Planning activity shows sign of recovery

The amount of planning fees received by Liverpool City Council is "picking up" after two years of falls, according to head of planning Nigel Lee.

Planning fees received by the council were down 3.5% to £1.606m in 2009/10 compared to £1.663m in 2008/09. The total for 2007/08 was £2.401m, or 33% more than the year to April 2010.

The total number of planning applications in 2010 was up by 11% compared to 2009 but still down by 8% compared with 2008. The total for 2010 was 2593, up 255 on 2009.

Lee said the upward trend from the depths of recession in 2008/09 was continuing into 2011, with hotels, foodstores and student accommodation among the stronger sectors. There was still a lack of developer interest in residential, he added.

The council said the number of planning applications received in the city "is monitored as a proxy to ascertain the health of the local development market."