NEW charges will discourage people from making speculative planning applications and overloading the planners, architects say.

Until today planning applications have been free.

But now the Environment Department has introduced fees for all applications.

This is the latest step in a series of changes brought to the planning laws.

Architects have welcomed the charges.

PF+A director Peter Falla (pictured) believed the fees would put off some islanders.

‘The costs will reduce speculative applications and this will reduce the workload for the planning department,’ he said.

‘It will make people think twice before applying.’

He said the department was often inundated with applications.

‘Hopefully, this will make the system more efficient,’ he said.

‘The building control fees, introduced earlier this year, have helped the department, and it is now really efficient. I hope it does the same for planning.’

BAS Mooarc design director Jamie Falla said the charges were reasonable.

‘In the UK people already have to pay to make planning applications,’ he said.

An Environment spokesman said new planning charges would be kept under review.