How much does planning permission really cost in Worthing?

Most homeowners in Worthing start by googling the application fee. They find £548, nod, and move on. But that number is just the beginning — and depending on your property, the real cost of getting planning permission could look very different. WhatCanIBuild exists precisely because the gap between "what's the fee?" and "what will this actually cost me?" is wider than most people expect.

The fee you know — and the costs you don't

The £548 householder fee is fixed. What isn't fixed is everything around it. Before you even submit, most homeowners end up needing drawings, planning statements, or specialist reports they didn't budget for. Depending on your project, you might need a heritage statement, a flood risk assessment, or an arboricultural report — none of which are included in that fee.

And if your application is refused? The fee isn't refunded. You pay again to resubmit. Most homeowners don't realise how quickly a single refusal can double their costs — not just in fees, but in revised drawings and professional time.

Worthing's hidden complexity

Worthing isn't a straightforward borough. It borders the South Downs National Park, which means properties in or near that area sit on Article 1(5) land — where your permitted development rights are already restricted before you've even thought about applying.

Then there are the 26 conservation areas across the borough. Being in one doesn't automatically mean your project is refused, but it does mean the rules that apply to your neighbour two streets away may not apply to you. External alterations that are perfectly routine elsewhere can require full planning permission here.

8 Article 4 directions affect specific streets — removing permitted development rights that most homeowners assume they have. And with 434 listed buildings recorded, there's a real chance your property, or a neighbouring one, carries designations that affect what you can do.

Here's what most homeowners don't realise: you can know you're in a conservation area and still have no idea what that actually means for your specific project on your specific plot. That's where costs spiral — when you find out late.

Why "it depends on your property" isn't a dodge

Every question about planning costs in Worthing ends with the same honest answer: it depends on your property. Not your postcode. Not your street. Your property — its planning history, its constraints, what's been approved and refused nearby, and how your specific combination of factors sits with Worthing Borough Council's recent decisions.

That's not a cop-out. It's the reality of a borough with this much layered complexity. The best way to get a real picture of your costs — and your chances — is to use WhatCanIBuild, which shows you what's actually been approved and refused for similar projects near you, and what your property's specific constraints mean in practice.

A typical decision takes around 8 weeks in Worthing. But the clock doesn't start until you've submitted a valid application with the right fee, the right documents, and a project that actually has a realistic chance. Getting that wrong costs time and money most homeowners didn't budget for.

Before you commit to anything, WhatCanIBuild gives you the property-level intelligence that turns an expensive guessing game into an informed decision.