Pre-application planning fees
Level 1
| Level of pre-application planning advice | Fixed fees |
|---|---|
| Householders: advice on house extensions | £180 + VAT = £216 |
| Small businesses and developers: advice on building works and change of use where the floor area involved is up to 200 sq m | £180 + VAT = £216 |
| Proposals for Local Community Uses (free for up to 200 sq m) | £166 + VAT = £199 |
| Advertisements | £280 + VAT = £336 |
| Telecommunication installations | £280 + VAT = £336 |
| Listed building consent | £166 + VAT = £199 |
| Trees and landscaping | £166 + VAT = £199 |
| Works to trees covered by Tree Preservation Order or in a conservation area | £166 + VAT = £199 |
Meetings or follow up advice: charged at £104.60 + VAT per hour = £125.52
Target for response in writing: 8 weeks
Level 2
Level 2 – For advice on development that would fall within in the “Minor Development” category of planning applications. Non-residential development with floor area between 201 m2 to 1,000 m2 or new residential development up to 9 dwellings.
| Level of pre-application planning advice by size | Fixed fees |
|---|---|
| 201 – 499 sq m | £600 + VAT = £720 |
| 500 – 1,000 sq m | £1,000 + VAT = £1,200 |
| 1 – 9 dwellings | £462.50 + VAT = £555 per dwelling |
One up to 1 hour meeting included in fee. Subsequent meetings charged at an hourly rate based on number of officers involved.
Target for response in writing: 8 weeks
Level 3
Level 3 – All major development type pre-application enquiries will be dealt with at Level 3.
Level 3A – Advice on schemes that fall in the “Small Major Development” category for planning applications (1,000 m2 and 5,000 m2 or 10 – 19 dwellings).
Level 3B – Advice on schemes that fall in the “Large Major Development” category for planning applications (5,000+ m2 or 20+ dwellings).
| Level 3A of pre-application planning advice | Small Major Developments comprising 10 – 19 dwellings or 1,000+ m2 for other proposals |
| Fee for introductory meeting with relevant officers, scoping of the advice required and initial response | £4,000 + VAT = £4,800 |
| 1,001 m2 5,000 m2 | £2000 + VAT = £2,400 |
| 10 – 19 Dwellings | £462.50 + VAT = £555 per dwelling |
Subsequent meetings charged at an hourly rate based on number of officers involved. Written report provided within 8 weeks of scoping meeting.
| Level 3B of pre-application planning advice | For Large Major Development comprising 20+ dwellings or 5,000+ m2 for other proposals |
| Fee for introductory meeting with relevant officers, scoping of the advice required and initial response | £4,000 + VAT = £4,800 |
| 5,000 m2 plus | £4000 + VAT = £4,800 |
| 20 + Dwellings | £462.50 + VAT = £555 per dwelling |
Subsequent meetings charged at an hourly rate based on number of officers involved. Written report provided within 8 weeks of scoping meeting.
| Planning Performance Agreements for Level 3 applications | Available for Major Development comprising 20+ dwellings or 5,000+ m2 for other proposals |
|---|---|
| Planning Performance Agreements for Major Development schemes | £4,000 + VAT = £4,800 for initial meeting £10,000 + VAT = £12,000 minimum charge |
Meetings or follow up: if additional meetings required the fee will be by negotiation based on number of officers/consultees required to provide the advice or to process the application.
Target for response in writing: by negotiation.
Viability charges
The council will require the applicant to cover the council’s costs in assessing viability assessments. This includes both the internal management costs associated with the viability assessment and the cost of any external reports or advice required. The applicant should submit their assessment with the planning application or pre-application enquiry and send a copy to the council’s valuer at planning.viability@reading.gov.uk requesting a fee quote. The council’s internal costs, the viability management fee, will be applied at 20% of the net of VAT cost of the external viability review fee. The fees will need to be paid to the council’s valuer before assessment can proceed. The applicant, and their appointed agents, are expected to positively engage with the council and their external consultants, and provide accurate and transparent information and evidence, on an open book basis. If the review and subsequent discussions become protracted, and further costs are incurred as part of this process, the applicant will also incur the extra costs associated with this.
All payments should be made via the council’s website as instructed by the council’s valuer.
Should the council agree that the proposed scheme cannot support full policy compliant affordable housing contributions, either on site or a payment in lieu of affordable housing, then further a review stage will be required to assess whether the scheme has been more profitable than at the initial viability assessment, this will be implemented via a s106 legal agreement. In order to discharge the s106 viability clause, the internal viability management fee will be payable (at the same rate as at the initial viability review plus indexation) to cover the Councils costs the review the information provided. If the information provided by the applicant is not sufficient, and further costs are incurred from external consultants, including but not limited to viability consultants, cost consultants, external valuers, these costs will also be paid by the applicant.
All pre-application planning fees are subject to VAT.
Last updated on 01/12/2025
Pre-application planning fees