Planning fees to increase by 15%
Planning minister Greg Clark speaking on Tuesday, March 27.
Source: PANext steps to simplify planning system announced
The government is to increase the planning application fee by 15% from this autumn.
The move was announced by minister for decentralisation and cities Greg Clark this week as part of the wider planning simplification review.
Rhian Kelly, CBI director for business environment, said the increase could put a strain on cautious developers.
“Hard-pressed businesses and investors will expect the fee increase to be matched by service improvements, and the onus is on the government to monitor performance, so that investment is not deterred,” she warned.
The government has also announced a consultation on changes to the Use Class Order, which proposes allowing the reuse of existing buildings without applying formally for planning permission. The consultation runs until September 11, 2012.
Clark said: “Our reforms to the planning system are making it simpler, clearer and more accesible to people in communities.
“Our aim is to have a system that applicants and members of communities can be confident will give a reliable, swift and fair outcome.”
Under the new measures organisations supporting neighbourhood planning, including the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and Locality, will receive extra funding.
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Readers' comments (15)
Well, that's really helpful isn't it!
Will the penny ever drop with this government?
How does putting the cost up make it simpler? Perhaps someone at BD could find out please? Ask a question or two?
Editor's comments
David,
The reason given in the written ministerial answer is that delays in planning decisions are being caused by a shortfall in fee income - and that this is being unfairly subsidised by council taxpayers. The government believes the increase will improve efficiency within planning departments.
Andrea
Oh yes, the penny(s) is dropping, straight into the government coffers, to be swiftly redistributed among our poor banks and social benefit spongers.
But seriously, even if that increase will go into the LA's with an aim to boost the Planning Depts performance it will be utterly wasted.
The system needs to be changed and not more money thrown at it! What happened with the presumption in favour of development so loudly advocated but current crew at the top?
From my experience it only gets more local economy stifling, reactive to ANY change of ANY kind and even more bureaucratic, if that was at all possible...
It's the old story. We simplify things for the consumer's benefit, but he pays for it. Interpret as ' we simplify things for our benefit, but the consumer pays for it.
Whose leg are the government pulling. When you have a monopoly as Local Authorities currently have on planning we have no choice. The service, especially in our area is appalling, currently planning applications are taking 9 weeks, yes NINE WEEKS, even to register and they want more money for this! After almost 40 years in practice I have seen the decline in planning standards reach depressingly low levels and no sign of improvement. Money won't solve the problem, a change of attitude will and that is free. Isn't it time to out source as an option as the Blair government did in 2004 with Building Regulations.
JC, grumpy old architect from Sussex.
Perhaps I'm not alone in wishing the profession could hike fees by 15% for the preparation of planning applications - to cover all the excessive information we now have to submit to keep the validation boxtickers happy?
So much for the government simplifying the planning system. It seems ever more complex and bureaucratic - but some (civil servants) would consider that as progress!
When little real development is going on, then 15% of a reduced application processing workload won't make much difference to the government, but that 15%, along with all the validation reports and studies will probably be the final straw for some.
Not enough deregulation.
Every single thing this shambolic, crooked bunch of Tories do turns my stomach.
Are these ring fenced fees? After the fees have been bumped up 15% into a nice little earner will the planning system then be outsourced to private companies. We can then look forward to companies juding their own applications. 15 stories in a low rise area, sure why not, everyone wants to live in Croydon after all.
Perhaps more planning officers and less paperwork is the solution. How can these people do a good job when they have no time to do it. And so many specialist reports now. It used to be a set of drawings and a visual if you had one. Now 26 extra reports that dont get read You wonder if the drawings ever get looked at judging back the crap that gets built.
I too am a 'grumpy old Architect'!
Seems to me that most LPAs are now employing a load of 'freshers' with little experience or training or even more importantly, 'senior guidance'.
I would be surprised if they are paying (or need/have to pay them) little more than peanuts. Are peanuts so expensive as to require a 15% increase in Fees? I doubt it, unless the Alpha Males are being greedy. What Odds That?