The Government claims it is cutting red tape to create the ‘biggest building boom’ in a generation. 

But I’m forking out £20,000 in fees just to do a bog-standard home renovation – before the work has started!

I’ve paid thousands for expert advice to get planning permission, for a householder application, a planning portal processing fee, building regulation plans, noise-impact assessments... the list goes on.

What’s more, many of these fees leapt up on April 1 – one by more than 100 per cent.

It all started last spring when my family moved into what we hope will be our forever home. It’s a pretty 1930s four-bed detached house on a non-through road on the outskirts of London.

But there’s black mould in most rooms and the fixtures and fittings are best described as old, broken or weird.

Planning purgatory: Laura Whitcombe outside her family home, which needs updating

A kitchen extension, garage conversion and a new ensuite bedroom are all on the to-do list.

But we’re not embarking on a Grand Design. There’s not even a loft extension. So I’ve been taken aback by how expensive planning permission is. 

And it’s not just because I live in the capital. Most of the costs are fixed nationally or set at similar levels across the country.

‘While homeowners and buyers are aware that the cost of building work has soared since the pandemic, they often don’t realise how expensive planning permission and everything it requires can be,’ says Victoria Killick, who runs the Surrey estate agent FarleyWood.

She warns: ‘It’s crucial to be aware of these costs to avoid spending more on a project than the value the improvement work would add to the property.’

In my case, the value added by doing the work will more than offset the build cost and eye-watering bills for all planning-related matters.

Here’s what I’ve paid – and the hidden fees you need to be aware of before you start on a building project:

Design services

First, I needed a measurement survey of the house and plot and a design for the extension and remodel. 

This included input from a planning consultant to check the design against the local authority’s preferences.

Services and costs vary greatly. One architect would only take me on if they did the design and project-managed the build, taking a percentage of the total construction cost – a fee of tens of thousands of pounds.

Instead, I went with a company charging £3,468, including VAT.

Application fees

The architect had to submit the plan – the ‘householder application’ – to the local authority via an online planning portal. 

This cost £258 (no VAT, but the price rose to £528 from April 1) and a processing fee of £70 (which has increased to £85 since April 1).

The portal used to be run by the tech firm TerraQuest Solutions and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG). Now a private company, its profits rose 20 per cent to £1.2 million in 2023.

The fees look set to rise by 10 per cent each year. But what is the extra money going on?

‘There’s certainly been no improvement in quality or speed of the process for homeowners,’ says Ellen Cullen, a planning consultant at Fluent Architectural Design Services in Surrey.

Indeed, there are said to be planning staff shortages across councils, and my application took 11 weeks – three weeks longer than the council said it would be.

Rules: Plans must be approved by a building control body to ensure builds meet safety and energy standards

Structural report

It’s wise to wait until planning permission is granted before commissioning the calculations to avoid having to pay for any amendments. 

However, with a typical lead time of five weeks to have the calculations drawn up, and the estimated eight-week wait for my planning decision, I decided to have them done as soon as I submitted my plans.

Happily, we were granted permission with no changes needed.

The structural calculations cost £3,600, including VAT, and were done by an engineering firm, which also carried out plans to make sure the project passes building regulations at a cost of £3,096.

Building control

These plans must be approved by a building control body to ensure builds meet safety and energy standards. Certificates of compliance are required when homes are sold. 

There are two types of building control bodies – local authorities or building control approvers, which are private firms.

I’ve been told to expect a bill of £1,500 (including VAT) if I go the local authority route, plus a ‘service processing fee’ of £150 plus VAT. This can take up to eight weeks.

Going privately can secure an approval in five working days, and I’ve had quotes for between £1,800 and £2,000 (including VAT).

Elizabeth Windsor, of the West Sussex design and build company Create Spaces, says 70 per cent of clients opt to go private.

Party wall plan

The most significant other cost I’ve incurred so far. It protects homeowners from damage caused by (or claims of damage related to) work to a neighbouring property.

It’s required because I will be building walls and foundations within three metres of my neighbours’ foundations.

The agreements have cost me almost £6,000 (including VAT) for my own party wall surveyor, plus two acting for the adjoining owners.

My surveyor charged £300 to issue two notices, £900 for two schedules of conditions and £900 for two ‘awards’, which give me 12 months to carry out the ‘notifiable works’ (installing walls and foundations).

The neighbours’ surveyors billed me £2,900 for both sets of ‘party wall matters’ and £99.60 for train tickets and station parking. VAT was added on top of these two itemised costs, taking my total spend to £5,699.52.

For smaller projects, it’s possible for neighbours to come to an agreement directly without using surveyors.

Early approval: It’s wise to wait until planning permission is granted before commissioning the calculations to avoid having to pay for any amendments

Noise assessment

Installing an air-source heat pump to power three internal air-conditioning units also had to be included in my planning application (heat pumps used solely for heating purposes don’t).

My local authority required a noise-impact assessment to prove my pump wouldn’t be noisy.

A 24-hour recording of background noise at my home and a report cost £1,704 (including VAT).

Planning consultants warn this is part of a growing trend. ‘While tree reports – which typically cost under £1,000 – have always been an issue, the number of local authorities requiring other reports has ramped up. They can be a major expense,’ says Cullen.

‘If you need an external flood risk consultant to do an assessment, that’s probably going to cost £1,500 plus VAT,’ she adds.

With planning permission already having cost almost £18,000 and a further bill of around £2,000 on the way for building control, there doesn’t seem to be much support for homeowners wanting to improve their properties.

‘The increasing number and costs of reports to accompany a planning application could deter householders from extending their homes. Perhaps the purchasing power of householder development as a potential tool for economic growth is being overlooked,’ says Cullen.

A spokesperson for the MHCLG says: ‘We inherited a broken planning system that has stunted growth and created unnecessary obstacles. 

This Government is taking action to fix this – including making the system more flexible, easing rules on upward extensions and making sure local planning authorities can cover their costs to deal with applications effectively.’