How much do planning drawings cost?
Planning stage £995, paid only when you are approved. Building regs stage £885, paid only if you go on to build. Refused? No design fee to pay.
Council and Planning Portal fees are separate and paid at submission.
Pay on approval
Planning stage £995, paid only when you are approved. Building regs stage £885, paid only if you go on to build. Council and Portal fees are paid separately at submission. Refused? No design fee to pay.
| Stage | Fee | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Planning stage | £995 | When you are approved |
| Building regs stage | £885 | If you go on to build, on instruction |
Approved means a grant of planning permission, prior approval, or a lawful development certificate for the submitted scheme, with or without conditions. Appeals are outside the fixed fee. The full definition is in the terms of service.
What each stage includes
Planning drawings: £995, paid only on approval
- Design drawings for your planning or permitted development application
- The application prepared and submitted for you
- Every council query and amendment handled through to decision
Building regulations: £885, only if you go on to build
This is a separate stage, paid on instruction when you are ready to prepare for construction.
- Measured survey of your property, at the building regs stage
- Building regulations drawings
- Structural engineer calculations
- Party wall notices for your neighbours, where needed
If your application is refused
No planning design fee to pay. You keep the drawings and the council's reasons. We explain whether the scheme can be changed to address them or whether the answer is no.
The council's application fee is not normally refundable following a refusal. Council and Portal charges are separate from our design fee. Appeals are outside the fixed fee.
Council fees, paid separately
Not included: the council application fee and the Portal fee, paid separately at submission, and building control inspection fees when you build.
For a typical house extension in England, the householder application fee is £548. A lawful development certificate for proposed equivalent works costs £274 (April 2026 rates). The fee for existing works is different.
These charges are paid at submission, with the Planning Portal service charge when applying through the Portal. The amount depends on the application type and any exemption. Check the official fee calculator before submitting.
Start with the free check
Enter your full property address and tell us what you want to build. The check brings together available planning constraints and nearby decisions, and flags anything it cannot verify. If you go ahead, the drawings follow from the same record.
Who we are
Approved Plans is the trading name of DINGIR LTD, company no. 16645723, 86-90 Paul Street, London. We prepare planning and building regulations drawings for homes in England, and we are paid for the planning stage only when the council approves.