How Much Does a Planning Consultant Cost – and Is the Cheapest Quote Really the Best Value?

The honest answer is that planning consultant fees vary considerably.

Some consultants charge by the hour. Others offer fixed-fee packages. Some provide an initial opinion for a few hundred pounds, while larger applications, complex negotiations and planning appeals can cost several thousand pounds.

At Fellpath Planning, our standard consultancy rate is £175 per hour plus VAT.

You will find cheaper planning consultants—and for some straightforward projects, a lower-cost service may be entirely suitable.

However, the hourly rate does not tell you:

• Who will actually undertake the work;

• How much time the consultant will need;

• What is included in their quotation;

• Whether they will manage the application after submission;

• How much experience they have;

• Whether they understand the commercial realities of development; or

• Whether the permission they pursue can be viably built.

Choosing solely on price can therefore become a false economy.

What does £175 per hour mean in practice?

At Fellpath, clients are charged for the professional time spent on their case.

As a simple illustration:

Time spent ‍ ‍Fellpath professional fee

1 hour £175 plus VAT

5 hours £875 plus VAT

10 hours £1,750 plus VAT

20 hours £3,500 plus VAT

Unless we agree a different arrangement, we normally invoice after each five hours of work. This enables clients to see how a case is progressing without allowing a large, unexpected bill to accumulate.

Before accepting an instruction, we explain the proposed first stage, what we expect it to involve and what other information or professional input may be required.

The total cost will depend on the project. Reviewing a single planning issue is very different from coordinating a housing application, negotiating with several statutory consultees or preparing a planning appeal.

Why do planning consultancy fees vary so much?

There is no standard service called “planning consultancy”.

One quotation might cover little more than preparing and submitting an application. Another might include:

• A site visit;

• Planning-history research;

• A review of local and national planning policy;

• Advice on the development strategy;

• Meetings with the client and design team;

• Preparation of a planning statement;

• Coordination of technical consultants;

• Submission of the application;

• Liaison with the planning officer;

• Responses to consultee comments;

• Negotiation of amendments; and

• Advice following the decision.

Both consultants may describe their service as “managing a planning application”, but the actual work could be very different.

Fees are also influenced by the consultant’s experience. A large practice may use a mixture of directors, senior planners, junior planners and graduates, each charged at a different rate. A smaller practice may provide direct access to its most experienced planner throughout.

Neither approach is automatically right or wrong. What matters is knowing who will undertake your work and what experience they will bring to it.

Hourly rates, fixed fees and staged fees

Planning consultants generally use one or more of the following arrangements.

Hourly rates

The client pays for the time actually spent on the case.

This works well where the scope cannot be predicted with certainty, such as negotiations with a council, responding to consultees or advising on a changing development proposal.

The disadvantage is that the final fee is not fixed. The consultant should therefore explain how time will be recorded, when invoices will be issued and when additional authority will be sought.

Fixed fees

A defined piece of work is completed for an agreed price.

This can give the client certainty, particularly for a straightforward planning statement or initial review. However, it is important to check exactly what the fixed fee includes.

A low fixed fee may exclude meetings, revisions, correspondence with the planning officer or work arising after the application has been submitted.

Staged fees

The project is divided into individual stages, with a separate fee or estimate for each.

For example:

1. Initial site and planning review;

2. Pre-application advice;

3. Preparation and submission of the application;

4. Negotiations during the application;

5. Post-decision advice or appeal.

This can be helpful because the client does not have to commit to the full planning process before understanding the prospects, risks and likely costs.

What are you actually paying a planning consultant for?

A planning consultant should do more than complete an application form and quote sections of planning policy.

Good planning advice should help you answer questions such as:

• Is the proposal likely to be supported in principle?

• What is the strongest route through the planning system?

• Which issues could cause delay or refusal?

• What evidence will the Council expect?

• Should we seek pre-application advice?

• Can concerns be overcome through design or conditions?

• Is the likely benefit worth the cost and risk?

• If permission is secured, can the development actually be delivered?

The value lies in identifying the right strategy before unnecessary money is spent.

An inexpensive planning statement will not represent good value if the wrong application has been submitted in the first place.

Fellpath’s difference: development IQ

Fellpath does not look at planning permission as the finishing line.

A planning permission is only valuable if it allows something useful and viable to be delivered.

Our founder, David Wright MRTPI, spent nine years working in local government before spending seven and a half years working inside the housebuilding industry. During that period, he helped build a new Cumbria division, which went on to deliver more than 200 homes annually, and secured planning permission for 1,486 homes.

That experience created what we call development IQ.

It means understanding what happens beyond the planning decision and asking practical questions early:

• Can safe and suitable access actually be delivered?

• Is there a realistic drainage solution?

• Will ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain requirements affect the developable area?

• Does the layout make sensible use of the land?

• Are affordable-housing or planning-obligation requirements viable?

• Could abnormal construction costs undermine the scheme?

• Are the proposed planning conditions workable?

• Is the development likely to be fundable and marketable?

• Can the permission be implemented within the client’s budget and timescale?

Fellpath is not an engineering, architectural or quantity-surveying practice. Where specialist evidence is needed, we identify that requirement and help coordinate the right professional team.

Our role is to make sure the planning strategy is informed by the wider development picture.

