Planning Application Costs in England: April 2026 Fees

The official April 2026 schedule sets these selected rates:

Application	Fee
Alteration or extension to one existing dwelling	£548
Full application: fewer than 10 new dwellings	£610 per dwelling
Full application: 10–50 new dwellings	£659 per dwelling
Full application: more than 50 dwellings	£32,578 plus £196 per dwelling over 50; maximum £427,537

Three new dwellings: 3 × £610 = £1,830. Ten: 10 × £659 = £6,590. Sixty: £32,578 + 10 × £196 = £34,538. The over-50 band uses its stated base, not 50 multiplied by the preceding rate. These examples assume a straightforward full application without a fee exemption or additional chargeable category.

Write a one-sentence description of the works and the existing lawful use. Confirm whether the application is householder, full, outline, reserved matters, prior approval or another consent. Creating an additional dwelling is not covered by the single-dwelling alteration fee. Do not infer the application route solely from a front door, kitchen or marketing description.

For an outline proposal, establish the relevant site area and category. For floorspace-based categories, use the area definition in the regulations and the correct rounding increment. Do not interchange gross external area, gross internal area and net lettable area. Record the drawing revision behind the measurement so an amended design can be recalculated.

Outline, non-residential floorspace, change of use and prior approval have their own bands. Do not apply the new-dwelling table to them. Nor should you assume that every mixed or hybrid proposal is charged by simply adding two full fees: the fee regulations contain combination rules and caps. The April schedule itself flags an issue concerning the indexation of certain outline applications under regulation 14(2). Confirm an affected calculation with the authority.

Listed building consent itself has no application fee in England; associated planning permission and professional work may still cost money. Tree applications are another reason a generic “all consents cost a fee” assumption fails. Use the fees guidance for the actual category, reductions, exemptions and refund rules.

Do not promise a free second application after withdrawal or refusal. The general “free go” exemption was removed on 6 December 2023, subject to transitional provisions for earlier applications. A fresh 2026 proposal should not be budgeted as free merely because it resembles a refused proposal. The 2023 amending regulations explanatory memorandum explains the change.

The April 2026 indexation was 3.8%; it was not a new 35% blanket uplift in late 2025. Date the estimate, retain its source and check the rate again before submission. If a long programme crosses a future annual update, show an allowance separately rather than presenting an unknown future fee as fixed.

The Atlasly planning fee calculator supports selected English application categories. Enter the proposal type and the units it requests; read the rate date and exclusions beside the result. If the scheme needs a category, combination rule, exemption or concession outside that scope, work through the official schedule and confirm the calculation with the authority.

Send the client the calculation with its assumptions: nation, submission date, application category, dwelling count or measured area, any additional categories and the supporting drawing revision. That makes the estimate reviewable. A calculator does not determine the lawful application route or guarantee validation.