Item 8 - Planning Charging Charter
West Dunbartonshire Council · 5 August 2026
Back to Planning Committee — 5 August 2026 and its agenda
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by the Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health Manager Planning Committee: 5th August 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Planning Charging Charter 2026 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek approval of the 2026 Planning Charging Charter to reflect recent changes to planning fees as approved by Full Council as part of the budget setting for 2026/2027. 2. Recommendation 2.1 It is recommended that Planning Committee approves the 2026 Planning Charging Charter to be published on the Council’s website. 3. Background 3.1 The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications (Scotland) Regulations 2022 set out that alongside statutory fees Planning Authorities were able to charge a range of discretionary fees. Some, such as preapplication advice, can be set at the local level, whilst others, such as fees for Non-Material Variations, have their fee set in the regulations and the discretion is around implementing the charge or not. Since its introduction in 2022, all fees set out in the regulations have been subject to an annual inflationary uplift and in 2025 new fees for Local Review Bodies and appeals to The Department of Planning and Environmental Appeals have been introduced. 3.2 At its meeting of 4th March 2026, Council agreed the management adjustments noted in appendix 3 of the General Services Budget Setting 202627 and 20278 Report to be used to set the General Services revenue budget in 2026/2027. This included option 2627 RR06. This option set out a review of income generation and savings associated with fees, in addition to the standard 5% annual uplift. Relevant to the Planning Charging Charter This included: • Review Planning Preapplication Service and Associated Fees (£4,500) • Statutory Local Review Body Fees (£1,500) • Stopping Up Orders (£2,000) 4. Main Issues ITEM 8
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Review Planning Preapplication Service and Associated Fees 4.1 Since the approval of the Council report, officers have been conducting a review of the preapplication charging. Some fees have been subject to only the standard 5% uplift, whilst others have been amended. The full proposed Charging Charter is set out at Appendix 1. . 4.2 The main change is around residential and commercial applications, with an additional tiers of advice to better reflect differing scales of proposals and to reflect the addition fees for reviews. A summary table is provided below. Current Provision Current Fee Change Comment Pre-application advice (Framework) £3,638 None Already subject to annual uplift Preapplication advice on Local developments £605 Split into different categories see below - but remaining as a general category Already subject to annual uplift Preapplication advice on single houses £181 None Already subject to annual uplift Preapplication advice on commercial developments up to 500sqm £181 Increase to £216 To reflect differing scales of development Preapplication advice for householder developments £120 None Already subject to annual uplift Preapplication advice for advertisement proposals £120 None Already subject to annual uplift Request for Non- Material Variation £247 None Fee set in regulations Compliance/Discharge of conditions £124 None Fee set in regulations Retrospective applications Fee calculated in accordance with fee regulations, plus 25% None Already at maximum surcharge as set in regulations Local Developments – Residential (2-9 units) £605 £605 New category Local Developments Residential (11-49 units) £605 £692 New Category Major Developments £3,638* £1,091 New Category
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Fees for Local Review Bodies £0 £varies depending on proposal Fees set in regulations on a sliding scale to reflect proposal. * Major Developments currently reviewed through the Preapplication framework route 4.3 The residential categories have been altered to better reflect the differing scale and complexity between, for example, a smaller 2 unit development and larger 49 unit development, that previously may have been charged the same fee of £605. This excludes development that may have been suitable to be addressed via the Preapplication Framework route. 4.4 In addition, a new category for Major Developments has been introduced. This is to reflect less complex major applications that do not require to be considered via the preapplication framework route. This could include for example, discussions around any smaller scale amendments to a layout, that could not be considered non-material, or discussions around a Section 42 application to alter or remove a condition. Officers will provide advice to applicants prior to an application for advice being made to ensure that the most suitable preapplication type is applied for. 4.5 There are no changes proposed to any current exemptions. For clarity the following exemptions are current set out. • Advice relating to works or alterations to improve access, safety, health or comfort for a disabled person at their home – Note the statutory fee for a planning application is waived in regulations. • Advice relating to works or alterations to proposals that in the opinion of the Planning Authority are demonstrated to support the Council’s food growing strategy – allotments or food banks/hubs – Note that this also extends to any planning application. • Preapplication advice for Community Councils – Note that planning application fees are also reduced by half. Whilst it is not explicitly stated in the current Charging Charter, for the avoidance of doubt, the Proposed Charging Charter also sets out that preapplication advice relating to works that require only Listed Building Consent or Conservation Area Consent area also exempt from fees. The Charging Charter set out in Appendix 1 clarifies that where the statutory fee would be waived, the preapplication fee would also be waived. The Charging Charter does not set out all the exemptions set out in regulations, only those that are in the control of the Planning Authority. 4.6 As part of the review of these fees, regard was given to the current fee charges and a comparison was carried out with neighbouring Glasgow City Region authorities, as well as Argyll and Bute Council, Falkirk Council, Stirling Council and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Preapplication advice and charges for such advice vary considerably across the authorities,
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however, where there are similar charges, the proposed charges are comparable and reflect the types of developments and level of service we can offer. Preapplication advice is generally a well-received service and officers wish to continue to support prospective applicants adequately whilst ensuring that such discretionary activities are resourced sufficiently. Statutory Local Review Body Fees 4.7 Local Review Body fees have a number of exemptions already included in legislation, such as reviews of an application concerning the access for a disabled person and reduced fees for applications by Community Councils. It is open for authorities to consider any further exemptions. In line with existing exemptions around applications for food growing, it is proposed to also extend this exemption to any appeal considered by the Local Review Body. Stopping Up Orders 4.8 Stopping Up Orders are a new charge for 2026/2027. Whilst numbers are small, such applications are currently free and present a cost to the authority in terms of the administration process and required advertising fees. Available data would suggest that many authorities do not charge for this process, or recharge only the cost of the advert. Glasgow City Council would seem to be an exception to this and advertise a flat fee of £1,992. Given the small number of orders processed and lack of direct comparison to other authorities, it is considered that the cost of the advert, plus 10% to account for staffing and other administrative costs related to placing an advert represents an appropriate cost recovery level. Conclusion 4.9 In conclusion, it is considered that the Proposed Charging Charter presented at Appendix 1 fulfils the requirements of the Council’s Budget decision to review income from discretionary planning charges around preapplication advice and reflecting the new statutory provision for charges for Local Review Bodies 5. People Implications 5.1 There are no people implications associated with this report. 6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 The charges set out in the Charging Charter at appendix 1 reflect either the statutory provision set out in regulation or comply with the Council’s Budget decision regarding management adjustment 2627 RR06. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 The Council is unable to implement any revised charging to comply with the Council’s Budget decision until such time as the revised charges are agreed.
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Preapplication advice is currently a chargeable service and this review is not considered to present any unacceptable risk to the Council regarding the use of the service. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 The Equality Impact Assessments for the Council’s Budget Report were reported to Full Council as part of the report on 4th March 2026. 9. Consultation 9.1 Not applicable. 10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 The Charging Charter is considered to be relevant to, and will help deliver, all of the Council’s strategic priorities: • Our Communities – Resilient and Thriving • Our Environment – A Greener Future • Our Economy – Strong and Flourishing • Our Council – Inclusive and Adaptable Michael Mulgrew Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health Manager Date: 5th August 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: Michael Mulgrew, Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health Manager, Michael.mulgrew@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: Appendix 1: Charging Charter 2026 Background Papers: General Services Budget Setting 202627 and 202728- 2030-31 Budget Estimates – West Dunbartonshire Council – 4th March 2026. Wards Affected: All