Research and analysis
Appeals Data: Data notes and guidance
Updated 29 January 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-inspectorate-appeals-database/appeals-data-data-notes-and-guidance
1. Data quality
Some categorisation of appeals can be subjective. The ‘Field Descriptions’ (list below) gives and explanation for each field in this data set. We have also included an indicator of the data quality of each field. We have various mechanisms for checking our data or being alerted to changes that need to be made - therefore data can change between different publications of this data set. If you spot a data error please tell us: statistics@planninginspectorate.gov.uk.
| Data Quality Categories * | |
|---|---|
| Excellent | Has to be correct |
| Good | Has to be present but may not always be correct |
| Moderate | Non mandatory field and not always populated |
| Subjective | Set by defined criteria, can be subjective and not always populated |
| Free format | Plain language description, usually as written on original appeal |
2. Field descriptions
| Field Name | Explanation | Field Type | Data Quality * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reference | The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) Reference Number | Numeric | Excellent |
| Type of Appeal | Appeal type name e.g. Planning Appeal | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| LPA Name | Local Planning Authority Name | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| ONS LPA Code | Office for National Statistics code for the Local Planning Authority | Alphabetic numeric | Excellent |
| LPA Decision Date | Date the Local Planning Authority decided the original application | Date | Good |
| Received Date | Date received in PINS | Date | Good |
| Valid Date | Date validated by PINS | Date | Good |
| Start Date | Date started by PINS | Date | Good |
| Decision Date | If the Jurisdiction is Transferred (see row 17 below for more information on the Jurisdiction) then it is the date of the decision made by PINS. If the Jurisdiction is Secretary of State then it is the date that the report was sent to the Secretary of State | Date | Good |
| Decision | Decision e.g. Allowed, Dismissed, etc | Alphabetic | Good |
| Inspector Name | Inspector’s name | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Procedure | Procedure e.g. Written Representations | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Development Type | Development type e.g. Major Dwellings | Alphabetic | Subjective |
| Appeal Type Reason | Reason for making the appeal | Alphabetic | Good |
| Reason for the appeal | Appeal reason (this field is only populated for certain types of appeals) | Alphabetic | Good |
| Type - Detail | Application type full name | Alphabetic | Good |
| Jurisdiction | Transferred is where PINS is the decision maker on behalf of the Secretary of State. Secretary of State is where an Inspector writes a report with recommendations and the final decision is made by the Secretary of State | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Link Status | Whether the case is linked. For ‘Child’ cases this denotes that another appeal is taking the lead | Alphabetic | Good |
| Lead Case | If the case is a ‘Child’ (linked to another case) then this field will let you know the reference number of the lead case | Numeric | Good |
| Appellant | Appellant’s name | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Agent | Agent’s name (if employed) | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Site Address 1 | Address of the site | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Site Address 2 | Address of the site | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Site Town | Address of the site | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Site County | Address of the site | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Site Country | Address of the site | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Site Postcode | Address of the site | Alphabetic | Excellent |
| Area Of Site In Hectares | Area of the site (if known) | Numeric | Moderate |
| Floor Space In Square Metres | Floor space in square meters (if known) | Numeric | Moderate |
| Number Of Residences | Number of dwellings (if known) | Numeric | Moderate |
| LPA Application Reference | Local Planning Authority application reference number (if known) | Numeric | Good |
| Site Green Belt | Is the site in the green belt (if known) | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Moderate |
| Agricultural Holding | Is the appeal agricultural holding (if known) | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Moderate |
| Development Affect Setting Of Listed Building | Does the development affect the setting of a listed building (if known) | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Moderate |
| Historic Building Grant Made | Historic building grant made (if known) | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Moderate |
| In CA Relates To CA | In a conservation area or relates to a conservation area (if known) | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Moderate |
| Is Flooding An Issue | Is flooding an issue (if known) | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Moderate |
| Is The Site Within An AONB | Is the site within an area of outstanding natural beauty (if known) | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Moderate |
| Site Within SSSI | is the appeal in a a site of special scientific interest (if known) | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Moderate |
| Redetermined | Is the appeal being redetermined? | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Good |
| Bespoke Indicator | If the bespoke indicator is 1 then the case is following a bespoke timetable. The timetable is agreed between PINS and the main parties and this includes the event date and target date | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Excellent |
| Date Recovered | The date if a case is recovered by the Secretary of State | Date | Excellent |
| Date Not Recovered Or Derecovered | The date if a case is derecovered by the Secretary of State (the Jurisdiction is transferred back to PINS) | Date | Excellent |
| Call In Date | The date when an application is called in by the Secretary of State | Date | Excellent |
| Costs Applied For Indicator | Costs applied for (if known) | 1, 0 or blank (1 = Yes) | Moderate |
| Enforcement Grounds Count | Number of grounds on the appeal if Enforcement | Numeric | Excellent |
| Enforcement Grounds | Grounds of appeal if Enforcement (the grounds are selected when the appeal is raised) | Alphabetic | Excellent |