177M.—(1) The fee payable to the Board in respect of an application for substitute consent shall be the same as the fee that would be payable to the planning authority under the permission regulations if the applicant were making an application for permission for the development under section 34(1) rather than an application for substitute consent.

(2) Where the Board grants an application for substitute consent under section 177K F875[…], it may determine that a sum or sums is or are required to be paid in order to defray some or all of the costs incurred by the Board or the planning authority during the course of consideration of the application and may direct the applicant to pay the sum or sums to the Board or the planning authority or both, as the case may be.

(3) A reference to costs in subsection (2) shall be construed as a reference to such costs as the Board in its absolute discretion considers to be reasonable costs, but does not include a reference to so much of the costs there referred to as have been recovered by the Board by way of a fee charged under section 144.

(4) Where the Board directs an applicant to pay an additional sum or sums to it or the planning authority under subsection (2), it shall F875[…] give to the applicant a notice requiring the payment of that sum or sums by the applicant and shall, if appropriate, give a copy of the notice to the planning authority for the area in which the development the subject of the application is situated.

(5) An applicant who receives a notification in relation to costs under subsection (2) may, within 2 weeks of the date of such notice, make submissions or observations to the Board in relation to the sum or sums so notified.

(6) The Board shall consider the submissions or observations made to it under subsection (5) and shall, as soon as may be, decide to confirm, vary or withdraw the notice under subsection (2) and shall give notice to the applicant of the Board’s decision and the reasons therefore and shall give a copy of its decision to the relevant planning authority.

(7) Where an applicant for substitute consent fails to pay a sum or sums in respect of costs in accordance with a direction under subsection (2), the Board or the planning authority as may be appropriate may recover the sum or sums as a simple contract debt in any court of competent jurisdiction.]