10 August 2026 Dan Foster - Director & Chartered Town Planner
With significant increases to statutory planning application fees coming into force in December 2026, obtaining timely professional advice early in the process is becoming ever more valuable for anyone contemplating or preparing a planning application.
As annual inflationary fee increases are also expected to continue, applicants could see planning fees rise more than once over the next 12 months.
A well-prepared application can help minimise delays, reduce the likelihood of additional submissions, and improve the overall prospect of a successful outcome.
Our planning-led architectural design team can help you prepare planning applications that are policy compliant, so that you can achieve the results you seek in the fastest and most cost-effective way possible.
The changes form part of a wider programme, aimed at improving cost recovery for local planning authorities. The stated objective is clear: additional income should help planning departments improve resourcing, reduce delays and deliver a more responsive planning service.
However, many in the development industry will rightly ask whether higher fees will actually translate into faster decision-making.
The revised fee structure has been designed so that approximately 90% of the estimated cost of processing planning applications will be recovered. This new fee structure will replace the current fee schedule until a future system of locally-set planning fees is introduced.
Perhaps one of the most significant longer-term changes is the move towards locally set planning fees.
Rather than each individual authority charging identical national fees, councils will eventually be able to increase planning application fees by up to 30% above the National Default Fee Schedule, provided they can demonstrate that the increase is justified by local costs.
Authorities seeking to charge above this threshold will need approval from the Secretary of State.
While this approach could allow councils facing greater financial pressures to recover more of their costs, it may also create greater variation in planning fees across England.
For homeowners, developers and landowners, higher planning application fees are becoming an unavoidable part of the planning process.
Although the increased costs are likely to be significant, the success of these reforms will ultimately depend on whether local planning authorities are able to use the additional income to improve service quality, reduce determination times and provide greater certainty for applicants.
At the same time, the move towards locally set fees suggests that planning costs may increasingly vary between local authorities over the coming years.
Planning reforms continue to evolve. Understanding how fee changes interact with wider policy updates is becoming increasingly important.
At Salmon Planning + Architecture, our chartered planning consultants work with homeowners, landowners and developers across the South West to prepare robust planning applications, provide strategic planning advice and guide projects through every stage of the planning process.
Whether you're considering a new residential development, a rural diversification scheme or a commercial project, our team can help you understand the likely planning costs and develop the most effective planning strategy.
Get in touch with Salmon Planning + Architecture to discuss your project and receive expert planning advice tailored to your site and objectives.
5.0 rating of 17 reviews
I was extremely pleased by the service provided by Dan Foster at Salmon Planning Company. He provided advice in relation to securing planning approval for the conversion of a barn to a residential annexe, leading to a swift and successful outcome. His advice was timely, thorough and well reasoned and his effective communication with the planning authority led to an outcome which would not otherwise have been likely. The support provided proved to be money well spent.
I was very pleased with the services and advice provided by Salmon Planning. I also thought the in-house architecture / drawing service worked well - saving costs, time and generally making things far more efficient. We managed to easily secure consent for something that I thought might be fraught with issues. Nigel is also very well informed on local / Somerset matters. Highly recommend!
Dan and the rest of his team at Salmon Planning were consumate professionals, dealing with every aspect of a sensitive, high profile, listed, town centre development, in a conservation area. Always available for every question I had … and I had a lot.I would, without a doubt ,call upon them for any future planning projects and would have no reservation whatsoever in recommending. Unquestionably 5 star - thank you.
I have found Salmon Planning to be a well-run, professional planning company who have always strived to go above and beyond to help their clients achieve their objectives.I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
We worked with Dan and Matt at Salmon Planning Company to secure planning permission for a double garage, workshop, and gym/yoga room. From start to finish, they were incredibly professional, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. Their advice on both the planning and design stages was excellent, and they made the whole process smooth and stress-free. Highly recommend their services!
It has been a real pleasure working with Matt and the team at Salmon Planning + Architecture. Throughout the process they have been consistently professional, prompt to respond, and genuinely helpful at every stage. A great team to work with, which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
We had the pleasure of working with Matt and Dan from Salmon planning recently. They dealt with our planning application for a wrap around kitchen extension from idea to submission. They listened and came up with very helpful input. They are a useful mix of knowledgeable, practical and creative. They made the process straightforward, seamless and enjoyable. They dealt with all the laborious paperwork and liaised with other relevant bodies, leaving us to just contribute to the ideas and design. They are both extremely amiable and a pleasure to deal with. The process was affordable and I feel I got great value for money. Use them, you will be pleased you did.
I’ve been using Dan Foster and his team for over 2 years now on my property developments, the level of service, support, and professionalism of each member forever seems to impress! They have saved me many times, highlighting (potentially expensive) issues I had missed and always listen to my ideas and questions with great patience . I cannot recommend this company more highly , if you need reliable advice/designs from a team for your projects definitely give Salmon Planning a call. They will tell you everything in black and white and explain all you need to know regarding the complete planning process from start to finish.
Salmon Planning have secured planning permission for me for both holiday lodges and a new build pub and restaurant as well as for a new dwelling. The Salmon Planning team’s skill at handling complex planning applications and securing successful outcomes has been excellent. I would happily recommend their planning and architectural design teams.
I regularly contact Nigel Salmon for information and advice. He, and his colleagues, are always friendly and rapidly provide excellent advice and services. As a Chartered Surveyor myself, I appreciate the professionalism of this firm.
Excellent end-to-end experience and advice for our listed property in Brighton. Would highly recommend
The Salmon Planning Team assisted me with an assessment of development potential in the Conservation Area of a rural Oxfordshire village. The advice I received was extremely helpful both in its decisiveness and clarity and backed up by a very useful written report. I would be happy to recommend the company for those looking for a very experienced and professional planning-led team. I wish I had contacted a planning-led architectural firm first off rather than having expensive plans drawn up by an architect and then refused by the Local Authority! It would have been a much cheaper exercise.
Prompt, professional and client-focused. Would highly recommend Salmon Planning, thank you!
Excellent all round service from Nigel and his knowledgeable and experienced team. I have recommended them to many people in the past and will continue to do so in the future as they listen, understand and work with clients to deliver achievable results.
