# The Infrastructure Consent (Fees) (Wales) Regulations 2025, Regulation 5: Fee for pre-application services provided by Natural Resources Wales

Extent: E+W

(1) Subject to paragraphs (7) and (8), where Natural Resources Wales provides pre-application services, a fee must be paid to Natural Resources Wales.
(2) The fee payable under this regulation is the amount published on a website maintained by or on behalf of Natural Resources Wales.
(3) Natural Resources Wales must ensure that the following information is published on the website—
(a) the pre-application services for which fees are charged,
(b) the fees payable,
(c) the method used to calculate fees, and
(d) the enactment under which the relevant pre-application services are provided.
(4) Natural Resources Wales must—
(a) publish the fees payable on the website no less than one month before the fee comes into force, and
(b) ensure that the fee payable does not exceed the costs reasonably incurred by them in providing the relevant pre-application services, taking one financial year with another.
(5) Following a request for pre-application services, Natural Resources Wales must provide a notice to the applicant setting out the fee for providing those services.
(6) The applicant must pay the fees to Natural Resources Wales within such period as may be specified in the notice provided by Natural Resources Wales, provided such period is not less than 21 days beginning on the day after the date of that notice.
(7) Where the cost of providing pre-application services is likely to exceed the fee payable under paragraph (2) of this regulation Natural Resources Wales must—
(a) inform the applicant the cost is likely to exceed the fee,
(b) indicate the amount by which the cost is likely to be exceeded, and
(c) ask the applicant to respond within 14 days to confirm they accept that an additional fee is payable.
(8) Where an additional fee is payable under paragraph (7), the fee will be administered by an invoice payable within 21 days beginning the day after the date of the invoice.
(9) If the applicant fails to pay a fee to Natural Resources Wales, Natural Resources Wales may—
(a) recover the unpaid fees for any completed work from the applicant as a civil debt, and
(b) notwithstanding any requirement to provide the relevant pre-application services, withhold the relevant pre-application services until the fees are paid.
(10) Any fee paid pursuant to this regulation must be refunded if the request for pre-application services is rejected as invalid.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2025/883/regulation/5 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/infrastructure-consent-fees-wales-regulations-2025/regulation-5
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.