We are not simply trying to secure a planning permission. We are trying to help secure permission for something that can be viably built, funded and delivered.

How technology helps us work more efficiently

Fellpath is a modern, technology-aware planning consultancy.

We use current digital tools to support:

• Planning-history and policy research;

• Mapping and site-constraint analysis;

• Reviewing and organising large amounts of information;

• Project and deadline management;

• Monitoring applications and decisions;

• Time recording and transparent invoicing; and

• Communication between clients and project teams.

Used properly, technology reduces repetitive administration and creates more time for analysis, strategy and client communication.

It does not replace professional judgment. All advice remains the responsibility of an experienced Chartered Town Planner who understands the site, the policy context and the client’s objectives.

Can I find a cheaper planning consultant?

Yes.

If you obtain several quotations, it is likely that someone will offer to undertake the work for less than Fellpath.

That does not necessarily mean their service is poor. For a straightforward application with few planning risks, a lower-cost consultant—or even submitting the application yourself—may be perfectly reasonable.

However, cheaper advice can become a false economy where:

• The quotation excludes important work;

• The wrong type of application is submitted;

• Relevant planning history or policy is overlooked;

• Necessary technical reports are identified too late;

• The consultant has allowed insufficient time for negotiation;

• The application is refused because the case was not properly presented;

• Permission is granted subject to costly or unworkable conditions; or

• The permitted scheme cannot be viably developed.

A lower hourly rate does not necessarily produce a lower final bill. An experienced consultant who identifies the decisive issue quickly may cost less overall than a cheaper consultant who spends longer pursuing the wrong strategy.

The largest cost is rarely the planning consultant’s invoice. It is the cost of wasted drawings, unnecessary surveys, repeated applications, avoidable delay or a consent that cannot be implemented.

When Fellpath may not be the cheapest—or the right choice

Fellpath is a small, specialist consultancy with finite capacity.

Clients receive experienced strategic input and direct involvement from senior planners. That means we will not always be the cheapest option, and we may not be the right fit for every project.

If you simply need someone to complete and submit a straightforward form at the lowest possible price, another provider may suit you better.

Fellpath is likely to offer greater value where:

• The planning position is uncertain or disputed;

• The site has significant development potential;

• Previous applications have been refused;

• Several technical issues need to be coordinated;

• Negotiation with the Council will be important;

• The commercial viability of the proposal matters;

• The project requires a clear long-term strategy; or

• A poor planning decision could have substantial financial consequences.

We also cannot guarantee that planning permission will be granted. No responsible planning consultant can.

What we can provide is an honest assessment, a clear strategy and advice grounded in experience of both the planning system and the development industry.

Sometimes that advice will be not to proceed. We would rather tell a client that at the beginning than charge them to pursue a proposal with little realistic prospect of success.

What costs are not normally included?

The planning consultant’s fee is only one part of the potential cost of a planning project.

Depending on the proposal, separate costs may include:

• The planning application fee paid to the local authority;

• Planning Portal charges;

• Architectural or measured-survey drawings;

• Topographical surveys;

• Ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain assessments;

• Drainage and flood-risk work;

• Highway and transport advice;

• Landscape or visual assessments;

• Heritage reports;

• Arboricultural surveys;

• Ground investigations;

• Viability assessments;

• Legal agreements; and

• Other specialist reports requested by the Council.

Not every project needs all of these.

Part of good planning advice is identifying which reports are genuinely necessary, when they should be commissioned and whether the likely planning opportunity justifies the expenditure.

How should I compare planning consultancy quotations?

Do not compare the final figures until you understand the scope behind them.

Ask each consultant:

1. Who will undertake my work?

2. What experience and professional qualifications do they have?

3. Is a site visit included?

4. Will you review the planning history and relevant policies?

5. What documents will you prepare?

6. Will you submit and manage the application?

7. Are discussions with the planning officer included?

8. Are meetings, calls and revisions included?

9. What happens if additional work is required?

10. Are VAT and expenses included?

11. Which third-party reports am I likely to need?

12. Will you consider whether the permitted development is commercially deliverable?

13. What happens if the Council recommends refusal?

14. How and when will I be invoiced?

A good quotation should make it possible to understand what you are buying—not simply what it costs.

Is a planning consultant worth the cost?

For a simple, low-risk proposal, you may not need a planning consultant at all.

For a complex site, a refused application or a development where substantial value depends on securing the right permission, early professional advice can prevent much greater expenditure later.

The real comparison is not simply:

“Which consultant has the lowest hourly rate?”

It is:

“Which consultant gives me the best chance of choosing the right strategy and securing a permission I can actually use?”

Want a clear view of the likely cost?

Send Fellpath:

• The site or property address;

• A short explanation of what you want to achieve;

• Any existing drawings;

• Relevant planning correspondence; and

• Details of any previous applications or refusals.

We will explain the recommended first step, the basis on which we would charge and any other likely project costs before you instruct us.

Ask Fellpath for a clear fee proposal.

This article provides general information. Fees and planning requirements depend on the individual project, and a written quotation or terms of business will be provided before work begins.

David Wright MRTPI is the founder of Fellpath Planning. He has experience in local government, housebuilding and private planning consultancy and advises homeowners, landowners, businesses and developers across Cumbria and beyond.