Following recent Parliament debates and the public consultation earlier this year, planning fees in England will be updated and increased from 6 December 2023.
With considerable pressure on local planning authorities, which are heavily under-resourced, this action is being taken to alleviate the strain and help boost the planning system as a whole.
What are the changes?
From the above date, the following changes will come into force:
- Planning fees will increase by 35% for major applications
- Planning fees will increase by 25% for all other (non-major) applications
- Introduction of an annual indexation of planning application fees, capped at 10%, from 1 April 2025
- Removal of fee exemption for repeat applications (the ‘free-go’). An applicant will still be able to benefit from a free-go if their application was withdrawn or refused in the preceding 12 months, subject to all other conditions for the free-go being met
- The Planning Guarantee for non-major planning applications will be reduced from 26 to 16 weeks
Jon Westerman, Director at Edgars, commented: “The increase in planning fees is welcomed, given that the key driver is to ensure that local planning authorities are appropriately resourced to effectively engage in the development management function and deliver the quality of development that we can all be proud of.”
For more information on the upcoming changes, see the Town and Country Planning Regulations 2023.
Get in touch for expert advice on planning and how the changes might impact your applications.