New planning fees proposed as six in 10 applications invalid in East Devon

A range of new and increased planning fees could be coming to East Devon, partly driven by the high number of invalid applications.

A range of new and increased planning fees could be coming to East Devon, partly driven by the high number of invalid applications.
More than six in 10 planning applications submitted to East Devon District Council are incorrect in some way, with the cost of following up errors being dubbed a drain on resources.
The council said it spent time and money registering and validating applications, and that for those where there is incomplete information or a document missing, it sends a letter to the applicant explaining the errors.
After 21 days, a reminder is sent, and then 21 days after that. If no new information is submitted, the application is returned and the fee refunded.
However, the council is proposing a 10 per cent fee for returned applications, with a minimum of £80 and a maximum of £500.
This is part of a wider range of new potential fees, largely around pre-application advice. These would enable people to pay the council for advice before submitting an application, which should lead to fewer errors and fewer applications not meeting planning policies.
It will also offer support about environmental issues, known as biodiversity net gain.
The price of a planning application is not controlled by councils. Fees are set by central government, and many are set to double on Tuesday 1 April.
For instance, a single dwelling application fee will rise from £258 to £528.
East Devon said it charges some pre-application fees already, but haven’t changed since 2017. Different levels are available, with lower charges for a simple desktop search by planning officers through to a full service that could include site visits.
Because of this, some proposed fees are rising steeply.
For example, pre-application advice on a single dwelling or minor development could nearly triple from £180 now to a proposed £500.
And for major developments of between 10 and 49 homes, it could be quadrupling from £600 to £2,400.
Some applicants will be eligible for reduced fees or even some free services. For instance, affordable housing applications will be able to have a free meeting and then half-price charges for pre-application advice, while disabled residents will be able to get a free one-hour meeting and one written response, followed by a 50 per cent discount for subsequent services.
Ed Freeman, a council planning officer, said the proposed charges had been calculated to help it recover its costs, and had been benchmarked with other councils.
“We have reviewed our fees and charges, and looked at the service level and the main changes are on pre-application advice, with three levels of customer service now from a desktop assessment through to a full service offer,” he told East Devon’s cabinet last week.
“Some customers just want a brief phone conversation with an officer for a quick steer.”
Mr Freeman added that the charges would be reviewed annually if approved.
Cllr Mike Goodman (Conservative, Sidmouth Sidford) acknowledged it made sense to increase the fees given they hadn’t gone up since 2017, but questioned the extent, with some fees “going up by 400 per cent”.
“Can we justify that?” he asked.
Cllr Ian Barlow (Independent, Sidmouth Town) thought the rates ought to rise as long as it provided value.
“I believe in charging well, but then you have got to deliver a good service as if you are getting extra money from the customer, you need to be providing a quality service,” he said.
“And on returned applications, which are incomplete, I would charge a 20 per cent fee as it involves a lot of work to check applications.”
East Devon’s full council meeting will discuss the proposed increased planning fees at its next meeting in April.