'We want refunds over unjust planning fees'

Homeowners in Surrey say worries around planning fees they say they were wrongly charged have taken a toll on their mental health as they campaign for refunds.

Campaigners in Waverley borough say "protracted delays" have stopped them receiving refunds for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charges, a fee for developers to contribute to local infrastructure, which they say they should not have been charged over works to their homes.

The group of campaigners has delivered a petition to Waverley Borough Council calling on it to implement a review scheme which would grant exemption to those wrongly charged.

Liz Townsend, portfolio holder for planning and economic development, said the council "recognised this was a deeply concerning issue for some homeowners" and "welcomed" the petition.

Mark Pateman, a self-builder who claims he was wrongly charged, said: "I had a mental breakdown over the worry and frustration of this particular piece of legislation."

Helen Grant, another CIL payee, added: "A lot of people signed that petition with heartfelt support.

"It's a good opportunity to warn people about being careful when they want work done to their house."

Community Infrastructure Levy is a fee which is usually charged to developers, with residential annexes and extensions or projects built by self-builders either eligible for relief or exempt from the payment.

Households in Waverley said they had been told to pay up to £70,000 for projects they believed would be exempt.

In some cases, campaigners claim households had been found to have made an error when applying for CIL exemption, but had not been given the opportunity to rectify the situation.

Steve Dally, who submitted the petition after he was given a £70,000 CIL bill, said: "My wife and I consider ourselves one of the lucky ones because we got our money back, but we have carried on the fight to help others seek justice."

Waverley Borough Council previously launched a review scheme for CIL, but the 625 signature petition is calling for it to refund any payments where homeowners would have been granted if forms had been submitted correctly.

Townsend said the council had carried out a further review of Dally's case and his liability was refunded.

She encouraged householders who believed they may have been unfairly charged to come forward and have their case re-assessed.

She said the council had introduced a Discretionary Review scheme which allowed historic CIL cases to be independently assessed by a qualified expert.

"We believe it is the most robust and lawful way to review cases within the current national legislation," she explained.

She added the system was "overly complex and inflexible for householders" and the council supported changes to the national CIL legislation.

Councillors are due to meet on Tuesday to discuss the petition.

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