The headline fee for a householder planning application in Ealing is £258. Most homeowners see that number and think they understand what they're signing up for. They don't. The actual cost of getting planning permission — or getting it wrong — depends on a tangle of property-specific factors that a single fee figure doesn't come close to capturing. WhatCanIBuild exists precisely because the gap between "the fee" and "what this will actually cost me" is where most homeowners get caught out.
The short version
- The statutory householder application fee in Ealing is £258, plus a £75.83 +VAT service charge if submitted online through the Planning Portal
- That's the floor — professional fees, repeat applications, and incorrect submissions can push the real cost significantly higher
- Whether your project even needs permission at all depends entirely on your specific property, not just the type of work
The fee is just the beginning
On top of the £258 application fee, submitting online through the Planning Portal adds a service charge of £75.83 +VAT. That's already over £350 before anyone has looked at your plans.
Then there are the professional fees. Most homeowners need an architect or planning consultant to prepare drawings and a supporting statement. Those costs vary widely depending on the complexity of the project — and in Ealing, complexity is common.
And here's something most homeowners don't realise: if your application is refused, you pay again. There's no automatic refund for a failed application. A second attempt means a second fee, second professional costs, and in many cases, a pre-application consultation fee on top.
Ealing's hidden cost multipliers
Ealing has numerous conservation areas — covering parts of W5, W7, W13, and beyond. Article 4 directions apply across several streets and neighbourhoods, restricting what you'd normally be allowed to do without permission.
What does that mean for your project? It depends on your property. It depends on your street. In some cases, it depends on which side of the road you're on.
If your property sits within one of these areas, the scope of what needs permission changes — sometimes dramatically. Work that would be straightforward elsewhere might require a full application in Ealing. And if your property is listed, the fee structure and process shift again.
Conservation areas aren't always obvious
You might be in a conservation area without knowing it. Boundary edges are precise, and neighbouring streets can be treated very differently. Don't assume your project is exempt because your neighbour's was.
The cost of not knowing before you apply
The most expensive planning mistake isn't a refused application — it's applying for the wrong thing, or applying when you didn't need to, or not applying when you did.
Pre-application advice from Ealing Council is available but comes at a cost. And even then, it tells you what's likely — not what's been approved on your street, what similar projects nearby have been refused for, or how your property's specific combination of constraints actually affects your chances.
That's the information that changes decisions. It's also the information that's hardest to find.
WhatCanIBuild pulls together what's been approved and refused near your address, what approval odds look like for your project type in your area, and how your property's specific constraints combine — not just whether you're in a conservation area, but what that has actually meant for projects like yours on streets like yours.
Before you budget, before you hire anyone, and before you submit anything, the best way to understand what you're really dealing with is to check your specific property.
WhatCanIBuild gives you a report built around your address — not a generic fee guide.
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