Official Statistics

Planning Inspectorate statistical release 23 March 2023

Published 23 March 2023

Applies to England

1. Introduction

This statistical release provides summary information on appeals, which represent the highest volume (in terms of number of cases) of the work of the Planning Inspectorate.

These statistics are produced each month and the focus is on timeliness of decision-making, an area of particular interest for stakeholders. Information on the decisions that have been made is also included; and on the number of Inspectors available to make those decisions.

These statistics have been published to ensure everyone has equal access to the information and to support the Planning Inspectorate’s commitment to release information where possible.

This statistical bulletin provides:

• Appeals decisions and events held from March 2022 to February 2023
• The time taken to reach decisions
• Number of open cases
• Number of Inspectors

1.1 The Planning Inspectorate

The Planning Inspectorate makes decisions and provides recommendations and advice on a range of land use planning-related issues across England.

The Planning Inspectorate deals with planning appeals, national infrastructure planning applications, examinations of local plans and other planning-related and specialist casework in England. The Planning Inspectorate is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

1.2 Summary

Time to decide cases

The median decision time for cases decided in February 2023 was 29 weeks.

Median timeliness by procedure type is shown in the summary table below.

Procedure type	Last 12 months	February 2023
Written Representations	27 weeks	28 weeks
Hearings	58 weeks	45 weeks
Inquiries	45 weeks	58 weeks
All Cases	28 weeks	29 weeks

The median time for planning cases was 26 weeks in February 2023 and this is also the median over the past 12 months.

Enforcement decisions made in February 2023 had a median decision time of 53 weeks, with the 12 month median being 52 weeks.

The median time for planning appeals decided by inquiry under the Rosewell Process over the 12 months to February 2023 is 30 weeks.

1.3 Decisions

The Planning Inspectorate made 17,586 appeal decisions in the last 12 months, an average of 1,466 per month. The number of decisions in February 2023 was 1,611.

There were 1,490 written representations decisions in February 2023; and 16,213 in the last 12 months.

There were 866 decisions made on hearings during the last 12 months, and during February 2023, 75 decisions were issued.

There were 507 decisions made on inquiries during the last 12 months, with 46 in February 2023.

1.4 Planning Inspectors

There were 409 Planning Inspectors employed by the Inspectorate at the end of February 2023.

2. Decisions, Events & Open Cases

The number of decisions issued in February 2023 was 1,611, 145 more decisions than the monthly average over the past 12 months.

The number of events recorded for February 2023 was 1,550, the average over the past 12 months was 1,365.

The median valid to decision time was 29 weeks in February 2023, as seen in Figure 1 and Table 1 below.

There are no clear trends for the number of events and decisions per month. However, the Christmas and Easter breaks do impact on the number of events arranged during December and April.

Figure 1: Number of events held , decisions issued and median time between valid date & decision date; March 2022 to February 2023

Source: Horizon, Picaso, Inspector Scheduling System

Note: The process and admin system used for events data has changed from April 2022. See Background Quality Report for more information

Table 1: Number of events held, decisions issued and median time between valid date & decision date; March 2022 to February 2023

Note: This table includes revisions to previously published data. Please see Annex D for further information

Month	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Events Held	1,570	1,035	1,299	1,218	1,224	1,431	1,384	1,301	1,680	954	1,729	1,550	16,375
Decisions	1,912	1,250	1,409	1,194	1,425	1,473	1,266	1,458	1,577	1,544	1,467	1,611	17,586
Median	24.9	25.7	28.0	27.0	25.9	26.9	29.0	28.7	30.7	30.4	31.1	28.7	28.0

Source: Horizon, Picaso, Inspector Scheduling System.

Figure 2 below shows the number of cases received, closed and open for each of the last 12 months. After rising last year, the number of open cases has been reducing over recent months as more cases are being closed than received.

Note – The number of cases closed is higher than the number of decisions, as it includes cases where an appeal is withdrawn, notice is withdrawn, or the appeal is turned away.

Figure 2: Number of cases received, closed and open; March 2022 to February 2023

Source: Horizon and Picaso

Note 1: there is a known anomaly that means that the number of open cases does not exactly follow the volumes of cases closed or received (for example the number of open cases can increase between months even though the number closed exceeded the number received). The main reasons for this have been identified and are detailed in the Background Quality Report. The inspectorate are Investigating how to introduce new processes to improve the quality of this data which once complete may result in revisions to the number of open cases.

