Application fees

Applicants are charged for:

  • Applications for authorisation under sections 52 and 53 of the Planning Act 2008, obtaining information about interests in land and rights of entry
  • Venue costs, where the Applicant does not provide a venue for a hearing
  • A fee to accompany the application (the ‘Acceptance fee’)
  • An initial payment in respect of the handling of an application (payable at the beginning of the Examination stage, following the Preliminary Meeting)
  • A final payment in respect of the handling of an application (payable on completion of the Examination stage)

Fee Charges

In April 2017, amendment regulations came into force which increased the fees associated with applications for development consent for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). In addition it provided for an annual increase in line with the previous September’s Consumer Price Index. Therefore, fees for applications for development consent will increase by 3% on 1 April 2018.

The table below shows the fees payable from 1 April 2018 for existing and new applications. The Infrastructure Planning (Fees) Regulations 2010 and subsequent amendments can be viewed at legislation.gov.uk

DescriptionFee
Fee in respect of applications for authorisation under sections 52 and 53
A request for authorisation under section 52(2) (information about interests in land). £1,545
A request for authorisation under section 53(1) (rights of entry).£1,545
Fee in respect of venue costs
Where the applicant does not provide a venue for a hearing to be held, the Planning Inspectorate may charge a fee in respect of the reasonable costs it incurs in respect of that hearing, or where the hearing has been arranged but does not take place, the costs reasonably incurred in respect of those arrangements.The Applicant will be notified of the amount of the fee
Fee to accompany application
The Planning Inspectorate must charge the Applicant a fee in respect of the decision by the Secretary of State under section 55 (Acceptance of applications) whether or not to accept the application. The fee must accompany the application.£6,939
Pre-examination fee
Following a decision under section 61 (Initial choice of Panel or single Inspector) the Planning Inspectorate must notify the Applicant in writing of the Pre-examination fee. The Pre-examination fee is:-
  • Single Inspector
  • Panel of two Inspectors
  • Panel of three Inspectors
  • Panel of more than three Inspectors
  • £20,085
  • £33,218
  • £46,350
  • £66,435
*Initial payment in respect of the handling of an application
The fee payable is dependent upon the number of days estimated to be required for examining the application and the number of Inspectors handling the application.
  • Where an examination is handled by a single Inspector


  • Where an examination is handled by a panel of two Inspectors


  • Where an examination is handled by a panel of three Inspectors


  • Where an examination is handled by a panel of more than three Inspectors
  • £950 per estimated relevant day
  • £1,510 per estimated relevant day
  • £2,070 per estimated relevant day
  • £3,152 per estimated relevant day
Final payment in respect of the handling of an application
Following notification of the completion of the Examination stage under section 99.
The final payment is dependent on the number of days actually required for the examination:-
  • Where a single Inspector has examined the application

  • Where a panel of two Inspectors has examined the application


  • Where a panel of three Inspectors has examined the application

  • Where a panel of more than three Inspectors has examined the application
  • £1,900 per relevant day*
  • £3,021 per relevant day*
  • £4,141 per relevant day*
  • £6,304 per relevant day*
*Less the initial payment

Details of fees for applications submitted before 6 April 2018 are on our archive fees page.