Council propose to charge for planning advice

Until recently, West Berkshire Council has provided free consultation on plans for proposed developments, but at a meeting this Thursday (September 27) councillors will vote as to whether the council should charge for providing such advice.
In a statement released to the Newbury Weekly News the council said the current process involves a considerable amount of officers’ time and therefore cost to the local authority.
According to the council the West Berkshire Development Industry Forum, which includes representatives from property developers, consultants, architects, and solicitors, has agreed that payment for pre-application planning consultation with public sector planning officers would be acceptable.
The district council has proposed to charge applicants on a sliding scale.
Charges would range from £60 to a householder wanting to develop their property to £1,150 for major commercial development, and £1,350 for developers wanting to build more than 200 houses.
There will be further charges for any follow-up meetings with the council.
West Berkshire Council’s public relations manager, Keith Ulyatt, said the local authority is not sure how much income pre-application planning advice charges will generate for the council.
"It is not possible to calculate possible income since, as always, the future number of planning applications cannot be predicted, nor would we be able to predict the take of the planning advice service,” he added.
Mr Ulyatt reminded potential applicants that pre-planning advice is optional and not necessary for the submission of a planning application.
If councillors decide to support the idea at a meeting at the council chamber on Thursday it will be trialled for six months, with an assessment made by the council at the end of this period.