Increased Planning Fees from December 2023

We have previously reported that proposals to introduce a national planning fee increase of 35% for major applications and 25% for all other applications, along with other proposals including the removal of the so-called "free-go" for repeat applications, had been laid in Parliament before the Summer recess. We can now advise that the proposed changes to the Planning Fees Regulations have now been “made” and will now come into force on Wednesday 6th December 2023.

Something to look out for is that given the 35% increase for major applications, for example, if you propose a development of 9 new dwellings the fees would be £578 per dwelling, but if you propose 10 or more dwellings (i.e. major development) the fees would be £624 per dwelling.

The Government’s stated hope is that the fee increases will be reinvested in Council Planning Departments to assist with staffing and performance, but as the increases have not been ringfenced it seems likely that the increases may be diverted elsewhere to assist with Council budgets. Only time will tell.