Table 2: Number of cases received, closed and open; March 2022 to February 2023

Note: This table includes revisions to previously published data. Please see Annex D for further information

Month	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Received	1,829	1,631	1,973	1,712	1,702	1,642	1,730	1,791	1,823	1,559	1,629	1,540	20,561
Closed	2,155	1,414	1,627	1,386	1,603	1,669	1,426	1,661	1,801	1,741	1,702	1,781	19,966
Open	12,976	13,182	13,496	13,878	13,975	13,964	14,238	14,438	14,455	14,343	14,330	14,062

Source: Horizon and Picaso

3. Number of Cases

The Planning Inspectorate has made 17,586 appeal decisions in the last 12 months. There were 1,611 cases decided in February 2023.

Table 3 below shows the monthly breakdown with fewer decisions for the months of April, June and September 2022.

Table 3: Appeal Decisions; March 2022 to February 2023

Month	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Decisions	1,912	1,250	1,409	1,194	1,425	1,473	1,266	1,458	1,577	1,544	1,467	1,611	17,586

Source: Horizon and Picaso

Figure 3 – Appeal Decisions; March 2022 to February 2023

Source: Horizon and Picaso

3.1 Decisions by procedure and case type

Planning Inspectors work on a broader range of work than the appeals featured in this release. For example, they also work on examining Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project applications, Local Plans , Compulsory Purchase Order applications and many other specialist licencing/ application types.

Table 4 below gives the numbers of appeal decisions made broken down by whether the case was dealt with by written representations, hearings, or inquiries.

The large majority of decisions (16,213) were made on written representations. This is ninety two percent of all appeal decisions made. Table 4 shows that written representation decisions has varied from around 1,100 to over 1,800 per month over the past 12 months. There were 1,490 decisions in February 2023.

There were 866 decisions made on hearings during the last 12 months, the monthly average being 72. During February 2023 75 decisions were issued. In February 2023 46 decisions were made for inquiries. Decisions for inquiries since March 2022 have ranged between 24 and 80.

Table 4: Appeal Decisions by Procedure and Casework Category; March 2022 to February 2023

Month	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Written Representations	1,815	1,154	1,285	1,106	1,337	1,354	1,173	1,374	1,456	1,341	1,328	1,490	16,213
Hearings	51	65	89	54	62	39	69	53	89	157	63	75	866
Inquiries	46	31	35	34	26	80	24	31	32	46	76	46	507
Total	1,912	1,250	1,409	1,194	1,425	1,473	1,266	1,458	1,577	1,544	1,467	1,611	17,586
Month	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Planning	1,603	980	1,142	1,004	1,171	1,157	1,016	1,261	1,337	1,294	1,226	1,400	14,591
Enforcement	253	174	215	138	166	224	184	142	174	193	184	170	2,217
Specialist	56	96	52	52	88	92	66	55	66	57	57	41	778
Total	1,912	1,250	1,409	1,194	1,425	1,473	1,266	1,458	1,577	1,544	1,467	1,611	17,586

Source: Horizon and Picaso.

What are Planning cases?

The Planning category includes s78 planning appeals, householder appeals, commercial appeals, listed building consent appeals, advertisement appeals, s106 planning obligation appeals and Called In Planning Applications.

What are Enforcement cases?

Enforcement covers enforcement appeals (i.e., appeals against the issue of an enforcement notice served by a local planning authority for alleged breaches of planning control), enforcement listed building notice appeals and lawful development certificate appeals.

What are Specialist cases?

Specialist casework includes Common Land, Rights of Way orders (including Schedule 14 cases), Purchase orders, Tree Preservation Orders, High Hedges appeals, Hedgerow appeals, Wayleave, Compulsory Purchase Orders, Secretary of State, Transport, Environmental Permitting Appeals and Coastal Access. Additional casework types have been added to this category over time.

The large majority of cases over the past 12 months were planning (14,591). This is about eighty-three per cent of all appeal decisions made. There were 2,217 enforcement decisions and 778 specialist decisions. These totals are also shown in Table 4 above and Figure 4 below.

Trends for planning decisions show similar patterns to written representations. The average number of enforcement decisions over the past 12 months was 185. March 2022 had the most enforcement decisions of the last 12 months. Specialist casework figures continue to vary each month, from a high of 96 in April 2022 to a low of 41 in February 2023.

