House Builders Association dispute Rise in Planning Application Fees
The government has been met with opposition from the House Builders Association (HBA) over the proposal to increase planning application fees for new construction projects. The HBA has queried the fact that initial measures are not being put in place by local authorities to reduce costs before fees are increases. The priority is supposedly to cut costs but this is not reflected in this new proposal.
The HBA fear that because some local authorities already profit from their planning service, charging others who are inefficient can only result in nurturing a culture of laziness and complacency which is unacceptable, particularly in today’s climate.
The HBA have put forward some recommendations as an alternative to the planning application fees proposal. Firstly, before they can even consider raising fees, local authorities must be forced to reduce costs. “Free riders” should be obligated to pay any further fees that are outside the remit of construction workers. Finally, under no circumstances should fees be increased for house building applications made for two or more homes.
The HBA stress that the government should rethink the proposal as they have already acknowledged that the cost of planning and many other factors are a heavy burden on house builders. The government need to prove that they really are committed to reducing regulation costs, as that is what they promote.