The fee increase will be:
• 35% for major applications and 25% for all other applications; and
• Fees will automatically rise each April after that, in line with inflation. Any annual fee increase will be capped at 10% and it will include an indexation mechanism to allow for annual inflation related adjustments in the future.
The new regulations will also remove the ‘free-go’ for repeat applications e.g. applications which are withdrawn or refused. The government considers that ‘Amendments and improvements to schemes are best undertaken at the pre-application stage to ensure that high quality schemes are submitted first time round’.
Additionally, the Planning Guarantee, which gives applicants the right to a refund of fees if their submission is not determined within 26 weeks, will be reduced from 26 weeks to 16 weeks for non-major applications. No date has been set for when this will come into effect.
These measures are aimed to help provide the much-needed additional resourcing and financial sustainability for local planning authorities, although it will not be ring fenced for spending within the local authority planning department. The government however expect local planning authorities to protect at least the income from the planning fee increase for direct investment in planning services.
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The councils will therefore be able to spend the fee increase where they would like and it may not be invested back into planning departments where it is drastically needed, which is the practical effect of not ringfencing the additional income. One can only hope for better times to come.
If you would like advice, please do contact us and we can help you navigate through the process.
Get in touch with us now .https://www.bell-cornwell.co.uk/contact/
