New Planning Fees and What has Changed!

Planning fees changed significantly for the first time in several years on 1 April 2025, and this is set to continue as fees are reviewed annually going forward. How will these changes affect you?

There currently exists an estimated £362 million blackhole for LPA Development Management Services and so it is hoped that the increase in planning fees will be used effectively for greater staff training, increased numbers of Specialist Officers and more Planning Officers, Chartered Members of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) with the professionalism to approach and understand the information before them.

The increase in Officers is paramount to removing the backlog, which started even before covid, when the requirements of planning started to change and the applications became ever more detailed.

What Changed

The government approved the change of the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2025.

This move towards higher fees will inject much-needed funding into local planning authorities, enabling them to improve the service delivery and reduce processing times. The key points to note here are:

Fees Increased – across application and they will also rise annually with inflation from 1 April 2025
Focus on Performance – the government has linked the fee increase to improvements in planning performance, with a focus on faster decision-making.
Potential for Enhanced Services – the additional revenue is hoped to lead to better resourcing for planning departments to enable upskilling/more officers to reduce waiting times.

The Effect on Homeowners

In the past and until this year, homeowners could make applications for as little as £258 for an extension. This has now increased dramatically, in some instances by over 100%.

Key changes are:

Extensions/alterations to a single dwelling is now £528
Boundary alterations is now £262

With a higher fee outlay, ensuring applications are complete and accurate from the outset becomes even more crucial to avoid delays and potential re-submission costs. Councils are now charging invalidation charges as well.

The Effect on Developers

The fee increase will undoubtedly affect the bottom line. With 2 houses or more costing £1043 per dwelling, developers will be getting the calculator out.

Such additional fees will add to the overall development costs, potentially affecting project viability.

However, there may be a silver lining to all of this. If the increased fees translate to faster decision times, this could offset the significant costs that are currently being caused by long delays.

Looking Forward

The Local Planning Authorities under the new provisions are required to present quarterly planning statistics. The increase in fees is not for profit but to enhance the service. The incentive for all Local Planning Authorities is to re-invest.

With greater investment in planning application – it is now a pre-requisite to employ Chartered Architects and Planners to ensure:

Accurate application compliance, with validation checklists
That Homeowners and Developers receive professional advice at the outset of a project

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available. If you have any questions or require assistance with your own planning application, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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New Planning Fees and What has Changed!