Statutory application fees
The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) Regulations set fees nationally. For a single replacement dwelling householder application £578; full or outline detailed application for a new dwelling £924[Planning Portal]. Fees uprated by ~7% in April 2025; a further inflation-linked uplift is mooted for late 2026 but not yet enacted as of 21 June 2026.
Pre-application consultation
Most authorities charge £250 to £1,000+ for a written pre-app, with senior-officer pre-apps higher. Always worth it for replacement dwellings on Green Belt, AONB, or conservation-area plots; a pre-app letter that signals support before you spend on architect Stage 2 is the single best risk-reducer in the project.
Section 80 demolition notice
Building Act 1984 section 80 requires written notice to the local authority before demolition starts[Building Act 1984]. No fee; the authority has 6 weeks to respond with a Section 81 counter-notice setting site conditions (party-wall protection, dust, hours).
Determination period and common refusals
8 weeks statutory for householder, 13 weeks for major. In practice 12-20 weeks for replacement dwellings once consultee responses are factored in. Common refusal grounds: out-of-scale design (NPPF Para 84 test), Green Belt openness, AONB landscape impact, biodiversity net gain non-compliance, highways access. A good pre-app catches all five.