Developers will pay more for Dartmoor plans

Fees and charges to rise across the national park

The cost of lodging a planning application for development on Dartmoor is to increase up to threefold.

It is one of a raft of new fees and charges being brought in by the Dartmoor National Park Authority as it tries to balance its books.

It spends around £10 million a year managing the moor, with most of the money coming from the government. However, it still needs to raise a significant proportion of the money itself.

The government’s changes in national insurance will cost the authority an estimated £90,000 in the coming year, with no indication that any help is coming from Westminster.

Members meeting at the authority’s Parke headquarters near Bovey Tracey agreed the fee increases, including car park charges going up by five per cent. It will mean the charge for a full day at Haytor, Princetown, Postbridge, Meldon or Lydford rising from £5.30 to £5.60.

There will also be substantial increases in the fees the authority charges for dealing with planning applications.

The cost of applying for up to two homes will rise from £180 to £540, while a developer planning a major scheme of up to 150 homes will see fees rise from £720 to £864.

Authority member Peter Harper said: “I am glad we have reviewed our planning fees so that they actually reflect the amount and cost of officers’ time.”