Planning Permission Fee Calculator (UK)
Estimated Planning Application Fee (England, 2026)
England statutory fees only, correct as of April 2026. Some councils add Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) separately. Agent/consultant fees (typically £500-£2,000) are additional. Confirm your exact fee on the Planning Portal before submitting.
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How to use this Planning Permission fee calculator
- Select your application type: householder (extension/loft/alteration), change of use, new dwellings, or a full/outline application priced by site area.
- Enter dwellings or site area if prompted: new-build and large-site applications scale with unit count or hectares.
- Read the statutory fee: this is the fee paid to your local planning authority in England, correct as of the April 2026 fee schedule. It does not include agent fees or CIL.
How much does planning permission cost in England (2026)?
Planning application fees in England are set nationally by statute, not by individual councils. As of 1 April 2026, the most common fee: a householder application for a single extension, loft conversion, or alteration: costs £548. This flat fee applies regardless of project size, which is why smaller householder projects sometimes work out cheaper going through the full planning route than expected once agent fees are included.
Fees for larger developments
Change of use applications cost £610. New residential developments start at £610 per dwelling for schemes of up to 9 homes, rising to £659 per dwelling for 10-50 homes. Full or outline applications assessed by site area cost £610 per 0.1 hectare for sites under 0.5 hectares, and £659 per 0.1 hectare for sites between 0.5 and 2.5 hectares.
What the statutory fee does not cover
The Planning Portal fee is the statutory application fee only. Many councils separately charge a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) on qualifying new floorspace. This varies significantly by local authority and can be far larger than the application fee itself on bigger projects. Professional agent or planning consultant fees typically add £500 to £2,000 on top, and are worth budgeting for on anything beyond a simple householder extension. Pair this with our Construction Cost Estimator to budget the wider project before applying, and check whether you even need to apply using the Permitted Development calculator linked below.
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Fee exemptions and reductions you must check first
Certain applications carry a £0 statutory fee. Disabled access works - ramps, widened doorways, ground-floor wet rooms - are exempt under the Town and Country Planning (Fees) Regulations 2012 Reg. 4(1)(b). Listed building consent is also fee-free, though it runs alongside a chargeable full-application where planning permission is also needed. Applications by registered charities for use of land solely for charitable purposes attract a 50% reduction, capped at £462 from April 2024. Prior Approval applications (under Schedule 2 Parts 1–20 of the GPDO 2015) carry a flat £120 per application regardless of floor area - significantly cheaper than a full householder fee of £258. Misclassifying a prior-approval scheme as a full application wastes money; the LPA will not refund the difference automatically.
Where the statutory fee calculation breaks down: edge cases
The fee bands use gross internal floor area (GIA), not net usable area. Structural walls, stairwells, and plant rooms all count. A 95 m² extension GIA hits the first band ceiling (up to 100 m² at £258 householder rate), but a 105 m² extension triggers the next tier at £0.34 per 0.1 ha under the major-works schedule, which can push fees above £600. Outline applications are charged per 0.1 ha of site area, not floor area: the 2024 rate is £578 per 0.1 ha up to 2.5 ha, then £694 per 0.1 ha up to 15 ha maximum. A 3 ha outline site therefore costs (25 × £578) + (5 × £694) = £17,920 - a figure most online calculators fail to compute correctly beyond the 2.5 ha break. Run a construction cost estimate alongside your fee to keep total pre-build spend in one place.
Pre-application and planning consultant costs: real benchmarks
LPAs are not required to offer pre-application advice, but most do - and charge for it. London borough pre-app fees for householder proposals typically run £200–£400; for minor commercial applications £600–£1,200; for major schemes £2,500–£10,000+. These fees are non-refundable and do not reduce the statutory fee payable on submission. Independent planning consultant fees for a householder application average £800–£1,500 in 2024, rising to £3,000–£8,000 for a full planning application with heritage or ecological constraints. Appeals to the Planning Inspectorate cost nothing to lodge, but instructing a planning consultant for a hearing costs £5,000–£15,000; an inquiry £15,000–£50,000+. If the LPA is awarded costs against an appellant, the award is set by Circular 03/2009 and can exceed the original project fees. Check permitted development rights before committing to a chargeable full application - lawful development certificates cost £234 for householder works versus £258 for a full application, and carry no risk of condition imposition.
What this calculator does not account for
The calculator outputs the statutory LPA fee only. It excludes Section 106 obligations, which can run from £5,000 for a single dwelling (affordable housing contribution in some LPAs) to several million pounds for major schemes. It excludes the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL): charging schedules vary by authority and land use, with residential rates in London ranging from £0 to £600/m² depending on zone. Biodiversity net gain (BNG) mandatory from February 2024 for major applications adds ecological survey costs of £1,500–£5,000 and potential off-site unit purchase at £20,000–£45,000 per unit. Party wall matters are wholly separate - use the party wall notice cost calculator to budget surveyor fees under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the planning application fee refundable if refused?
No, the statutory fee is non-refundable regardless of the outcome. Many councils do offer one free resubmission within 12 months of a refusal for the same site, provided the description of development stays broadly similar: check your council's resubmission policy.
Do I pay a fee if I only need a Lawful Development Certificate?
Yes, LDC applications have their own separate, lower statutory fee (roughly half the equivalent planning application fee), distinct from the fees calculated here.
Are fees the same across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
No: this calculator uses England's Planning Portal fee schedule. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own fee schedules, which can differ meaningfully from England's.
What is CIL and is it included in this fee?
The Community Infrastructure Levy is a separate charge some councils apply to qualifying new floorspace, calculated per square metre and set locally. It is not included in the statutory application fee shown here and can be substantially larger on bigger projects.
Does a bigger extension cost more in planning fees?
No: for a standard single householder application the £548 fee is flat regardless of the extension's size, as long as it remains a single householder application rather than multiple dwellings.