How much does it cost to submit a planning application?
There is normally a fee for submitting a planning application. The fee schedule can be viewed on your planning authority's website or on the Planning Portal (A Guide to the Fees for Planning Applications in England).
If you are unsure what the fee is, contact your Local Planning Authority (LPA) before making your application, as an application will not be processed without the correct fee.
If you submit a valid application and then withdraw it before it has been determined, the fee will not be refunded. If, however, an application is still not determined after 6 months you are entitled to a refund.
If the LPA fails to determine your application within the required time frame (8 weeks for minor applications, 13 weeks for major applications and 16 weeks for those involving an Environmental Impact Assessment), you can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against “non-determination” in the same way as you can appeal a refusal of permission. Further information on the appeals process can be accessed here. It is advisable to speak to the LPA prior to lodging a ‘non-determination’ appeal, as it may be possible to overcome the reasons for the delay sooner than it would take for an appeal to be determined.
When an application has been granted, refused or withdrawn, one further application by the same applicant for the same type of development on the same site can generally be made free of charge within 12 months.
For some applications, for example, listed building consents and planning permission for relevant demolition in a conservation area, no fee is required.
Additional costs to consider
Don’t forget there are usually additional costs associated with obtaining planning permission. All applications should include drawings in order to show clearly to the planning officers, neighbouring residents, the general public and other consultees the nature of the proposed development. At the very least this will include a site location plan showing where the development site is.
Depending on the site / complexity of the proposed development there may be a requirement to provide technical reports. These can include an ecological survey, a flood-risk assessment, an environmental assessment or a transport assessment, to name but a few.
If planning permission is granted subject to conditions requiring subsequent approvals, also known as “discharge of conditions”, such as the external finishes to be used or a landscaping scheme, a fee is payable for that subsequent approval. Fee details can be found here. However, the fee is applicable to each discharge of condition application, i.e. you can include multiple conditions for discharge on one application, but you will be charged further fees if you make subsequent applications. .
There are also separate fees and forms if your proposal requires Buildings Regulations approval as well as planning permission. Most construction work requires Building Regulations approval.