Planning News

updated Planning Application Fees 2025

1/4/2025

In April 2025, significant changes to planning application fees in England took effect. These planning appication fee changes stemmed from the 2024 consultation by Governemnt on the National Planning Policy Framework .

The aim of the changes is to amend the fees to better reflect the actual osts incurred by Local Planning Authorities in determining householder and prior approval applications, as well as to the cost of applications that seek to discharge, vary, or remove conditions on planning consents

What are the key changes to planning application fees in 2025?

Inflationary Uplift
A 1.7% inflationary increase will be applied to all planning fees,

Cost Recovery Changes
Targeted fee increases for:

Householder applications
Prior approval applications
Discharge of conditions and variation/removal of conditions applications

Householder Application Fees

For alterations or extensions to houses, the application fee will more than double, rising from £258 to £528.
For smaller ancillary works the increase will be much smaller from £258 to £262.

Prior Approval Fees

Fees for most prior approval applications will also see a significant increase, doubling in many cases. The following is a breakdown of these increases:
- Large home extension (less the 8 metres deep) - from £120 to £240
- Additional storeys on a home - from £120 to £240
- Demolition of buildings - from £120 to £240
- Change of use of a building and any land within its curtilage from Commercial/Business/Service (Use Class E) to a house(s) is (Use Class C3) from £125 to £250 for each house
- Change of use of a building and any land within its curtilage from an Agricultural Building to house (Use Class C3) - £240; or £516 if it includes building operations in connection with the change of use. This is also known as a Class Q Application

Discharge of Conditions Fees

Fees for discharging conditions will also double:
- Householder development: £43 to £86
- Any other development: £145 to £298

Variation/Removal of Condition Fees

These fees will now be split into three bands:
- Householder development: £86
- Non-major development: £586
- Major development: £2,000

Corrections
Corrections have also be made to previous fee schedules:

The base fee for buildings where floorspace exceeds 3,750 square metres will be corrected to £30,860 (instead of £30,680), with the inflationary increase applied to the corrected value.
The banding for agricultural buildings will be fixed to ensure more consistent transitions between fee categories. Previously, the fee for agricultural buildings exceeding 1,000 square metres dropped to £624, which was not intentional.

No Changes to Fee ExemptionsIt’s important to note that no changes are being made to the current fee exemptions. This means that some types of planning applications, such as those for certain small developments or changes, will not be subject to these fee increases.

Applications submitted via the Planning Portal
The new Planning Portal Service Charge will be £85

National Self Build and Renovation Show - Jan 2025

16/1/2025

Join MDP from Friday 31 January to Sunday 2 February at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre in Swindon.

Fri & Sat: 9am-5pm, Sun 9am-4pm.

Produced by the National Self Build & Renovation Centre (NSBRC), the UK’s award-winning self-build and home improvements visitor centre, the winter edition of the show offers a packed three days of masterclasses, case studies, seminars and an unrivalled line-up of experts on hand to share their advice.

Highlights of the January show include discussions on how we can mitigate against rising energy bills and other increasing costs in our homes. A range of experts explore the technologies and methods available to us including improving insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels, electric vehicles and much more, which may require planning permission.

MDP will be there throughout the event at the Professional Services Hub, the place to go for independent, expert advice from a range of specialists.

This is the perfect opportunity for you to be inspired, gather information and talk to genuine experts who will be delighted to answer your questions and offer advice. If you are considering (or just starting) a new build, renovating a tired property or simply looking to create new space then there will be talks, tours and advice tailored to you.

Sign up for FREE tickets

national planning policy framework - 2024

10/12/2024

The Government has released a new version of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

After sharing a draft for public input in July 2024, the Government has reviewed the feedback and finalised the new policy agenda. This update brings significant changes, especially regarding the Green Belt and housing targets.

A new "grey belt" category has been created for green belt land that has been developed before or does not meet many of the five Green Belt objectives. Developments on grey belt land will no longer be labelled as "inappropriate" and will not need to show Very Special Circumstances for approval, provided new criteria for affordable housing, necessary infrastructure and open spaces are met.

These changes to the Green Belt are part of the new Governments plans for growth in many sectors, not just housing. There is now a stronger focus on developing on brownfield sites, along with updates to the development management policy. Local planning authorities will face clearer, higher, and mandatory housing targets, based on a new method of calculating demand.

The policy also strengthens regulations for commercial development, such as for new employment spaces, while emphasizing important national facilities like data centres and logistics hubs.

The Government plans to continue reforming policies beyond the new NPPF, which are being tentatively welcomed by the sector.

NSBRC A GUIDE TO PLANNING PERMISSION

19/6/2024

BRAND NEW FOR 2024. Your pathway to a perfect home!
This course will show you how to successfully obtain planning permission for your self build project.
An important (and often stressful) part of any self build project is gaining planning permission.
Without a formal consent, your project will be something of a non-starter. In our brand-new course, we take a deep-dive into the planning system, explain how you can best prepare a successful application, be aware of common mistakes and avoid costly pit-falls. The session will be full of real-life studies and examples curated over many years in Practice.

Read more and book your place.

