What does an application cost?

There will be a fee. Your council will tell you how much is payable. The amount varies according to the type of development proposed. The revenue from fees contributes towards the cost to the council of handling applications and the fee is not refundable unless the application is invalid. Article 5 of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995 sets out the general provisions relating to applications.

Recently, the fees for planning applications have been amended. You can view full details of the new fees here (PDF 54Kb) or use our fee calculator (see details below) which has been updated to show the new fees.

Where the local planning authority fails to determine your application, or where you submit a valid application and then withdraw it at any time before it has been determined, the fee will not be refundable. However, if the local authority fails to determine your application, you can appeal.

Some applications are exempt from fees. When a previous application has been granted, refused or withdrawn, one further application by the same applicant for the same type of development on the same site can generally be made free of charge within twelve months. It is for the council to decide whether this concession applies.

Fee Calculator

The fee calculator can assist you by working out the cost of any particular planning application. It takes the form of a series of 'yes or no' answers from which data is compiled to calculate the total cost of the application ranging from a simple householder development to large scale schemes such as housing schemes or industrial estates.

The fee calculator is a 'standalone' tool and does not have to be used in conjunction with any other portal service.

Launch the fee calculator (opens in a new window).