023) will remain so. This will see the number of such exemptions fade out over the 12 months after the amendments have taken effect.
A fee for the required prior approval application is being introduced as part of the permitted development rights for ‘development by the Crown on a closed defence site’.
The amendment introduces an annual rise in application fees linked to inflation (and capped at 10%) every April from 2025 onwards.
It also tightens the planning guarantee so that undetermined non-major applications (including householder developments) will be eligible to receive a refund after 16 weeks, shortened from the 26-week period, which remains ‘as is’ in all other cases.
What will the new fees be?
This can be used alongside the existing schedule to see how the fees will increase for any given application and how their calculation may vary (e.g., based on the split between major and all other developments).
What this means for applicants and their agents
As per the details above, applications not submitted before the change (i.e., the close of business, 1700 on Tuesday, December 5, 2023) will be subject to increased fees.
This will include any applications in draft or have not completed their payment (including nominated payments or where bank transfers or cheques have not yet been processed).
For many years now, the planning service at Local Planning Authorities has been subsidised by local council tax payers like you and me. Yes, your taxation has helped keep planning fees at unsustainably low levels, financially supporting developers large and small.
This increase is designed to support investment in the local planning service and will be most welcome.
Just as importantly, the new legislation introduces an automatic, annual increase. This will increase planning fees annually, on 1 April each year, starting on 1 April 2025. All planning fees will be increased by the rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index from the preceding September. The increase will be capped at 10%, even if the inflation rate is higher. The fees will not be changed if there is negative inflation (deflation). We will publish the schedule of new fees in advance of April each year, from April 2025.
Hurrah!
About time this covert development subsidy was ended, developers can even perversely ask for a complex free screening opinion from a local authority in order to avoid the cost and inconvenience of producing an Environmental Impact Assessment, which could awaken and inform the local community of the development’s impact. A local example is the Coxbridge farm development in Farnham where 320 homes were not considered a significant environmental impact upon Farnham.