Performance update – November 2023
Performance and other updates following the publication of our latest official monthly statistics.
On a monthly basis, we publish the latest official statistics on appeals performance, which represent the greatest volume (in terms of number of cases) of the work of the Planning Inspectorate.
We also update the appeals handling times data to give customers the latest information on the average time it takes to receive a decision and provide an update on our other main casework areas.
This month we are also reporting statistics on ministerial measures agreed in January 2022 including, number of cases quality assured and appeals valid on first submission.
Appeals
Our appeal cases are dealt with in one of three ways: written representations, hearings, or inquiries. Ministerial performance measures include an expectation to reduce average decision times over time and make our decision speeds more consistent. All our decision times are measured from the day we receive a valid appeal through to the day we issue a decision. This is the same approach as Local Planning Authorities.
We made 18,418 appeal decisions in the last 12 months, an average of 1,535 per month. The number of decisions in October 2023 was 1,660.
Caseload levels continue to fall as we closed 252 more cases than we received in October. We closed 1,879 cases, the highest amount of any of the previous 12 months. At the end of October, we had 13,870 cases open. In November 2022 it was 14,858.
Reducing our open caseload is critical to speeding up our decisions and making our decision times more consistent. Throughout 2023 we have been focusing on reducing open planning written representations appeals. Average timescales for decisions on these cases is quite stable but will not get faster until we have reduced open caseloads further.
Between July to September, 990 appeal cases were quality assured. This makes up one fifth of all appeal decisions issued over that period.
Median decision times
The median decision time for cases decided in October was 30 weeks, comparable with the average over the past 12 months of 31 weeks.
| 12 months to October 2023 median decision time | October 2023 median decision time | |
|---|---|---|
| Planning appeals by written representations | 29 weeks | 29 weeks |
| Planning appeals by hearing | 30 weeks | 25 weeks |
| Planning appeals by inquiry | 32 weeks | 37 weeks |
| Enforcement appeals by written representations | 52 weeks | 50 weeks |
| Enforcement appeals by hearing | 68 weeks | 61 weeks |
| Enforcement appeals by inquiry | 82 weeks | 46 weeks |
| All appeals | 31 weeks | 30 weeks |
National Infrastructure
The number of applications has started to rise but we continue to meet all statutory deadlines.
We have a high number of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) at various stages:
- 74 where we are providing advice before submission
- 16 submitted and at acceptance, pre-examination, or examination
- 4 where we are preparing our recommendation
- 11 where the relevant Secretary of State is considering our recommendation
The continuous work to examine NSIPs is key to the economic growth of the country.
The Planning Inspectorate, in close collaboration with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and other government departments, is actively shaping future service offerings for the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) sector, as outlined in the NSIP Reform Action Plan.
Here we provide an update on the Early Adopters Programme which involves seven projects trialling potential components of a future enhanced pre-application service for National Infrastructure.
Local Plans
There are currently 47 live Local Plan examinations in progress.
We encourage Local Planning Authorities (LPA) to use our advisory visits to help them get their plans in good shape and deal with challenges well before submission.