In July the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced plans to increase planning fees for all applications. It was set to increase in April 2024 and then each subsequent April from thereon.
However, it now looks as though the Government plans to fast-track this increase in fees with speculation being that this could happen by the end of the year. However it is worth noting that the plans are subject to Parliamentary approval, so may yet be delayed.
With major applications set to increase by 35% and all other applications by 25%, this will mean a significant increase in fees for developers and applicants meaning consideration must be paid to budgets and appraisals.
The Government has stated that the reason for the increase in fees is to bring the cost of determining applications to the developer and relieve the burden on the taxpayer.
Draft regulations to raise the fees were laid in Parliament before the summer recess, and stated that they would "come into force 28 days after the day on which they are made". The regulations must be approved by MPs and the House of Lords before they can come into effect. The LGA is urging the government to make parliamentary time available for approval.
But we would advise anyone who is looking to submit a planning application soon to expedite the process where possible and potentially miss out on a substantial increase to the planning fee you might have to pay.
Feel free to get in touch with any of our planning team to discuss this on 0333 920 2220.
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