Vol. 523 No. 1
659 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will give consideration to amending existing or proposed legislation to either abolish or reduce planning appeals fees for senior citizens. [19146/00]
Any person making a planning appeal is required to pay a fee as a contribution towards the cost of administering the planning appeal system. The general fee is £120. However, the fee for first party appeals in relation to commercial development is £300, and the fee for certain prescribed bodies which must be consulted in relation to certain types of planning applications is £60. Proposals to waive or reduce fees for any group have to be balanced against the necessity to ensure the planning appeal system is adequately resourced and that the cost is fairly distributed among the users of the system. I have no proposals to amend planning appeal fees as proposed by the Deputy.