New Class Q regulations from 21 may 2024

2/5/2024

What are the New Class Q Regulations?
On 30 April 2024 government announced new regulations which would come into force regarding Class Q; applications submitted on or after 21 May 2024 will be subject these new regulations set out in Statutory Instrument 2024 No. 579

The changes bring positive news for developers and agricultural businesses alike. They shows that Government continues to see value in allowing housing to come forward in this way, it more than doubles the maximum floor area, doubles the number of units allowed. In updating the regulations, Government also closes-off a frequent battleground area which related to insulation, MPD have found that LPAs will often expect the outer skin of barns to be retained and simultaneously cite that the addition of necessary insulation goes beyond works “reasonably necessary”. In making the changes, government are sending a clear signal that SIPs panels (or equivalent) are acceptable provided they are under 20cm thick.

Two other changes are worthy of discussion. Where a building has been sold off separately from its parent agricultural holding there is now a clearer path to consent under the revised Class Q Regulations. This has often been a key line of argument from LPAs who seek evidence of some form of agricultural activity or trade taking place which can often be difficult to source. Now, the test applied expects that only the current or previous use of the building be agricultural. Again, this sidesteps the arguments LPAs often advance that they need proof of a viable agricultural activity having taken place recently on the site in order for the barn to benefit from Class Q. This was never MDPs interpretation of the regulations but sadly some Inspectors have been convinced by the LPAs case made.

These regulations are much clearer and as a result more schemes will meet the requirements and more housing will be delivered.

Key changes to Class Q Regulations:

buildings which have ceased being part of an existing agricultural unit may now be developed
buildings which remain a part of an existing agricultural unit, but that are no longer used for agricultural purposes, may now be developed
an increase in the overall cumulative floorspace of a development to 1000m2
an increase in the number of dwelling houses to 10 (previously 5)
the reduction in the floorspace of individual dwelling houses to a maximum of 150m2
sites where development under Class A or Class B (of Part 6 Agricultural Rights) has taken place over ten years ago ,may now be developed. Click here for the full general permitted development legislation.
extensions at single storey to the rear of buildings by up to 4m onto a hard standing which was in place prior to 24th July 2023 may now be consented onto (the eaves of the extension must not exceed the eaves line of the existing building)
'reasonable changes' can continue to be made to allow the building to be used as a home including, the installation or replacement of windows, doors, roofing, exterior walls (i.e. the addition of insultation), water, drainage and other services, and these may protrude up to 0.2m.
the proposed development must now meet national space standards
The building must have suitable existing access to a public highway. This is new and adds clarity around the “other impractical or undesirable” criteria in the previous iteration of the regulations. The new wording makes expressly clear that the site must already be served by (presumably) a metalled drive or lane.

Read more about Class Q
View the regulations
Find out more about the Class Q applications we have progressed.
Find out how we can help
Contact Us

Planning Law Update

11/4/2024

Please be aware that as of 25th April 2024, section 171B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is being amended by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023.
Section 171B currently provides immunity (from enforcement action) of 4 years in the following circumstances:

The carrying out without planning permission of building, engineering or other operations in, on, over or under land more than 4 years ago from substantial completion, beginning with the date on which the operations were substantially completed
Creation of a dwelling house from change of use more than 4 years ago

From 25th April 2024, LPAs will be able to take enforcement action against unauthorised development for up to 10 rather than the current 4 years.

There are some transition provisions which clients need to be aware of. If you have been contacted by your local authority or have a development that could be affected by this change, please get in touch as any applications will need to be prepared promptly and professionally.

Image sourced from Build It newsletter

The Festival of Sustainable Homes

9/4/2024

JOIN US FRIDAY 17TH & SATURDAY 18TH MAY AT THE NATIONAL SELF BUILD & RENOVATION CENTRE IN SWINDON.
Friday & Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

The ‘Festival of Sustainable Homes’ is a brand new event produced by the team at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre. This exciting, family-friendly show, will highlight how we can all live more sustainably in our homes and communities. Offering the latest advice on improving both the energy efficiency and comfort levels of properties – for both new builds & existing homes.

The two-day festival will avoid ‘greenwash’ and offer genuine inspiration for anyone interested in creating well-designed, healthy homes, through exhibits, seminars, live demonstrations and an unrivalled line up of experts on hand to share their knowledge. Our talks will be provide relevant, up-to-date, guidance for both newcomers to house-building and skilled housing professionals.

national Self Build and RenovatiOn show 2024

12/12/2023

Join us from Friday 26th - Sunday 28th January at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon.
Friday & Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm | Sunday: 9:00am - 4:00pm

We'll be exhibiting throughout the weekend so you will have lots of opportunities to book a session to speak with us directly about your project. We'll also be presenting on Planning Permission on Friday and Sunday in the Build It theatre.

Book your FREE tickets now.

November 30th, 2023

30/11/2023

Following debates in Parliament, legislative amendments to increase Planning Application Fees have now been formally “made” and will take effect on 6th December 2023.
Find out how much your planning application will cost

NSBRC - SELF BUILD FUNDAMENTALS WORKSHOP

6/6/2023

Friday 7th July 10am -1pm
Live at The National Self Build & Renovation

A half day surgery, live at the NSBRC, covering Planning Permission,
Finance & Funding and Reclaiming VAT.

10:00 - 10:45 BuildStore – Finance & Funding
10:45 - 11:30 Mark Doodes Planning – Planning Permission
11:45 - 12:30 Andrew Jones - VAT Reclaim

MDP will explain the intricacies of the planning process and how you
can optimise your chances of getting approval for your dream home.

The planning system is a complex and growing area; take expert advice upfront.

Register here to attend.

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