Costs, Fees and Budgeting – Page 15
What planning applications, reports, surveys and appeals cost, with published fee schedules.
Costs, Fees and Budgeting articles – page 15
353 articlesCosts awards at appeal and how they are claimed
An award of costs needs unreasonable behaviour, wasted expense and a claim made in time. The categories that succeed, the deadline that kills good claims, and the record to build.
What a written representations appeal actually costs
The Planning Inspectorate charges nothing to lodge an appeal. The cost sits in the statement, the specialist evidence you had to submit before refusal, and the months it takes.
Budgeting the evidence base for a major housing site
The technical budget for a major application is decided by three or four early answers. Get the screening and scoping questions settled before commissioning anything seasonal.
Budgeting the evidence base for a nine unit scheme
Staying below ten units changes which reports a council can reasonably ask for. Knowing the thresholds is what turns an open-ended evidence budget into a list.
What a measured and topographical survey costs to commission
A survey commissioned to the wrong scope gets bought twice. Getting the datum, the extent and the deliverables right first time is what keeps the fee down.
Budgeting an ecology survey programme around the seasons
Survey windows are fixed by the animals, not the consultant. Sequencing the appraisal early is what keeps an ecology budget from doubling on a small housing site.
Prior approval fees under the permitted development order
The fee is a flat sum that varies by class, not by scheme size. Paying it correctly matters more than the amount, because an invalid application never starts the clock.
Lawful development certificate fees and what they buy
An existing use certificate costs the full application fee, a proposed one costs half. What that buys, what evidence carries it, and when applying is the wrong move.
Section 73 or section 96A: fees and when each applies
Section 96A amends a permission. Section 73 creates a new one. The fee difference is small; the consequences for the levy, consultation and appeal rights are not.
Fees for discharging planning conditions, explained
One fee covers any number of conditions on the same permission, so how you group them decides the bill. Where splitting requests is worth paying twice for.
What councils charge for pre-application advice
Pre-application advice is a discretionary service priced locally under section 93. Here is what the tiers cover, what the fee does not buy, and when it earns its cost.
Section 106 contributions and CIL: what each can fund
The levy is a fixed charge spent on council priorities. A section 106 obligation is negotiated and tied to your site. Affordable housing can only sit in the second.
CIL exemption for extensions and residential annexes
Extensions under 100 square metres are outside the levy entirely. Larger ones and annexes need a claim granted before work starts, and a commencement notice to keep it.
CIL liability: who pays, when and on what
The levy follows the land, not the paperwork. Here is how liability is assumed, how the chargeable amount is calculated, and why the commencement notice decides the bill.
When a second application is free after a refusal
One further application of the same character, on the same site, by the same applicant, within 12 months of a refusal or withdrawal, carries no statutory fee. The character test is where most claims fail.
Fee indexation on 1 April and how to check the current figure
Planning fees in England are indexed annually on 1 April. The fee in force on the submission date applies, and an underpaid fee stops the determination clock.
How the planning application fee is calculated by category
Planning application fees are set nationally by category, not by your council. Householder is a flat fee, new dwellings are charged per unit and outline is charged per 0.1 hectare of site area.
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