Most homeowners in Melton start by Googling the fee. That's understandable. But the fee is almost never the whole story — and in a borough with 718 listed buildings and a patchwork of rural designations, your actual costs could look very different from your neighbour's. WhatCanIBuild exists precisely because "how much does this cost?" is rarely a simple question.
The short version
- The standard householder application fee in Melton is £548
- That figure doesn't include pre-application advice, drawings, agent fees, or re-submissions
- Your property's specific constraints can dramatically change what you need to spend — and whether you'll succeed
The £548 is just the entry ticket
Yes, the householder planning application fee in Melton is £548. But most homeowners don't realise that this fee covers the submission — not the preparation, not the professional support, and not what happens if the application is refused.
Before you get anywhere near submitting, you may need an architect or planning consultant to prepare drawings, a planning statement, and in some cases specialist reports. If Melton Borough Council requests further information or if a neighbour objects, the process can stretch well beyond eight weeks — and your professional costs keep running.
There's also a Planning Portal service charge of £75.83 + VAT on top of the application fee for online submissions over £100. Most homeowners only discover this at the payment screen.
Where Melton gets complicated
Melton is not a uniform borough. It covers market towns, villages, and open countryside across LE13, LE14, LE15, NG13, NG32, and NG33 postcodes — and the planning rules don't apply evenly across all of them.
With 718 listed buildings recorded across the borough, there's a real chance your home — or a building nearby — carries a designation that changes everything. Conservation areas, Article 4 directions, and flood zone classifications all shift what you're allowed to do under permitted development, and they all affect whether you need a full application at all.
Most homeowners don't realise that being near a listed building or adjacent to a conservation area boundary can affect their application, even if their own property isn't formally designated. And if your project requires a heritage impact assessment or flood risk report, those professional fees sit entirely outside the £548.
Don't assume a refusal is the end
A refused application means the fee is gone. Re-submitting costs another £548. Getting the groundwork right before you submit is almost always cheaper than starting over.
The costs you can't calculate from a fee guide
Here's what a fee guide won't tell you: how your specific project has fared on your specific street. Has the council approved rear extensions like yours nearby? Have similar applications been refused — and for what reason? Are there material considerations attached to your plot that would complicate even a straightforward extension?
These are the questions that determine whether your project costs £548 or several thousand pounds once you factor in revisions, resubmissions, and appeals. WhatCanIBuild is the best way to understand what's actually been approved and refused near your property, and what your real odds look like before you spend a penny on drawings.
Before you budget, check what you're actually dealing with
The fee is public information. What it can't tell you is whether your property sits inside a constraint that changes your entire approach — or whether projects like yours have a strong track record in your part of Melton. WhatCanIBuild pulls together the planning history, local designations, and approval patterns that most homeowners never think to look for — until after they've submitted.
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