- Written by
- The Drawings4Planning technical teamChartered architectural technologists (MCIAT)
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 3 min
- Topic
- Planning permission
New timber roof frame on a house extension behind a hedge and brick wall on All Hallows Road, scaffolding around the new structure. Photo: Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0.
What do you pay for a small change?
For a householder scheme with a small change, £269 to us and £46 to the council, so £315. The £269 covers marked-up drawings that show exactly what changed, the application form and the covering note that explains why the change is minor. There is no survey, because the approved drawings are the baseline.
The council fee is £46 for each householder request and £309 for any other application (fee schedule). If the change is bigger, the route and the fee change, and we say which before you pay for drawings.
| Marked-up drawings, form and covering note paid to us | £269 |
|---|---|
| Council fee, householder non-material amendment paid to the council | £46 |
| Total | £315 |
Total £315: £269 to Drawings4Planning and £46 to the council (fee from 1 April 2026).
Is my change small enough?
Nobody can say for certain, because there is no statutory definition of non-material. The council decides in the context of the overall scheme, and a change that is minor in one house can matter in another (gov.uk).
The risk is on one side: a refusal of a non-material amendment, or a failure to decide it, cannot be appealed. The applicant would need to submit a planning application instead. That is why we compare the change against the permission before choosing the route.
How long does it take?
The period for deciding a non-material amendment is 28 days, or a longer period agreed in writing (gov.uk). Where neighbours are notified, they have 14 days to make representations.
That is faster than a householder application, which has 8 weeks. The speed is the reason to use the route when the change is genuinely small.
What if the change is bigger?
Then a section 73 application may fit: it can vary or remove conditions, with no statutory limit on the degree of change to conditions, but it cannot change the description of the development. A grant takes effect as a new, independent permission, with the original unchanged (gov.uk).
Its council fee is £89 for a householder scheme and £608 for other non-major development (fee schedule). A change that alters the description needs a new planning application.
Where the figures come from
- £46 / £309
- Council fee for a non-material amendment: householder / any other, for each request. National fee schedule, published by Bradford Council
- £89 / £608
- Council fee to vary or remove a condition: householder / non-major. National fee schedule, published by Bradford Council
- 28 days
- Time to decide a non-material amendment, unless a longer time is agreed in writing. gov.uk, Flexible options for planning permissions
- 14 days
- People notified have 14 days to make representations. gov.uk, Flexible options for planning permissions
- No appeal
- A refusal or non-determination of a non-material amendment has no right of appeal. gov.uk, Flexible options for planning permissions
- No definition
- There is no statutory definition of non-material. gov.uk, Flexible options for planning permissions
Planning amendment cost questions
Can I just build the change and ask later?
That risks building something the permission does not cover. If the council later says it is material, you would need a new application, which is the retrospective route, with its own fee.
Does a section 73 change replace my original permission?
No. A section 73 grant takes effect as a new, independent permission that sits alongside the original, which remains intact, and you choose which to build.
Do I need new drawings for an amendment?
Yes, marked-up drawings that show the approved scheme and the change, so the officer can compare them. That is the core of the £269.
What if the officer says it is material?
Then we advise on a section 73 application or a new application. The £269 is for the amendment route, and the next route is quoted before we start it.
Full details of the service: Planning amendments.
