# cost of application for planning



## eyeball (18 Feb 2010)

hi there - just wondering what the typical cost would be for an appliaction for planning permission for an extension to a house ..all in fees drwaings, application fee etc and what shoudl I be accounting for

thank you in advance


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## onq (18 Feb 2010)

Hi Eyeball,

This depends on what you actually want from the extension.

The primary mistake people make is in extending to put in a bathroom or kitchen and placing it in the extended bit, taking light away from the resulting interior space.

Service areas that don't need view windows should be kept internal  where possible and the foul water, waste water and ventilation pipes run to the outside, taking account of any stack venting required.

There is no greater waste of space than a toilet block with a small frosted window sticking out into the garden, blocking light, views and access from the kitchen/dining family room.

Kitchens OTOH have a claim on the light and visual connection because the home-maker may want to "keep an eye" on the kids if they're playing in the back garden.

An L-shaped extension with the kitchen to the side in a galley form with a big window from a family space, both enclosing a paved area just outside for barbies, etc. can work wonders on the usability of a back garden.

The toilet can be kept behind the kitchen, perhaps accessed via a vented utility enclosure.
You may also need to bear in mind compliance with Part M for people with disabilities or older persons - yourselves in years to come perhaps - who cannot climb stairs any more.

(looks up)

There's a bit more to "doing an extension" than you might think.
The cost of designing an extension competently is separate from the cost of making the planning application.
It usually takes a minimum of two weeks to-ing and fro-ing to even get the clients to properly address the brief and develop a concept, perhaps do a model.

The appication proper will require, at minimum; -


An Ordannce Survey Map set ~ €50
A site notice ~ €50 - €150 printing and materials / erected by, say, Site Notices Ireland.
A newspaper advertisement ~ €20 - €250 depending on the paper and the area
A survey of the house including plans sections and elevations - POA
A set of drawings to a stated scale showing the existing and proposed development - POA
Completed APplication form and supporting documentation as required.

But long befoer you get there you should discuss the proposed development with your neighbours and the Planning Officer.
Out-of-sorts neighbours are a difficulty you can try to avoid and your architect can advise on the best party wall agreement.

There are people supposedly going around saying they can make applicatons for under €1,000 or less - you get what you pay for.
€2-4,000 is a more eralistic price to include for designing the concept, pre-planning discussions, neighbours briefing, etc.
Good luck with it and I hope the foregoing has been of some use.

ONQ

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent persons should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.
My best advice is that you should retain a competent building professional to advise you on these matters.


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## picorette (19 Feb 2010)

Eyeball,
The cost for a Planning Permission application will depend on how much work is required and so you need to provide some details about the size of your intended extension and it's purpose, together with any other relevant details that might affect the application. You may not even need to apply for Planning Permission if you can meet certain conditions.


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## eyeball (19 Feb 2010)

It is for extending upwards over an existing side room and building backwards to meet the gable end of the house approx. 10 feet upwards to meet roof and 8 feet backwards and then up to meet existing room..basically boxing off a house that has a side room attached to it. to contain a bedroom and ensuite up top and a utility downstairs.


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## onq (19 Feb 2010)

Two grand.


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## rosemartin (20 Feb 2010)

recently got planning granted,for extension and various works to house,   plans and all correspondence dealt with by architect,  it cost €1,300,   got planning through in 5 weeks


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## onq (20 Feb 2010)

rosemartin said:


> recently got planning granted,for extension and various works to house,   plans and all correspondence dealt with by architect,  it cost €1,300,   got planning through in 5 weeks



Rosemartin,

This is a little confusing.
As far as I am aware, you can't get Permission Granted in 5 weeks.

Planning Permission cannot even be DECIDED within 5 weeks from first making an Application for Planning Permission.
"5 weeks from the date of lodgement" is the time within which an observer may make an Observation on a Planning Application.
Planners request Reports from Roads, Parks and Environmental Services following the 5-week observation period.
This is partly to enable them to circulate Observations to the relevant departments for comment and these Reports typically take a week to get back.
The Planner completes the Planning Report and sends it to the Senior Executive Planning Officer.
The Sen. Exec. makes a Recommendation and sends the completed document to the County Manager's Officer for signing.

This document is the Decision to Grant Permission, not the Grant of Permission itself.
To Decide to Grant it within five weeks from first applying therefore is statute barred.
This is because of the undertaking to the general public to give them 5 weeks to make their observations.
It might be possible to issue the Decision to Grant five weeks and one day from initial lodgement if there were no Observations.
However this is still only the Decision and not a Grant of Permission and it is unusual to see Local Authorities do apparent "favours" like this.

There is a legal precedent in a High Court Action IIRC where a judge ruled that a planning authority could not issue a Decision the day after receipt of Further Information because it was clear it hadn't had time to assess the information.
The required period for consideration was circa two weeks so that implies 5 + 2 = 7 weeks would be a reasonable minimum from a standing start.

If an Additional Information Submission is made to a local authority following a Request for Additional Information, the Local Authority must deal with this in 4 weeks.
This is different from having the original application dealt with in 5 weeks.

Following the Decision to Grant, there is a 4-week wait for the Expiration of the Appeal Period.
If there is no Appeal, the Grant of Permission issues, usually within 7-10 days.
This allows for a late Appeal or a Referral seeking Leave to Appeal.

