Planning Fees consultation response

We’ve responded to the government’s consultation on planning application fees. While the proposal to set a National Default Fee Schedule at 90% of estimated costs is a step in the right direction, we argue that it’s too blunt an instrument. London’s planning costs are significantly higher than the national average — due to heritage requirements, high-density development complexity, and staffing costs — yet the consultation lacks transparency about how the funding shortfall is distributed across local planning authorities (LPAs). For each category there should be a comparable average or median cost for London LPAs so that the shortfall is apparent.

While the principles are reasonable, clear implementation guidance will be needed. Many London boroughs will need to use local fee-setting powers to avoid an underfunded planning system.

The full response can be read along with others in our ‘What we’ve said‘ archive.