Recommendation 161

The costs of completing surveys can be significant. Developers and promoters must make a substantial financial outlay at the beginning of a project. The Country Land and Business Association warned that “the fear of excessive costs … deters people from applying [for planning permission].” 210 Jan Bessell, Chair of the National Infrastructure Planning Association, said that this project-by-project assessment requirement “can be hugely expensive at the pre-application stage, which is the hardest to fund for privately funded and promoted infrastructure projects.” 211