Say no to increases in planning fees, urges FPB
12 March 2008  
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The FPB is urging small construction companies to fight against a proposed increase in planning fees. They have until 6 April 2008 to ask MPs to begin a debate in Parliament about the fee hike, including the increase in the upper limit of planning fees to £250,000 (or £125,000 for outline applications) for major building projects.
"While we recognise the need to properly fund local planning offices, more attention should be paid to making the planning process more efficient," said Matthew Goodman, the FPB's Policy Representative. "Improvements in the quality of planning decisions should lead to increased funding; the system will not work the other way round."
 
Under the proposals, planning fees would increase by 11% for householder applications, and by 25% for other bids.
 
For smaller projects, that would mean the cost of submitting an application for a new dwelling would go up from £265 to £335, and from £135 to £150 to bid for householder consent. A change of use application would increase from £265 to £335, and the cost of advertising on business premises from £75 to £95. There would also be an additional fee of £85 for ‘requests for confirmation that a planning condition has been filled', or £25 where the request relates to householder development.
 
FPB member ABA Consulting Ltd has offices in Derby and Newcastle-Under-Lyme. Its Managing Director, Alan Brough, said that many smaller firms in the construction industry would suffer as a result of any increase in planning fees.
 
"The size of the fee increase that has been suggested will clearly deter ever more small firms from putting in planning applications. Why would anyone want to spend so much just to bid for a contract when there's very little chance they will succeed?" he said. "There's no way to get your money back. In Stoke-on-Trent, for example, there's a vast amount of redevelopment work to do, and government grants in place, but then to demand £250,000 in planning fees will just deter people from bidding."