Planning appeals

An applicant has a right of appeal to the Planning Inspectorate if:

• no decision has been reached on the application within the statutory eight week period
• the application is refused
• the applicant does not agree with one or more of the conditions on an approval

Depending on which method of appeal you choose, the appeal process can be time consuming and expensive. Before deciding to lodge an appeal it is worth speaking to the planning officer who dealt with your application to see if there is scope to negotiate a compromise and submit an amended application.

If, however, an appeal is the only option, the applicant has six months from the date of the decision to appeal. Details of the appeal procedures can be found accompanying the decision notice, or by using the links to the Planning Portal and Planning Inspectorate below. There are three ways in which an appeal can be dealt with:

• Written representations - this is the quickest method, the applicant and the council prepare written statements for the Planning Inspectorate to consider, a Planning Inspector will visit the site and then issue a decision.
• Informal hearing - with the agreement of both parties and where the planning issues are quite straightforward an informal hearing may be called, this is a discussion of the issues involved between the parties, which is led by the Planning Inspector.
• Public inquiry - each side presents its case verbally before an Inspector and the witnesses for each side can be cross-examined by the opposing parties, this is usually a more lengthy and expensive procedure as it normally involves legal and professional representation and complex arguments.

The Inspector's decision is final and you have no further right of appeal except to the High Court on a point of law. There is no third party right of appeal other than on a point of law, although third parties can be involved in the appeal process and are asked for comments on an appeal. Appeal Forms are available from the Planning Inspectorate; alternatively you can submit an appeal online.

Current appeals

The Planning Casework Service allows you to submit and search for certain types of appeal online, together with supporting documentation.

• Make an appeal online
• Search for appeal cases

(Please note: only appeal cases where the final part of the appeal reference starts with a '2' will be available using this search facility).

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