The government have today launched a consultation on to seek views on proposals to increase planning fees and to improve the performance of local planning authorities. In brief the proposals comprise:
- increase planning fees by 35% for major applications and 25% for all other applications
- additional fees for bespoke or ‘fast track’ services
- make an annual inflation-related adjustment to planning fees
- ring-fence additional fees income
- double fees for retrospective applications
- remove the ‘free-go’ for repeat applications
- introduce a prior approval fee for the permitted development right allowing the Crown to develop sites within the perimeter of a closed defence site
- build planning capacity and capability within local authorities, including challenges in recruitment and retention, and how these can be addressed
- reduce the Planning Guarantee from 26 weeks to 16 weeks for non-major applications
- improve the quality of the local authority planning service by monitoring more performance measures.
It is well know that LPA planning departments are currently under-resourced and some of these proposals may present an opportunity to address this issue, helping to clear the current application backlog at many Councils.
You can respond to the consultation at https://consult.levellingup.gov.uk/planning/fees-and-performance/
