Savills - General - Nottingham
Date: 07 Mar 2008
As planning applications costs look set to go through the roof, anyone looking to secure planning permission should consider submitting their application before April 6th or be prepared for the significant increases being proposed by The Government says Nick Grace, Head of Planning at Savills Nottingham office.
Developers and home owners alike are facing big increases even though the 2007 consultation proposals to abolish fee caps altogether has been dropped. Consequently application fees are due to rise by a massive 25% with new maximum fees being imposed resulting in planning applications costs being doubled in some cases. The proposals would see full permission for development and applications for change of use increase from £265 to £335 for each 0.1.hectare on the site up to a new maximum £250,000 and applications for outline planning permission rise to a maximum £125,000.
Householders looking to extend or seek planning for outbuildings will have to pay more but the increase is a more moderate 11% pushing applications up to £150 from £135 as "it is not considered appropriate that homeowners should have to face the full 25% increase when applying to improve their dwellings".
Nick Grace says that whilst many developers and clients may be aware that fees are due to rise they may not realise how hard this will hit their budgets. Developers are being hard hit in all directions with shortage of land pushing up prices, tougher lending conditions and now planning costs set to soar. Time is short and he urges anyone with projects that may be close to submission to seek advice and/or submit their proposals before 6th April if at all possible.
The good news is that, as a result of widespread objections, proposals to widen the scope of fees to provide a 'premium' service is not being pursued and the possibility for Local Planning Authority to set fee levels themselves is not being taken further at this stage
Nick Grace
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