§ Mr. MerchantTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the level of planning application fees to increase; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryFees for planning applications will increase by 15 per cent. from 13 January 1994 and a further 15 per cent. from 3 January 1995. These increases represent another important step towards applicants meeting the full costs incurred by local planning authorities in determining planning applications. Fees remain a very small proportion of overall development costs, and we believe it is right that applicants, rather than the community, should pay for this service. Amending regulations, approved by both Houses, have now been made.
For the future, it is our intention to bring forward legislation, when parliamentary time is available, to allow local planning authorities to set their own fees. A consultation paper will be issued in due course. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland proposes similar arrangement for planning application fees north of the border.
Meanwhile, I have decided that the results of research carried out for my Department by Price Waterhouse on local planning authorities' costs in determining planning applications should be published. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House. The researchers found that some authorities do not have the procedures in place to establish the costs of processing applications. I expect that by the end of the financial year 1995–96, all authorities should be able to identify these costs as a prerequisite to setting their own fees.
Gross expenditure by non-departmental public bodies £ million, 1992–93 prices Non-departmental public bodies 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 Outturn Outturn Outturn Estimates Plans Plans Audit Commission 51.33 63.75 74.30 76.12 N/a N/a British Board of Agrement 4.19 3.93 3.60 3.58 4.38 4.49 Commission for the new towns (including former Development Corporations) 239.50 197.77 166.90 83.39 82.88 73.60 Countryside Commission 27.16 30.74 42.90 42.81 43.11 39.60 English Nature 0.20 31.67 39.60 37.38 N/a N/a Housing Action Trusts Castle Vale — — — 1.94 12.11 16.16 Liverpool — — 0.20 18.40 18.16 22.44 North Hull — 10.25 17.40 28.28 25.79 17.95 Tower Hamlets — — — 8.23 9.22 10.77 Waltham Forest — 0.31 14.60 26.92 35.76 29.98 Housing Corporation 1,462.67 1,894.05 2,529.00 1,948.62 1,620.29 1,533.10 Joint Nature Conservation Committee 0.88 4.14 5.20 4.75 N/a N/a Letchworth Garden City Corporation 2.43 1.97 6.20 6.49 0.00 0.00 Local Government Commission — — 2.10 5.04 7.73 1.35 London Pensions Fund Authority 12.72 11.31 9.53 9.42 9.00 8.60 London Residuary Body 239.77 124.20 76.50 3.39 0.00 0.00 National Rivers Authority 407.01 437.60 433.20 430.01 425.74 411.55 Rural Development Commission 38.49 32.76 35.33 37.09 40.25 N/a United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board — — 0.40 1.16 0.93 0.90 UDCs Birmingham Heartlands — — 5.40 9.59 9.31 9.34 Black Country 37.53 50.72 63.00 58.21 49.35 33.21