This page provides details and guidance for:
- Statutory planning application fees
- Statutory planning concessions
- Planning fee guidance
- Ways to pay
- Refunds
- Returned applications 10% service charge
Statutory planning fees and fee concessions
Statutory planning fees are set by government in The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2023. A schedule of those fees can be viewed here:
You can view and download guidance, including exemptions and reduction in payments from the Planning Portal:
Planning Portal – Fee Calculator and Fee Guidance
The above should be read in conjunction with the Cornwall Council Supplementary Fee Guidance document. This document provides details on how planning fees are calculated.
Supplementary Fee Guidance Document
Statutory planning fees are expected to increase on 1 April 2025.
There will be a 1.7% increase on statutory planning fees, except those where separate amendments have been set out.
- Section 73's;
- Discharge of conditions;
- Prior approvals which include building operations;
- Prior approvals relating to the change of use of commercial, business uses to residential;
- Householder developments; and
- Two corrections relating to outline applications and erection of agricultural building.
For more information please see The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2025.
Fee guidance
The Planning Portal fee calculator is a useful tool. It will help you work out the cost of your planning application by asking a series of questions.
Planning Portal fee calculator
Cornwall Council has also published guidance on how to calculate fees including examples.
Planning Fees and Charges Supplementary Document
Ways to pay
Planning Portal applications
The majority of applications are submitted via the Planning Portal. All application fees must be paid via the Planning Portal and not Cornwall Council.
Please note that without this payment:
- the Portal will not release your application to the Council
- we are unable to transfer any payments which may have been made to us in error
- any payments received in error will be refunded which could delay your application.
If you have any queries about this or the Planning Portal payment system, please contact the Portal direct:
- Telephone: 0333 323 4589
- Email: support@planningportal.co.uk
Please note that the Planning Portal is a private company and is not run by Cornwall Council.
Hard copy applications
Submitting hard copy? You can pay your fee online on our website or by phone on 0300 1234 151.
Pay for your planning application online
You can also pay:
By phone (credit/debit card)
Telephone 0300 1234 151. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm
To use the telephone automated service, please note:
- you need to know the planning reference eg PA20/01234
- a 10-digit PIN will be required
- the pin in this example would be entered as follows **20*01234
- for a pre-application service where the reference number has the PREAPP suffix, please remove PREAPP and enter the number in the same way as indicated above.
Refunds
All refunds will be by the same method of payment as the original transaction. For example, if paying by card the refund will be direct to the original payment card.
Please allow up to 3 weeks for refunds to be processed.
If the payment was made to the Planning Portal for a planning application, the refund will be processed by the Planning Portal.
Due to the costs of processing refunds the Planning Service are unable to issue refunds for amounts £5 or less.
Returned applications 10% service charge
Due to a high number of invalid applications which are returned to customers prior to validation, the service will be deducting 10% of the expected planning application fee if processing has commenced. The charge applies to applications where a 21 day invalid letter has been sent and any subsequent reminder letters and/or email reminders.
The charge applies to statutory and discretionary applications.
Building control charges
Charges for works under Building Regulations can be viewed in: