23/01/2025
On 13th January 2025, a draft statutory instrument was laid before Parliament which, if approved, will see an increase in some planning application fees in England and Wales from 1st April 2025. In many cases this will rise by 100% or more.
Perhaps the most significant change to proposed fees is the introduction of a new three-tier structure for section 73 applications (minor material amendments). Until now, a flat fee (currently £293) has been applied to all Section 73 applications, irrespective of the size of development or the scale of amendments being made. Under the new fee structure, fees for section 73 applications will be:
Section 73
– £86 for householder applications;
– £586 for non-major development; and
– £2,000 for major development.
Other fee increases include:
Householder Applications
– Applications for alterations/extensions to an existing single dwellinghouse to increase from £258 to £528;
– Applications for alterations/extensions of two or more dwellinghouses to increase from £509 to £1,043.
(No change proposed for householder developments related to small-scale operations within the boundary of an existing dwellinghouse- remaining at £258).
Prior Approvals
– The flat fee for prior approval applications that don’t involve building operations is increasing from £120 to £240;
– The flat fee for prior approval applications that involve building operations is increasing from £258 to £516;
– The fee for prior approvals relating to the change of use of Class E to dwellinghouses (Class C3) (under Class MA of the GPDO) is increased from £125 per dwellinghouse to £250 per dwellinghouse;
(No change for prior approvals related to the construction of new dwellinghouses – these remain at £418 per dwelling).
Discharge of Conditions
The following fee increases for applications for approval of details reserved by condition are proposed:
– from £43 to £86 for householder applications and
– from £145 to £298 for other development.
In addition, the fee for submission of a Biodiversity Gain Plan is increasing from £145 to £298.
Other:
– Raising of base payment for applications over 50no. dwellings from £30,860 to £31,385
– Raising of base payment for agricultural development over 1,000 sqm (but below 4,215sqm) from £624 to £5,077.
The increased rates will be fixed for a year until 1 April 2026.
It is noted that the above fees do not include the Planning Portal administration fee, which is currently £70 per application. The Planning Portal has not yet commented as to whether this figure will increase.
Clearly there is an incentive to submit planning applications before the fee increases occur, so do not hesitate to get in touch to see how we can assist.
