Changes to the Broads Authority's Planning pre-application advice service

The Broads Authority is making some changes to its planning pre-application advice service, including introducing charges.

Under section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003 local planning authorities have the ability to charge for the provision of discretionary services. Currently the Broads Authority as the local planning authority for the Broads, does not charge for the discretionary services of planning advice or pre-application enquiries.

Following successive reductions in the value of the Defra National Park revenue grant and increasing inflationary costs, the Authority has reluctantly concluded that this is no longer sustainable and will be charging for this advice from 1 April. This is part of a wider programme of measures and cost savings made by the Authority to safeguard the delivery of our core statutory services and purposes.

The change brings the Authority into line with all six of its constituent district local planning authorities and the nine English national park authorities who all charge for pre-application advice.

The Planning Team is committed to providing a high level of professional advice which leads to better outcomes for the area. This is shown in the consistently high rating by applicants with average satisfaction levels of the overall service currently at 4.29 out of 5.

Details of the fees will be posted on the Getting advice before you apply webpage shortly.

Monday 2 February 2026