BOURNEMOUTH council is to start charging residents for giving pre-application advice on household planning applications.

While developers seeking to build new properties have had to pay for pre-application advice, residents seeking to extend or alter their homes have always been able to speak to a planning officer for free.

But now the council has decided to introduce a £60 fee in order to boost its income in the wake of Government cuts.

Last year the council dealt with 250 free pre-application enquiries and estimates this accounted for around 350 hours of officer time.

A council report states: “It is evident that there is a demand for pre-application householder advice and agents have indicated that they would be prepared to accept fees associated with such a service.”