THE DEPARTMENT for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has launched two new consultations seeking industry feedback on increased planning fees and changes to permitted development rights, including existing solar rights.

Planning Fees

The first consultation ‘Increasing planning fees and performance: technical consultation’ seeks views on proposals to increase planning fees and to improve the performance of local planning authorities. This included proposals to:

increase planning fees by 35% for major applications and 25% for all other applications
additional fees for bespoke or ‘fast track’ services
make an annual inflation-related adjustment to planning fees
ring-fence additional fees income
double fees for retrospective applications
remove the ‘free-go’ for repeat applications
introduce a prior approval fee for the permitted development right allowing the Crown to develop sites within the perimeter of a closed defence site
build planning capacity and capability within local authorities, including challenges in recruitment and retention, and how these can be addressed
reduce the Planning Guarantee from 26 weeks to 16 weeks for non-major applications
improve the quality of the local authority planning service by monitoring more performance measures.

Respond to the consultation here.

Development Rights

The second consultation ‘Permitted development rights: supporting temporary recreational campsites, renewable energy and film-making’ is seeking views on proposals relating to permitted development rights. This includes changes to existing solar rights.

To support the British energy security strategy, the DLUHC is proposing the introduction of a new right to allow the construction of solar canopies above existing off-street car parks in non-domestic settings.

The consultation also includes a new right which would allow for the temporary use of land for recreational campsites, and proposes changes to the existing rights for film-making and local authority led development.

Respond to the consultation here.

Both consultations will close at 11:45pm on 25 April 2023.

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