They pay for different things: the national planning fee schedule, building control charging arrangements and CIL rules are separate. [1] [2] [3]
The planning application fee
From 1 April 2026, the national fee for an application to enlarge, improve or otherwise alter a single dwellinghouse is £548. That is an example of a defined application category, not a universal fee for all work to residential property. Check the correct category before paying. [1]
Keep any submission-platform service charge and your agent's fee on separate budget lines. Ask whoever submits the application to explain the total payable and supply the relevant receipts, rather than describing the entire payment as a council fee.
Changes to check before submitting
In its letter of 21 July 2026, MHCLG announced further planning fee reforms with an intended commencement date of 8 December 2026, subject to Parliamentary approval. Use the final published fee schedule applicable on your submission date rather than budgeting from the announcement alone. [4]
Annual fee indexation is also an established mechanism. Re-check the official schedule for applications made from 1 April 2027 rather than assuming a future uplift or pound amount. [5]
Building control charges
Council building control charges depend on matters such as the work and the inspections needed. A registered building control approver sets its own agreed charges. Obtain a quotation for the actual proposal and check what happens if the scope changes. [2]
Ask whether the price covers the complete building control service, what information is needed to fix the charge and when payments fall due. A planning application payment does not purchase building control approval.
Community Infrastructure Levy
Where a charging schedule applies, CIL can be relevant to additional floorspace of 100 square metres or more, or a new dwelling even below that size. Exemptions and reliefs have their own conditions. An eligible homeowner's extension exemption must be claimed and granted before commencement; it should not be assumed from the description “home extension”. [3]
In London, check both borough CIL and Mayoral CIL. The Mayor's published 2026 summary confirms that London planning authorities collect Mayoral CIL and that rates are indexed for the calendar year of permission. Do not use an unindexed historic rate as the current bill. [6]
Ask the council for a project-specific liability assessment and keep the assumptions, exemption decisions and payment notices with the approved scheme.
Other development charges
From 1 October 2026, the Building Safety Levy applies to relevant residential development through the building control process, with exemptions including qualifying small developments. A new-housing project needs a separate levy check; the levy is not the ordinary building control fee or CIL. [7]
For your budget, request a schedule showing the charging body, basis of calculation, VAT treatment where relevant, due date and outstanding information for every charge. Avoid assigning a zero simply because a charge has not yet been calculated.