Results of a recently released poll have shown that the majority of MPs believe that fees for planning applications should increase. 

The ComRes poll, commissioned by the British Property Federation (BPF), shows that three in five (61%) MPs broadly agree that fees should increase, with around half (47%) saying that they should increase with stronger guarantees on planning performance. The results reveal cross-party support for an increase in fees, with 65% of Labour and 61% of Conservative MPs supporting the idea. 

The results show that Parliamentarians recognise that there is a problem, alongside the property industry and local authorities. The BPF and GL Hearn’s 2015 Annual Planning Survey revealed that 55% of local planning authorities perceived under-resourcing to be a significant challenge, and that approximately two thirds (65%) of applicants are happy to pay more to shorten waiting times.

Melanie Leech, chief executive at the BPF, commented: “The public and private sectors have both been very clear about the need for more resourcing in local authority planning departments, and we now know that there is political understanding of this issue as well. 

“We are supportive of the small steps that government is taking to address this, but are not holding out hope for any great impact. Some local authority planning departments are simply short staffed, putting those who remain under enormous strain. Outsourcing the processing of planning applications is likely to relieve this burden to an extent, but it is not going to solve the chronic shortage of skills and resource that is the true problem.”