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Planning Consultant Fees


Thorfun

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afternoon all,

 

just a quick question to see if anyone knows the going rate for a planning consultant? I've had an hourly rate from one and would like to know how it compares. Based in South East England as I'm sure that will make a difference.

 

tia.

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Ours was close to double that (in the south west) and was frigging useless. Prefer not to think about the thousands...

Reminds me, final invoice for 2k due, groan

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thanks guys. interesting difference in costs! ours is around twice what @Russell griffiths paid but he's offered us a fixed fee that seems pretty reasonable compared to the amounts you both paid. I just need to confirm what is included in the fixed fee as if it's everything including any potential appeal then it's a bargain. I guess the fixed fee is just a simple insurance policy to cover us in case things overrun. 

 

also, a fixed fee would incentivise the consultant to get the job to resolution quicker I guess? although, that could go the other way and once the fixed fee becomes less that he'd earn hourly would he then put the work in?

 

it's all a lottery and a gamble! I'll just have to roll the dice and see what numbers come up.

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1 minute ago, dpmiller said:

Our guy discounted heavily off his standard rate as there was loads of waiting time and not so much doing.

 

was that standard rate near @Russell griffiths's rate or @Tom's?

 

I think this is what this guy has done as his fixed fee works out at just over 7hrs of work at his hourly rate. I don't know how long it'll all take as that depends on the length of the piece of string the planning officer is using but from what @Russell griffiths said his total costs were that's a lot more than 7hrs of work!

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26 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

also, a fixed fee would incentivise the consultant to get the job to resolution quicker I guess? although, that could go the other way and once the fixed fee becomes less that he'd earn hourly would he then put the work in?

 

I wonder if anyone has ever managed to get their consultant do as results-based costing. ie. Get the planning through, get a bonus, don't get it through, the fee is less.

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44 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

 

was that standard rate near @Russell griffiths's rate or @Tom's?

 

I think this is what this guy has done as his fixed fee works out at just over 7hrs of work at his hourly rate. I don't know how long it'll all take as that depends on the length of the piece of string the planning officer is using but from what @Russell griffiths said his total costs were that's a lot more than 7hrs of work!

 

Make sure you are clear about the end point plus a washup included.

 

Mine was up to the Planning App decision notice, though I got some feedback at the end.

 

I had agreed that an Appeal would also be handled, which we needed and won.

 

3 hours ago, Thorfun said:

just a quick question to see if anyone knows the going rate for a planning consultant? I've had an hourly rate from one and would like to know how it compares. Based in South East England as I'm sure that will make a difference.

 

I would place hourly rates as incredibly variable, depending on whether the PC is in Short Trousers or really wants the job, or is more like a Senior Consultant / PMer of a team.

 

I would say anything between £30 and hour and £250 an hour.

 

Mine was at a level where he routinely testified in High Court hearings, so chosen to be able to make a complex argument successfully, from experience in winning similar apps in the same area.

 

57 minutes ago, Big Jimbo said:

One of my local blokes wanted £1500 just to look at it.......

 

I would expect any professional to do an initial meeting / assessment in order to be able to quote. I got a phone call plus digesting documents plus an hour of conversation from mine before we made a decision. What you get depends on what you ask for, and how well prepared you are. You should probably get digesting whatever matrial and questions you send through plus a meeting, at which you get to ask more. Plus possibly a followup phone call.

 

39 minutes ago, AliMcLeod said:

I wonder if anyone has ever managed to get their consultant do as results-based costing. ie. Get the planning through, get a bonus, don't get it through, the fee is less.

 

Mine had standard terms which included a "x% of the value uplift" (x <5) success fee as a standard feature. Also was amenable to a degree of risk sharing which would reduce his fee, which was one of my day 1 queries - I did not use that in the end. The total fee was 10k+, plus the bonus. That does not include the fees for all the other 7 or 8 consultants, from SUDS draft design to a chap who did a Visual Impact study (perambulate around the horizon and viewpoints taking photos then report).

 

However, you need to appreciate that my project was to get Outline Permission on a smallholding to sell to a developer. The PC provided contacts for the team to do all the aspects of the project, as used on previous projects, and PMed all of the application submission -s o it would be a number of weeks of work.


Ferdinand

 

Edited by Ferdinand
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