Retrospective Planning ApplicationsFrom £695
How much does retrospective planning permission cost in London?
A retrospective planning application for work already built in London costs our fixed £695, with the measured survey visit included, and the council's fee on top, which is £548 for a householder application. What the fee does not buy is certainty: the guidance says it cannot be assumed that permission will be granted, so we look at the work before you pay anything to the council.
The short answer: two costs, and a risk the fee does not remove
Our fee for a retrospective application is £695. For that we measure what has been built, draw it as it stands, draw any changes the council may need to see, write up why the work is acceptable and submit the application. The survey comes first because a retrospective drawing has to show the building as it is, not as it was meant to be.
The council's fee for a householder application is £548. It is paid to the council when we submit, and we pass the receipt to you without adding to it.
- Our application drawings
- £495
- Our measured survey visit
- £200
- Council householder fee
- £548
- Total
- £1,243
What the law lets the council do
Section 73A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 says that on an application the permission which may be granted includes planning permission for development carried out before the date of the application. That covers work done without permission, work done in breach of a time-limited permission, and work that ignored a condition.
The council decides it on the same planning merits as if the work were still on paper. Government guidance adds a warning to anyone tempted to treat a retrospective application as a formality: it cannot be assumed that permission will be granted, even where the council has invited the application.
The point people miss: you get one go
The guidance says a person who has carried out unauthorised work has only one opportunity to obtain planning permission after the event. If the council refuses, you cannot simply try again until it agrees.
That is the reason we look at the work before you apply. If the extension is too deep, too tall or too close to a boundary, we say so, and explain whether a revised version could be built or an appeal is worth considering. A weak application sent in a hurry spends your one go.
How long the council has to act
A council cannot enforce against old work for ever. For operational development, such as an extension, substantially completed on or after 25 April 2024 the council can act within 10 years of substantial completion; before that date the period is 4 years. A change of use falls under a separate 10-year period.
If the work is already old enough to be immune, a Lawful Development Certificate is the better route, because it records that no enforcement can be taken. Our post on what a certificate costs sets out the evidence it needs. We check the dates first, so you do not pay for the wrong application.
If the council refuses
A refused householder application can be appealed within 12 weeks of the date on the decision letter. Appeals are a separate fixed fee from us, and the post on what a householder appeal costs explains the process.
Some work also needs building regulations to catch up. If the build was never inspected, a regularisation application to building control is the route, and it is often needed alongside planning. See our retrospective planning application page for how the two fit together.
Sources
Every figure in this article, where it comes from and a link to the original.
- includes planning permission for development carried out before the date of the application: TCPA 1990 s73A(1): (source wording: "the planning permission which may be granted includes planning permission for development carried out before the date of the application"). www.legislation.gov.uk
- it cannot be assumed that permission will be granted: PPG Enforcement and post-permission matters, para 012: (source wording: "it cannot be assumed that permission will be granted"). www.gov.uk
- has only one opportunity to obtain planning permission after the event: PPG Enforcement and post-permission matters, para 013: (source wording: "has only one opportunity to obtain planning permission after the event"). www.gov.uk
- within 10 years of substantial completion: PPG Enforcement and post-permission matters, para 004: operational development substantially completed on or after 25 April 2024 (source wording: "within 10 years of substantial completion"). www.gov.uk
- 4 years: PPG Enforcement and post-permission matters, para 004: operational development substantially completed before 25 April 2024 (source wording: "within 4 years of substantial completion"). www.gov.uk
- 12 weeks of the date on the decision letter: GOV.UK Appeal a householder planning decision (source wording: "you can appeal for up to 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter"). www.gov.uk
- £548: Statutory householder planning application fee, single dwellinghouse, from 1 April 2026. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
Questions people ask
Is the council fee included in your price?
Do I pay VAT on your fee?
Will you tell me if I should not apply?
Can I be fined for building without permission?
Does it affect selling my house?
Photographs: Brett Jordan (Unsplash License); T (Unsplash License).
Retrospective Planning Applications: a fixed fee from £695
Read more on the retrospective planning applications service page, or send your address below and we reply within one working day.
Retrospective Planning Applications
from £695
£495 drawings + £200 survey (£695 total)
Every price is the full fixed fee you pay. No VAT is charged. Council application fees are paid to the council separately.
What you get
- Measured survey of what has been built, included
- Drawings of the work as it stands, and any changes needed
- A written case for why the work is acceptable
- An honest view of the risk before you pay the council
- Submission to the council as your agent