Planning application fees - Freedom of information requests

Title or Description: Planning application fees
FOI Number: 2024125
Date Received: 23/01/2024
Type of Request: FOI
Request or Question: Can you please provide the number of times the authority has refunded planning application fees to developers who had waited more than 26 weeks for a decision without other agreements or exemptions being put in place – as per the Government’s 2013 implementation of these rules.
In a digital table format, such as excel or pdf, can you provide the total number of payments returned, and every instance between January 2013 and December 2023 of money being returned to developers, the date of the return and the amount of money returned (£).

Can the authority also provide, for the same time period, the number of planning applications that have waited more than 26 weeks for a decision, without agreements in place.
Response: This request relates to Planning Guarantee, under English Planning Fee Regulations where fees get refunded if applications aren’t determined within 26 weeks (major) or 16 weeks (local). It doesn’t apply in Scotland.