Invalid Planning Application Charges, Bromley

Invalid Planning Application Charges in Bromley From August 2026

Bromley Council will introduce administration charges for invalid planning applications from 1 August 2026.

The charges will apply where an application does not include the information required by the council’s national and local validation requirements. If an application is withdrawn before validation, or returned as invalid, the council says the charge will be deducted from any refund.

The new fees are:

£240 for major applications,
£130 for minor applications,
£65 for householder applications,
£30 for other applications. This includes Section 73 applications, non-material amendments, lawful development certificates, approval of conditions and prior approvals.

An invalid application can delay validation and add avoidable cost before the planning assessment begins.

Common Reasons Applications Are Invalid

Bromley’s guidance highlights several common issues. These include the wrong application form, incorrect ownership certificates, missing or inaccurate location plans, drawings at the wrong scale, inconsistencies between plans and elevations, incorrect fees and missing supporting documents.

The council also refers to problems with Biodiversity Net Gain information, including incorrect exemption claims, missing exemption statements and metrics submitted in the wrong format.

Other missing documents can include CIL forms, flood risk information, heritage statements, design and access statements, fire statements, site photographs and accessibility statements for new homes.

Applicants can review the official Bromley Council planning validation requirements before making a submission.

Wider Issues For Planning Applications

Bromley is one example of a wider pressure on local planning authorities. Councils are dealing with limited resources, more detailed validation requirements and a high volume of incomplete applications.

Other authorities already take a firm approach to invalid submissions. Some councils charge for invalid application support or deduct administration fees from refunds. Applicants should check the local validation list for the relevant authority before each submission.

Checks Before Submission

A planning application should be reviewed against the relevant local validation checklist before it is submitted. This includes the form, ownership certificates, fee, plans, red line boundary and all required reports.

Particular care is needed where a proposal involves Biodiversity Net Gain, heritage assets, flood risk, new dwellings, changes of use, listed buildings, fire safety statements or amendments to existing permissions.

Beware

The introduction of Invalid Planning Application Charges in Bromley puts more emphasis on validation checks before submission. A complete application, checked against the relevant local list, reduces the risk of delay, refund deductions and unnecessary administration charges. This is coming to a LPA near you! If more authorities introduce charges for invalid applications, their validation requirements may come under closer scrutiny (which we see as a positive move). This may lead to sharper validation lists over time. For now, each application should be checked carefully against the relevant local requirements, with any unclear points raised before submission where possible.

If you are preparing a planning application and would like support coordinating the drawings, documents and validation requirements, contact Cannon Clarke Group to discuss your project.