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent persons should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.
My best advice is that you should retain a competent building professional to advise you on these matters.


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## rosemartin (21 Feb 2010)

are'nt you a fountain of knowledge,but i got no favours as you have implied and my post stands as stated. my archetict told me that there is little or no back log  in planning anymore and he had a number of similiar successful applications.i had  no objects or questions from planning as everything was originally submitted correct


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## onq (21 Feb 2010)

I am indeed a fountain of knowledge.

Let's turn to your tale of the amazing shrinking planning application timescale.

If what you say is correct you should have no problem posting details of your architect so we can contact him and suss what's going on in that local authority.

If five week planning applications are now becoming the norm, I know two clients of mine will be overjoyed to hear about it so c'mon, spread the good news and lets find out more.

TIA

ONQ.


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## RKQ (3 Mar 2010)

I believe that technically it is possible to get permission in 5 weeks. I have no reason to doubt you rosemartin. This is a free internet forum and we must assume all people post genunine and honest advice / comments.

€1300 sounds very good too, for a straight forward domestic extension. Alas there is very few design alternatives to your average semi-d. 

Fee's will depend on the Council / your area really. Some City Councils look for all sorts of FI - drainage pipe / sewer surveys, rainwater site soakage calculations, shadow drawings etc.

As with all pricing, contact a least 3 professionals with P.I insurance (Architects, Architectural Technicians, Building Surveyors, Engineers). This should give you an idea of the going rate in your area.


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## post-it (9 Sep 2010)

Hi all,
Apologies for hijacking this thread and for the long post!
After searching to buy our dream home to no avail -we have turned to buying a site to build on instead.
We have very quickly found a site in a great location and have an idea of the type of house we would like to build on it, so I am going to the planners next week to discuss it.
As a newbie to this whole house building game and with very little experience / knowledge of same, I thought it best to engage with a company who are CIF/IHBA accredited.  They  would do all the plans / site survey / planning application for me.  They have quoted me 5K for the following work for a 2500 sq ft 1.5 storey detached house:
Full set of house plans
site survey (by qualified engineer
Percolation testing
Full planning application
Do you people who are in the know think this is reasonable quote for the work involved?
Thanks


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## RKQ (9 Sep 2010)

post-it said:


> They have quoted me 5K for the following work for a 2500 sq ft 1.5 storey detached house:
> Full set of house plans
> site survey (by qualified engineer
> Percolation testing
> ...


 
5K isn't bad but it really depends your location and on the quality of service offered, i.e how many revisions to the design is allowed, with the house be set out for solar gain & to passive principles?

Does the 5K include all correspondence with the Planning Dept until a decision is made?
Some might charge €2,500 while others would require €10k plus. It really depends on the service involved.

I alway recommend getting at least 3 quotes from experienced professionals in your area. Ensure these quotes are like for like and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions.

Am I correct in assuming that this company will design & build your home?
If you it might be worth considering retaining an independent professional to look after your interests and advise accordingly.


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## post-it (9 Sep 2010)

Hi RKQ - thanks for your reply.

Yes, the 5 K includes all plans (we have a very good idea of what we want already - just need to get it properly drawn up), correspondence with planning authorities to get full permission and includes solar panels etc.. as well as engineer visits to site, Percolation test etc.

The company is Finlay brothers builders, based in Tullamore (anyone got any experience of them?).  They would ideally design & build, but I was hoping for them to do the design first, then I could get a cpouple of quotes and see who is the most competitive.

Any advice/suggestions welcome.


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## Troy McClure (9 Sep 2010)

hi post-it
It sounds expensive to me. We just got planning for similiar size 2500sq/ft 1.5 story house also. We got an RIAI fella whom we gave a strong starting point, he came back a few times before we were happy. He did two pre planning meets on top of about 20 hours of meets with us. Did 3d walk throughs and gave us colour drawing and set of plans (not full construction plans).
He cost 3K and was only paid in full after planning was in and valid application taken. He was prepared to make adjustments if it came back. But after 2 pre planning meets was confident it was fine. Which it was.
He was known to the county planners and so knew the system locally. 
We are in the south east. We got our own percolation test done which is easy enough to organise. Perc test cost us 400 plus 150 to get a digger to do the holes. (Making overall total €3550) I am guessing your quote has mark up for this so I suggest you ask around in the locality and organise perc test yourself. 
I would shop around all the architects in your county and surround and haggle the hell out of them. Some have a real ego and think talking money is a dirty language but others are coping on to what the real world is now. You have to balance this with been happy with them also. Some are more suited to certain types of work and their experience tends to show that. Remember your the one with the money and calling the shots, especially if you have a good idea of the type of house as a start point which you want, as this means less work for architect. good luck


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## dishwasher (26 Sep 2010)

Don't forget about development levies - we paid 3900 to Fingal for a large extension to the side of our house.


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## onq (26 Sep 2010)

dishwasher, that sounds astonishing.

Mind you the last time we looked at Fingal's outrageous contributions schemes it amounted to 10% of the purchase price back in 2005-2006 - i.e. ridiculously high.

Someone will need to rein in the Planners and Councillors.

ONQ.


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## OneAndOnly (29 Sep 2010)

My DCC levy charge is €3,700 ie €156 per m2 for anything over 40m2 plus any existing bits being demolished.

Was pretty shocked when I first heard about this charge but what can you do...other than except it!


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