The inflationary uplift is based on the consumer price index (CPI) rate of 2.1 per cent from January 2024 to September 2024.

Infrastructure minster Liz Kimmins said: “This increase of 2.1 per cent will be applied across all planning application categories and is necessary to support councils and the Department to cover the processing of the applications.

“This is in line with the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation that the planning system needs to be financially sustainable and is part of the plans to improve the planning service to support development across the north. 

“Early work has also commenced between my department and local councils, to identify the challenges and opportunities to improve the planning service function at local government level in the two-tier planning system.”