The report sets out the Council’s Planning and Building Control non-statutory fees and charges.  Planning fees are set by central government and building fees continue to be led by market conditions.

It is also proposed to review the planning pre-application charging schedule on a quarterly basis and make adjustments to those fees where appropriate, to reflect the quality of service and resources provided.  Otherwise, building control fees and other non-statutory fees will be reviewed on an annual basis.

There are no proposed fee increases to either Building Control, Local Land Charges, or to photocopying charges.

Cllr Hubbard queried why Design Panel Review Fees where listed as “negotiable” in the Appendix.  Mr Drane explained that this is due to the potential for variance in terms of officers involved (hourly rate) and resource required as each session is tailored to the proposed scheme.  Further guidance will be made available on the Council web-site.

A motion was MOVED by Cllr McCheyne and SECONDED by Cllr Ms Rowland to approve the recommendation in the report.

A vote was taken by a show of hands and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY that:

1.            That all Planning and Building Control non-statutory fees and charges, and Local Land Charges fees, are reviewed annually; and that Planning pre-application fees are reviewed quarterly; to be revised where appropriate as agreed by the Chief Executive and the Chair of Planning and Licensing Committee.

REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION

Ongoing budget constraints facing the public sector continue to be a factor in Council services seeking to generate income wherever possible to contribute to the provision of high quality services to residents and businesses.  At this juncture it is not considered that an increase to non-statutory fees and charges is required, but this should continue to be reviewed on a regular basis and adjusted to reflect both the level of demand from the development industry and the Council’s resources to provide a high standard of service.  It is therefore proposed that all Planning and Building Control non-statutory fee income continues to be ring-fenced to the Planning and Development service area in order to justify charges and reassure applicants that the service they are paying for will be delivered.

Local Land Charge fees, having regard to the 1975 Act, are considered to be at a level that addresses the level of resource required to provide the demands of the service at cost.  HMRC have confirmed that VAT at 20% is to be imposed on the CON29 element of the search from 1 January 2017 and the fees reflect this.  The fees have been reviewed in order to ensure that a cost recovery service is maintained and will be reviewed in line with any future legislative changes.