As of 17th January 2018, the Government has set new planning application fees for England.

Essentially, fees have increased by 20% over the 2017 fee levels and these Regulations will also introduce a new fee of £402 per 0.1 hectares for Permission in Principle applications, the ability for authorities to charge for applications for planning permission following the removal of permitted development rights through Article 4 directions or by condition; and for Mayoral and Urban Development Corporations to charge for providing a pre-application service.

The new Regulations also introduce a fee of £96 for prior approval applications to permitted development rights that were introduced in April 2015 and April 2017.  These include the rights for the installation of solar PV equipment on non-domestic buildings, the erection of click-and-collect facilities within the land area of a shop, the temporary use of buildings or land for film making purposes and the provision of temporary school buildings on vacant commercial land for state funded schools.

Permitted Development Rights

The permitted development right for the change of use from light industrial (B1 (c)) to residential uses (C3) came into effect on 1 October 2017.  The right allows for the change of use of buildings up to 500sq m, subject to prior approval by the local planning authority.  Applications for prior approval must be made on or before 30 September 2020, and the change of use must be completed within three years of the date of prior approval.

If you would like further discussion on planning matters, please contact Chris Cockwill at our South Lancashire office.