Planning Application Cost Calculator
Add up the real cost of a planning application: authority fees, architectural drawings, specialist surveys, consultants and contingency.
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The application fee is the smallest part of getting planning permission. Drawings, structural input, and whatever specialist surveys the authority requires typically cost several times the fee itself, and all of it is spent before anyone decides anything.
This is money at risk. A refusal means the drawings may be reusable and the surveys largely not, which is why understanding the total before starting matters as much as the design.
What it adds up to
Add the authority fee, drawings, engineering input, specialist surveys and any consultant, then apply a contingency for the further information authorities routinely request during determination. Drawings largely survive a refusal and can be revised; surveys and the fee generally do not.
Worked example
An application fee of 600, drawings at 4,500, structural input at 1,200, surveys at 1,800 and a consultant at 2,500 is 10,600, and a 10% contingency brings it to 11,660. The authority fee is only 5% of the total. If refused, roughly 5,390 is lost outright, and a revised resubmission costs around 4,015.
Pre-application advice is usually worth it
Most authorities offer a paid pre-application service, and it costs a fraction of a refused application. It reveals the objections early, when the design can still change cheaply, rather than after the drawings are finished.
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Create your free property pageFrequently asked questions
Which surveys might be required?
It depends entirely on the site — ecology and protected species, trees, drainage and flood risk, heritage, archaeology, ground contamination, transport. The authority validation list says which apply, so check it before commissioning anything.
What happens to the money if I am refused?
The fee is not refunded and most surveys are specific to the scheme. Drawings can usually be revised for a resubmission at a fraction of the original cost, and many authorities allow one free resubmission within a set period.
Is a planning consultant worth the cost?
On anything contentious, usually yes. They know the local policy framework and the officers, and a well-argued application that anticipates objections is far more likely to succeed at the first attempt.
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