20% increase for planning fees

From 17 January

A letter from the Department for Communities and Local Government’s chief planner reveals that a 20 per cent increase in planning fees will come into effect on 17 January.

The House of Lords approved the regulations that introduce the fee increase as well as other changes to the fees regime in December.

According to the letter from Steve Quartermain CBE, the regulations – No. 1314 – will also introduce a new fee of £402 per 0.1 hectare for permission in principle application; the ability for local authorities to charge for applications for planning permission following the removal of permitted development rights through Article 4 directions or by condition; and for mayoral and urban development corporations to charge for providing a pre-application service.

In addition, the regulations introduce a fee of £96 for prior approval applications to permitted development rights that were introduced in April 2015 and April 2017.

These include the rights for the installation of solar PV equipment on non-domestic buildings, the erection of click-and-collect facilities within the land area of a shop and the provision of temporary school buildings on vacant commercial land for state-funded schools.

The government has also published regulations – No.1309 – that enable applications for permission in principle to be made for minor housing-led development. These will come into force on 1 June, with planning guidance aimed at supporting authorities to be published 'in due course'.

Quartermain’s update can be found on the UK Government website (pdf)

Courtesy of the Planning Portal