£993 daily fee set for England local plan exams 2026

From 25 March 2026, the Government brings in a clear price tag for examining local plans in England: £993 for each day an examiner is engaged. The statutory instrument (S.I. 2026/187), published on legislation.gov.uk, was made at 8.13 a.m. on 3 March and laid before Parliament on 4 March. It applies in relation to England only.

Why this matters: if you work in a council planning team, study planning, or care about how your area grows, this cap makes costs predictable. It helps finance officers set budgets and shows residents and developers the typical charge behind the final quality check on a plan.

Quick explainer: an independent examination is the final test a local plan has to pass before adoption. A person appointed by the Secretary of State-commonly a planning inspector-checks legal compliance and whether the plan is ‘sound’. They run hearing sessions, consider written evidence, and can recommend changes so the plan can be adopted.

The new rules define which examinations the £993 figure covers. For ‘specified examinations’ under sections 15D, 15H(3)(b) and 15HA(6)(a) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the standard daily amount is £993. If only part of a day is worked, a proportion of that amount can be charged. The same approach applies to minerals and waste plans via section 15CB(8).

There’s an identical ceiling for early-stage help. If someone is appointed to provide observations or advice under section 15CA(3), their maximum daily remuneration is £993. Travel and subsistence can be reimbursed too, so long as claims do not exceed actual costs.

Who pays? Under section 303A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the Secretary of State can recover the costs of examinations. In practice, local planning authorities pay the prescribed standard amount for each day the examiner is holding the examination or doing connected work.

Old rules don’t vanish overnight. The 2006 Regulations are revoked, but kept alive for ‘saved examinations’-cases covered by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (Commencement No. 11 and Saving and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/169). If your plan is proceeding under the preserved pre-reform process, the 2006 fee regime still applies to that case.

What this looks like in real numbers: if an examiner spends a full day on hearings and a half-day writing up, the fee would be 1.5 × £993-about £1,489.50-plus any actual travel or subsistence. A half‑day alone would be roughly £496.50. Councils can now plan for these figures at the start of an examination.

For learners, here’s the civic takeaway. Setting a standard daily amount makes spending transparent and easier to compare across councils. It reduces haggling over invoices and keeps the focus on the evidence, soundness tests, and the changes needed to get plans adopted.

Scope and timing matter. The instrument extends to England and Wales but applies only in relation to England. It was signed by Minister of State Matthew Pennycook at 8.13 a.m. on 3 March 2026, as recorded on legislation.gov.uk, and comes into force on 25 March 2026.

If you want to read the primary text, look for S.I. 2026/187 on legislation.gov.uk. The saving provision is S.I. 2026/169, and minerals and waste plan modifications are in S.I. 2026/170. We recommend checking these alongside your council’s latest local development scheme to see which rules apply to your timetable.