Written by Nikki O’Hagan, 13th March 2025
Planning application fees in England will increase from 31st March 2025. In this article, we explain why the government has decided to raise planning fees, what the fee increases are expected to deliver and what the new fees will be.
Why are planning application fees set to increase from 31st March 2025?
According to the UK government, current planning fees have not risen in line with inflation and do not cover the actual costs to Local Planning Authorities of processing planning applications. Local planning services are funded by planning application fees and insufficient funding can lead to inadequate and inefficient planning services. We see this reflected in:
Significant delays in the processing of planning applications
In our experience, decisions on planning applications are delayed more often than not. Whilst minor applications are supposed to be decided within 8 weeks and major applications within 13 weeks, this rarely occurs. In the case of a recent, minor application in Babergh District, we waited 13 months for a decision that should have been issued within 8 weeks. That’s a 48-week delay.
Statistics recently published by the government indicate that only around 45% of all planning applications in England are decided within the statutory time limit.
Poor and poorly justified planning decisions
As planning consultants, we must admit that we may be a little biased about this. But although we have disagreed with and contested the decisions of Local Planning Authorities in the past, we have noticed a steady increase in the number of unreasonable, poorly justified and frankly illogical planning refusals. In many cases, these refusals appear to be the result of the local planning officer’s failure to properly consider the actual detail of the planning application.
In one recent case in East Suffolk, for example, planning permission was refused for a new school facility for the sole reason that the site was located in the countryside, away from any settlement. This was in spite of the fact that the site was located a 1-minute walk from the school, along a quiet bridleway. As we expected, this decision was rightfully overturned on appeal. Of course, that appeal has caused our client unnecessary expense, stress and delay that should have been avoided.
Poor quality pre-application advice
Although this isn’t the case across the board, we have noticed a significant and sustained decline in the general quality of pre-application advice. These days, pre-application advice is rarely prompt, detailed or pragmatic. On the contrary, it is now frequently delayed, rushed, brief and generic. Local Planning Authorities are also increasingly less likely to consult specialists at pre-application stage, meaning valuable design and heritage advice is rarely forthcoming. This once useful service is now too often just an unnecessary expense for applicants.
Can we expect an improved planning service following the planning fee increases on 31st March 2025?
The increased planning application fees should significantly increase the funds available to Local Planning Authorities. According to the government, we should see this reflected in improved and more efficient planning services. Importantly, more planning decisions are expected to be issued on time. Whether this will actually be achieved, only time will tell. We intend to keep track of our own applications over the next year or so and will report back in due course.
Previous fee increases have not resulted in improved planning services
Whilst we’d like to believe that the increased planning fees will result in noticeable improvements to local planning services, we have some misgivings based on previous, unmet promises.
Back in 2018, the government increased planning application fees for the first time since 2012. The 2018 fee increases were not insignificant. Fees for both major and householder planning applications were uplifted by around 20%. We were promised in 2018 that these fee increases would improve the efficiency of local planning services. The fees were raised again in 2019 – non-householder planning fees saw another 20% increase – and again in 2021. On each occasion, the government pledged that these fee increases would result in improved and speedier planning services. In our experience, measurable improvements to local planning services have simply not occurred in line with the fee increases. In many cases, local planning services have actually gotten worse.
Timeliness of planning decisions
In spite of repeated planning fee increases since 2018, a majority of planning applications continue to be decided after the statutory deadlines. Although similar statistics are unfortunately not available for previous years, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published the following statistics for 2024 (applies to England only):
| Year | Percentage of major applications decided within the statutory time period (within 13 weeks) | Percentage of minor applications decided within the statutory time period (within 8 weeks) | Percentage of householder applications decided within the statutory time period (within 8 weeks) |
| 2024 | 20% | 53% | 62% |
Altogether, only around 45% of all planning applications in England were decided on time in 2024. This performance is woefully inadequate and seriously disadvantages developers and homeowners alike.
The MHCLG has indicated that it will continue to publish these statistics annually. We will be watching closely to see whether the planning fee increases result in any measurable improvement in the timeliness of planning decisions.
Quality of planning decisions
The quality of local planning decisions has also continued to decline. This trend is reflected in the number of planning appeals that succeed each year. In 2019/20, the Planning Inspectorate reported that approximately 24% of all the planning appeals it decided in that year were allowed. In 2024/25, that figure has risen to approximately 28%.
What are the planning application fee increases from 31st March 2025?
The 2025 planning fee increases appear to disproportionately affect small developers and homeowners. This was not unexpected, given the government’s ambition to significantly boost housebuilding. However, this decision does seem to unfairly place the burden of properly funding our local planning services on the shoulders of normal working people, rather than major developers.
Read on for an overview of the most significant planning application fee increases from 31st March 2025. Or follow this link for a full list of the new fees for all planning application types:
Householder application fees
Householder planning applications will be subject to a steep and totally unprecedented fee increase of more than 100%. The new fee will apply to most householder development, including home extensions and associated alterations. Small-scale operations in the grounds of the house – to include fences, walls, gates etc. – would be charged at roughly the same rate as at present.
| Current fee | Fee from 31st March 2025 | |
| Alterations to the dwelling | £258 | £528 |
| Works within its grounds | £258 | £262 |
Prior approval application fees
Prior approval applications must be submitted before you are able to carry out certain types of permitted developments. If a permitted development is subject to prior approval, this will be clearly stated in the legislation.
| Current fee | Fee from 31st March 2025 | |
| Larger home extensions | £120 | £240 |
| Additional storeys on a home | £120 | £240 |
| Agricultural buildings | £120 | £240 |
| Change of use from commercial (class E) to residential (class C3) | £125 per dwelling | £250 per dwelling |
| Change of use of an agricultural building to residential (class C3) | £120 or £258 if it involves building operations | £240 or £516 if it involves building operations |
Removal, variation, approval and discharge of planning conditions
Planning conditions are attached to all types of planning consents. Some planning conditions must be discharged – that means you need to submit an application – before you can commence or occupy a development. If you disagree with a condition that has been attached to a planning consent, you can also apply to have it varied or removed.
| Current fee | Fee from 31st March 2025 | |
| Removal or variation of a condition – householder development | £293 | £86 |
| Removal or variation of a condition – non-major (other than householder) development | £293 | £586 |
| Removal or variation of a condition – major development | £293 | £2000 |
| Discharge of condition – householder development | £43 | £86 |
| Discharge of condition – any other development | £145 | £298 |
Other fees
Most other planning application fees are subject to only relatively minor fee increases to account for inflation. For example, the fee for a full planning application for the erection of fewer than 10 new dwellings is currently £578 per dwelling. From 31st March 2025, this will increase to £588 per dwelling. Similarly, the current fee for conversion of an existing building to fewer than 10 dwellings is £578 per dwelling and this will also increase to £588 from 31st March 2025.
Planning Portal service charge
On top of planning application fees, there is an additional service charge. This is payable to Planning Portal for the online submission of a planning application. Planning Portal’s current service charge is £58.33 plus VAT for an overall cost of £70. From 31st March 2025, this is increasing to £70.83 plus VAT for an overall cost of £85.
If you’d like to submit your application before the planning fees increase from 31st March 2025, contact us today. Our initial advice is always free of charge.