Costs, Fees and Budgeting – Page 7

11 October 2026Read article →

How the fee for new dwellings scales with unit numbers

Fees are indexed annually, so the rates move but the structure does not. Why phasing raises the total, how outline fees differ, and the thresholds that matter more than the fee.

Validation refusal and the cost of a rejected application

Invalidation is not refusal, it is delay, and the statutory period restarts from scratch. Here is what the national and local lists require, what it costs to get it wrong and how to check before you submit.

Pre-commencement conditions and the cash-flow they cost

A permission with pre-commencement conditions is not a buildable permission. Here is what the discharge period costs a small scheme, and the asks that work while the condition text is still negotiable.

Highway authority charges beyond sections 278 and 38

Section 278 and section 38 agreements are the highway costs everyone budgets for. These are the charges around them, and the sequence in which they arrive.

Budgeting the archaeology contingency on a brownfield site

Archaeological cost is a range that narrows at three moments: desk assessment, evaluation and the agreed mitigation strategy. Here is how to budget each stage and control the programme risk.

Ecology survey seasons and the cost of missing one

Survey seasons cannot be negotiated with the council. Here is when each protected species survey can be done, how to build the programme backwards from your submission date, and where a precautionary approach avoids one.

Non-material amendments: what section 96A will and will not fix

A non-material amendment is decided in 28 days for a low flat fee, but carries no right of appeal and a statutory cumulative test. Here is where the saving stops and section 73 takes over.

Section 73 or a fresh application: cost and risk

A section 73 application costs a flat fee, but it cannot change the description of development or extend the time limit, and it triggers a levy recalculation. Here is how to choose on risk rather than fee.

Planning fee exemptions and when you pay nothing

Listed building consent, tree works and disabled adaptations carry no planning fee, and a resubmission within twelve months of a refusal is often free. Here is how each exemption is tested and how to claim it.

Deemed discharge and the cost of a stalled condition

When a council fails to decide an application to discharge a condition, section 74A lets you treat it as approved. Here is the procedure, the excluded categories, and when the arithmetic favours serving a notice.

Budgeting a habitats recreational disturbance contribution

If your site sits inside the zone of influence of a European designated site, a per dwelling mitigation payment is the usual route to a lawful permission. Here is how to price it, when it falls due and why viability will not move it.

Budgeting a section 73 variation on a live permission

A section 73 variation looks inexpensive until the refreshed reports, the deed of variation and the recalculated levy arrive. Here is how to budget the whole exercise on a live site.

When a barrister's opinion earns its fee in a planning case

Counsel is worth instructing when a legal question decides the route, not the argument. A practical look at what a planning barrister can answer, how to instruct efficiently and when privilege matters.

The self-build CIL exemption and the step people miss

The self-build exemption from the community infrastructure levy is lost by paperwork far more often than by ineligibility. The sequence, the deadlines and what happens when a step is missed.

VAT on a self-build: zero rating and the reclaim scheme

Zero rating on a new dwelling, 5 per cent on qualifying conversions, and one claim through the DIY Housebuilders Scheme. What is recoverable, what is blocked, and how a planning condition can remove eligibility.

How a highway authority sets a section 38 or 278 bond

Highway bonds under sections 38 and 278 are priced from the adoptable works plus an uplift for inflation and procurement. Here is how the sum is built, how it is released, and what to negotiate.

Costs, Fees and Budgeting8 min read

What drives Phase 2 contamination investigation costs

The Phase 1 conceptual site model decides most of the Phase 2 bill. Here is what each element costs you, and the escalations worth holding contingency against.

Costs, Fees and Budgeting8 min read

What drives archaeological evaluation costs

The curator sets the trenching, the ground sets the machine time, and the finds set the analysis bill. Here is where a developer can actually influence the figure.

Costs, Fees and Budgeting8 min read

Utility diversion budgets on a constrained site

Diversions are knowable while the land is still being appraised. Here is how to find the apparatus, price the move, and keep the enabling works off the critical path.

Prior approval fees for Class MA and Part 3 changes

A Class MA prior approval application is charged once, however many flats it creates. Here is what the lower fee actually buys, and when a full application is better value.

Extension of time against accepting a refusal

Agreeing an extension keeps the case with the officer and usually gives up the fee refund. Letting the period expire buys an appeal you cannot amend. The right answer depends on the officer's position.

When planning costs fall due on a small housing scheme

Planning payments on a scheme of two to nine dwellings arrive in five clusters over roughly eighteen months. Knowing the order matters more than knowing the totals.

Utility diversions and the cost nobody budgets

A cable across the site or a main under the access is a six figure possibility and a programme item measured in months. This covers surveys, cost liability, quotations, easements and abandoned apparatus.