Council officers are pushing to increase the cost of some planning applications by over three times the current fee, according to council documents.

Monmouthshire County Council is considering racking up fees charged for bespoke advice given by officers before planning applications are launched.

If the plans are forced through, new applications for between one and nine homes, will see the cost jump from £90 to £120.

The biggest increase would see guidance fees for developments between 10 and 24 homes surge to £850, treble the current rate of £290.

Developments falling under ‘change of use’ will also be hit by the changes. Areas less than half a hectare will incur a £120 fee whilst sites between 1,000 to 2,000sq metres will be hit by the £850 charge.

Larger developments will see guidance fees jump from £850 to £1,250. Small projects, such as extensions and conservatories will remain at £60.

The plans are set for council discussion, and could be ratified this week. [Next Wednesday]

The report released by the County Council said the changes would bring around £6,000 per year to the budget.

Reasons for the proposed hikes are said to be due to initial council oversight.

“Pre-application advice for larger schemes is more time consuming and resource-heavy than initially anticipated,” said the report.

“The move to levels based on the scale of the proposed scheme and the proposed increase in level four (the largest developments), will better reflect officer efforts in this area.”

The council has offered bespoke planning advice since April 2014 and has reported it has received extremely positive feedback from the service.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

The full report is available to view at monmouthshire.gov.uk