Today the Minister for Local Government and Housing announced that, as of 1 June 2017, planning fees will be increasing in Scotland.

The finer details are set to follow, but the headlines are:
• The fee maximum for full planning applications will increase to £125,000, and for PPP applications up to £62,000.
• This is an approximate increase of 525% for full planning, and approximately 520% for PPP.

What does this means for the industry?

There is general acceptance that planning fees in Scotland were too low, especially in comparison to south of the border. However, did anyone really expect such a significant increase? Perhaps more of a surprise is the fact this has been introduced before the outcome of the latest planning reforms have been announced. Will the 500% increase in fees result in a similar increase in the level of service and determination time? This is unlikely in the short term, and if this money continues to go straight into the general coffers of the Council, rather than frontline planning services where it is needed, then it raises a real issue for investors and developers.

One thing you can guarantee out of this is that there will be a high volume of applications being submitted up until the 31 May!

For any further information on the announcement, or to discuss how this could affect your business, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. We’d be delighted to speak with you.