Planning and the strategic road network in England

A spatial planner with knowledge and experience of the area will be assigned to assess and respond to your enquiry. We will advise whether the development proposal is likely to be of interest to us and of any known potential constraints to the proposed development. Where it is likely that a proposal will be considered unacceptable in principle, we will provide guidance as to what, if any, steps could be taken to address the identified concerns.

Where a meeting is requested, we will usually respond within 7 days and arrange this with you.

We will provide a final response to most pre-application requests within 21 days, with larger or more complex developments often requiring ongoing discussion beyond this period in accordance with an agreed timetable.

In 2024 National Highways was granted powers under section 54A of the Planning Act 2008 and regulation 12A of the Infrastructure Planning (fees) regulations 2010 to recover costs incurred in providing services to promoters of ‘Development Consent Order’ (DCO) projects brought forward under the Nationally Significant (NSIP) regime, which was established under the Planning Act (2008).

We are commencing transition to recovery of these costs during spring of 2024.

Given the complexity and different impacts on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) across the portfolio of NSIPs, we will be utilising a time charge system with the fees recovered varying from project to project. This will be determined by the level of input required from National Highways in providing advice and input.

• Our charges will be based on a schedule of rates. Rates applied for National Highways staff time will be informed by our pay scales, and the cost of staff overheads, which will be apportioned on a ‘per capita basis’. These include (but are not limited to) pension, National Insurance and building/office costs in line with accepted practices for capitation. This will ensure that National Highways does not generate a profit from the provision of services and operates in compliance with the requirements of its licence and in line with HM Treasury guidance for Managing Public Money (charging at cost).
• Costs will be recovered for the full range of services that we provide. In addition to case managers, the services provided by National Highways in engaging with DCO schemes under the NSIP regime for which costs will be recovered include, inter alia: legal support, review of transport models and specialist engineering advice. This will in particular include geotechnics, structures and highway design for those projects that will require physical changes to our assets – or that may impact the safe operation of the network. This includes, for example, directional drilling for under the National Highways network by new energy and utilities pipelines.
• We will also recover costs for time incurred by our external legal, spatial planning or other consultants, on a direct cost transfer basis. These services will include, but are not limited to, external solicitors who will be procured via Crown Commercial Services Legal Services Frameworks, or spatial and transport planning and technical advisory services procured through National Highways’ regional Spatial Planning Advice frameworks. 

For new schemes, we will engage with scheme promoters to notify them of the scope of services to be provided and costs to be recovered. These will be set out in writing on a project by project basis.

For existing schemes, we will engage with promoters to set out our transitional arrangements for introducing cost recovery for these projects from 1 April 2024, when the new powers come into force. These will also be set out in writing on a project by project basis.

Further guidance on the introduction and application of these new powers to recover costs for DCO schemes can be found on the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities website.