It‘s no secret that your local council planning department is under resourced and under staffed. Even the Government agrees. The DHLUC this week loudly announced £24 million of funding for ‘planning skills’ which might, one day, deliver more planners. More quietly they have published new planning applications fees, which if ratified by Parliament could apply from early October.
Headlines for householders are that fees are up by 25%, and that the ‘Free Go’ after a refusal is to end, so you might end up paying a lot more. In the bigger scale, these fees are still a tiny portion of the cost of your house improvement project.
Most would actually save IF it brings quicker decisions, but don’t hold your breath. Councils across the country will tell you they can’t find any planers to hire. Lots of case officers used to be travelling Antipodeans. Covid sent them home, and the high cost of living in London is keeping them there.