Following the national fee changes in April 2022, there are two further important changes to planning fees specific to Edinburgh.
To reflect these changes, we have created a Planning Fees Charter which is now available on our website.
Below is a summary of the changes:
Retrospective Applications
A retrospective application is an application for planning permission for a development which has already commenced or has been completed without planning permission.
Retrospective applications often result from Enforcement enquiries but can also be the result of other factors. A surcharge on retrospective applications is being introduced to provide a means of recovering some of the costs of carrying out enforcement investigations.
From 1 October 2022, Edinburgh Council will be imposing the maximum 25% surcharge allowed by the regulations.
As an example, an average householder application for a summerhouse in retrospect, would mean the normal application fee of £300 plus a further 25% (£75).
If you are submitting a retrospective application, it is important that you highlight this at the time of submission.
The surcharge will not be calculated when an application is submitted on e-planning.scot. This is because e-planning is a national service which does not consider individual charges by local authorities. This will mean that the extra fee will be requested when your application is registered. If the required surcharge is not paid, your application will not be progressed to determination.
Reduced Fees
Starting immediately, Edinburgh Council will reduce the fee by 25% for applications which relates to development which
Applications must meet both the above criteria to be considered for an exemption.
The amount levied will depend on the type of application. For example, a £300 fee would be reduced to £225.
The full statutory fee should be paid when the application is submitted. The Council will make a decision on receipt of an application as to whether a 25% reduction is applicable and will refund the applicant accordingly.
Prospective applicants should make clear in their supporting information if they are seeking a reduction in the application fee.
Clear justification should be given for why the applicant believes that a reduction in the fee is applicable.
Fees for planning applications set by the Scottish Government change today for almost all application types.
This means everything submitted to us from today onwards is affected, including:
Amongst the changes, standard ‘householder’ fees increase from £202 to £300, whilst the standard fee for construction of a new dwelling increases from £401 to £600.
Using the ePlanning.scot Fee Calculator is the easiest way to calculate a fee, and can be used without having to log in or to submit an application.
Once you know your correct fee, paying is also easy, and can be done whilst submitting your application on ePlanning.scot.
For those applicants or agents who need to make an additional payment, or for applicants who may wish to pay after their agent has submitted, you can also pay for your planning application online using this link (for a quick guide to using this payment system, have a look at this blog post from November 2020.)
In addition, fees for pre-application advice are changing on 1 April – details can be found here.
Fees for planning applications set by the Scottish Government change on 1 April 2022 for almost all application types. This means everything submitted to us on or after 1 April 2022 will be affected including:
Amongst the changes, the standard ‘householder’ fee increases from £202 to £300, whilst the standard fee for the construction of one new house increases from £401 to £600.
Details of the changes including information on concessions are set out by The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (Scotland) Regulations 2022.
Making sure that you calculate your fee correctly will make the validation process quicker and will help avoid delays with your application.
Once you know your correct fee, paying is also easy, and can be done whilst submitting your application using ePlanning.scot.
