BRE Increase BREEAM Timescales and Fees

The BRE have announced an increase in BREEAM fees for all projects registered on or after 1^st April 2023.

The increase in fees will affect all aspects of the BREEAM process including registration, certification and fast track certification. Prices are increasingly by approximately 15%.  

Feedback timescales have increased to as much as 18-20 weeks from the date of first submissions and resubmissions, to date we have been used to 6-8 weeks. BRE have stated that they are working to reduce their assessment timescales back to their contractual requirements, unfortunately it is unclear when this will be achieved.

Due to these extended timescales, clients need to carefully consider the relevant BREEAM planning conditions on their developments from the outset. The timescales could lead to a breach of planning conditions whereby pre-commencement or pre-occupation requirements are now at risk of not being achieved.

We can help in a number of ways, including:

• Working with planning consultants to change the wording of the planning conditions.
• Seeking agreement with the Local Planning Authorities to clear the planning conditions with BREEAM assessment reports, instead of the interim or final certificates.
• Completing assessments as early as possible to help reduce the impact on programme.
• Proactively ensuring design teams provide robust evidence to reduce opportunities for the BRE to return assessments.

Should you wish to register an assessment to secure the current fee scheme or want to discuss any concerns with the BRE feedback timescales, please get in touch with our BREEAM lead Zeta Stebbings at zeta@hodkinsonconsultancy.com.