From 1 April 2026, an application to enlarge, improve or alter a single dwellinghouse normally costs £548. That is the application fee, not the price of preparing drawings or the total cost of obtaining every approval. [1][2]
Current fees for common projects
The English fee schedule effective from 1 April 2026 includes these charges:
- £548 for enlargement, improvement or alteration of a single dwellinghouse.
- £272 for qualifying operations within a dwellinghouse's curtilage for purposes ancillary to its enjoyment, rather than alterations to the house itself.
- £610 per dwelling for a full application creating fewer than ten new dwellings.
- £249 for the larger home-extension prior-approval procedure.
- £260 per dwelling for Class MA commercial-to-residential prior approval. [1]
These are different fee categories, not alternative prices for the same application. A rear extension to a house is not charged at the cheaper curtilage-operations rate simply because it occupies garden land. Alterations to a single flat also attract a published £548 fee, but use the full planning route rather than a householder application. [1]
Certificates, exemptions and mixed proposals
For a certificate confirming that proposed works or a proposed use would be lawful, the fee is generally half the corresponding planning application fee. An existing-use or existing-works certificate generally attracts the full equivalent fee. Check the schedule against the exact description; the word “certificate” does not identify one universal price. [1]
The fee rules also contain exemptions and reductions. Check eligibility before paying rather than assuming every application has a charge, or that a previous payment automatically covers a revised submission. National guidance explains the rules for calculating fees, refunds and exemptions; the current schedule supplies the amounts. [3]
For a proposal combining different operations, ask the council to confirm the appropriate calculation. Keep the written fee confirmation with the submitted description and drawings. This gives the project team a clear record if the scope subsequently changes. [3]
What to include in the wider budget
Keep the statutory planning fee separate from pre-application advice, design work, specialist reports and building-control charges. CIL is also a different charge: it is assessed under its own charging schedules and exemptions, not included in the planning application fee. [4][2][5]
A useful budget sheet therefore identifies each payment, who receives it, which application or service it covers, and when the amount was checked. Do not describe the planning fee as an all-inclusive “council approval” price.
Proposed changes later in 2026
MHCLG's letter of 21 July 2026 says revised national planning fees are intended to apply from 8 December 2026, subject to Parliamentary approval. Its July consultation response also describes wider local fee-setting reforms. Use the operative fee schedule for your submission date rather than substituting an announced future amount. [6][7]
Check that the December regulations have been approved and commenced before using their rates. Recheck the operative fee schedule before submitting; the figures above are the April 2026 charges and may change. [8]