G15 responds to the Government's consultation on increasing planning fees

The G15 has responded to the Government's consultation on increasing planning fees. Our response is supportive of additional resources and capacity for the planning departments of Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) though we do stress the importance of ensuring that the stated purpose of improving performance is met through ringfencing the additional money raised through increased fees for LPA planning departments alongside the introduction of a new comprehensive performance monitoring regime.

Social housing providers are already paying substantial fees and these proposals come at a time when our resources are increasingly stretched by the current economic conditions and an ever-widening range of responsibilities including our commitments to building safety, maintaining our existing homes, Net Zero, regeneration and the development of new social and affordable housing.

We are calling for a discounted rate of planning fees for major schemes which deliver a large volume of affordable housing. This would help to mitigate some of the financial impact of increasing fees and reduce the risk of these costs threatening the viability of new housing development.

An increase in planning fees must also be accompanied by greater consistency at a regional level in terms of the pre-application fees providers pay for planning services. G15 members have experienced large variations in the fees they are pay in the same regions. Standardisation of pre-application fees where there is no Planned Planning Agreement in place would give providers a greater degree of certainty when submitting applications in terms of the costs and quality of service.

You can read our full response via the link below.