The Planning Portal has introduced updates for planning applications in England. These include the launch of SmartApply features and a new banded pricing structure for the portal's service charge. These changes are intended to provide relevant information earlier in the application process and standardize online submission fees based on project scale.
Application Preparation Tools
The update introduces tools designed to clarify requirements before an application is submitted to an English Local Planning Authority (LPA).
Householder Insights: A tool that provides property-specific planning data based on a postcode. It displays the property's planning history, nearby planning activity, and local or national constraints (such as Green Belt boundaries or Conservation Areas). It also offers an assessment of the likelihood of approval for common homeowner projects.
Ask Navi: An interactive guidance tool that explains planning rules and permitted development rights to assist with application preparation.
Site Constraints: The system identifies local and national constraints earlier in the process, allowing applicants to view them prior to submitting formal plans.
Document Handling: The interface for formatting, uploading, and attaching site plans and supporting documents has been updated.
Building Control Integration: The system provides a direct route into Building Control, linking the planning permission stage with the building regulations approval process.
Banded Pricing for Online Submissions
The Planning Portal is implementing a banded pricing model for its online service charge. This is separate from the statutory planning application fees (such as the £548 householder fee), which are set nationally for all of England.
England and Wales Applications: The portal processes online applications for England and Wales; the new service charge banding applies to these submissions.
Fee Exemption Threshold: The portal’s service charge does not apply to smaller projects where the statutory planning application fee is £100 or less.
Scaled Service Charge: For applications that meet the fee threshold, the portal's service charge is determined by a banded structure rather than a flat rate. Standard householder applications are placed in a lower pricing band, while larger residential or commercial developments are placed in higher bands corresponding to the scale and type of the project. Paper applications submitted directly to an LPA by post do not incur the portal's service charge.