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Planning application fees to increase on 6th December 2023

Wed 22 Nov 2023

The government has announced the latest changes to planning legislation, which will come into effect on 6 December 2023. The main changes to note are as follows:

  • Increased planning application fees: Application fees will increase by 25% across the board, with a 35% increase for major schemes.
  • Removal of free resubmissions: The provision for a 'free go' on application resubmissions will be removed. Individual applications that were already eligible for a free resubmission prior to the change (i.e., before 6th December 2023) will remain so.
  • Annual increases linked to inflation: Application fees will increase annually in line with inflation (capped at 10%) from April 2025 onwards.
  • Shortened planning guarantee for non-major applications: Non-major applications (including householder developments) will be eligible to receive a refund after 16 weeks, shortened from the 26-week period that remains 'as is' in all other cases.

The government states that these changes are necessary to ensure that the planning system is sustainable and can continue to deliver the homes and infrastructure that the country needs.

What does this mean for you?

If you are planning to submit a planning application that have not been submitted prior to the change (i.e., close of business on Tuesday 5th December 2023), you will need to pay the new fees. You should also be aware that the planning guarantee for non-major applications has been shortened.

If you have any applications in draft or unpaid then seek advice from us immediately as the Planning Portal will have a scheduled outage at the close of business on the last working day that the current fees are in place (5th December 2023). They will then apply the changes and make the system available again, so that any submissions after that point will be calculated with the new fee values. 

Contact our planning and development consultant Lauren Chamberlin on 01507 350511 or email lauren@masonsandpartners.co.uk if you have any questions about the latest changes to planning legislation. We are here to help you.