Figure 4 – Appeal Decisions by Procedure and Casework Category; March 2022 to February 2023

Appeal Decisions by Procedure

Appeals Decisions by Casework Type

Source: Horizon and Picaso

4. Decision timeliness

It is important for people to know how long an appeal is going to take, so that they can make informed plans and decisions. This section covers the timeliness of decisions (i.e., how long it takes to make a decision) across appeal casework. In addition to an overall measure, timeliness is analysed by procedure type and casework category, as timeliness varies a great deal depending on these characteristics.

Table 5 below shows that the median time to make a decision, across all cases in the last 12 months, was 28 weeks; and 29 weeks for February 2023. Figure 5 shows the median has been between 25 and 31 weeks for each of the last 12 months

How is timeliness measured?

The time to make a decision is measured from the time the Inspectorate have enough information for the case to proceed (it is deemed ‘valid’) to the time a decision letter is issued. This means that any delay in ‘validating’ the appeal is included in the time to make a decision.

The decisions made in a given month will include those that started many months before, and thus do not give an accurate indication of how long appeals submitted, or deemed ‘valid’ in that month, will take.

Table 5 also shows the mean decision time for the last 12 months is 34 weeks. Each month the median is less than the mean, due to the impact of very long cases. Also included in the table is the standard deviation of decision timeliness, which is a measure of variation.

What are mean, median and standard deviation?

Measure	Definition
Mean	The total time taken divided by the number of cases. Also referred to as the ‘average’. A measure of how long each case would take, if the total time taken was spread evenly across all cases.
Median	This is the time taken by the ‘middle’ case if all cases were sorted from quickest to longest
Standard deviation	This is a measure of variability or spread. It is calculated by examining how much each value differs from the mean. A higher standard deviation means the individual decision times vary more widely around the mean. A lower standard deviation would demonstrate greater consistency in the Planning Inspectorate’s decision timeliness.

Table 5: Median, mean and Standard Deviation of Time to Decision; March 2022 to February 2023

Month	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Valid to Decision (median weeks)	24.9	25.7	28.0	27.0	25.9	26.9	29.0	28.7	30.7	30.4	31.1	28.7	28.0
Valid to Decision (mean weeks)	30.7	31.3	36.3	32.9	33.2	33.7	34.4	33.2	36.5	35.7	36.7	34.2	34.0
Standard Deviation (weeks)	24.3	24.8	31.2	25.1	27.0	23.2	22.8	19.8	22.4	22.0	24.1	22.6	24.3

Source: Horizon and Picaso

Figure 5: Median and mean Time to Decision; March 2022 to February 2023

Source: Horizon and Picaso

4.1 Procedure Type

Table 6 below shows decision timeliness broken down by the procedure type. Hearings and inquires take longer than written representations , both types take roughly twice as long on average across the last 12 months. Because 19 of every 20 cases are by written representation, the timeliness measures for written representations are similar to the measure across all cases.

Where a small number of cases has been decided, the average timeliness (whether mean or median) is less meaningful as a measure than where there are many cases. Those noted in the table caption below should be treated with caution as there are fewer than 20 cases decided.

Median times are less affected by a small number of large values than mean times, so are the focus of this commentary. The median time for written representations over the 12 months to February 2023 is 27 weeks. The median time for hearings over the 12 months to February 2023 is 58 weeks.

Table 6: Mean and Median Time to Decision, with Standard Deviation, by Procedure; March 2022 to February 2023

Note 1: where the number of decisions issued is fewer than 20, the measures mean, median and standard deviation are less meaningful.

Measure	Procedure	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Valid to decision (median weeks)	Written Representations	24.3	24.4	27.0	26.1	25.1	26.1	28.4	28.4	30.1	29.1	29.9	27.9	27.0
Valid to decision (median weeks)	Hearings	52.9	108.3	94.0	61.0	58.2	63.0	41.1	40.9	51.0	54.4	59.0	45.0	58.1
Valid to decision (median weeks)	Inquiries	42.1	38.4	44.3	39.6	29.6	68.6	36.5	29.6	41.1	38.6	74.4	58.0	45.1
Valid to decision (median weeks)	All Cases	24.9	25.7	28.0	27.0	25.9	26.9	29.0	28.7	30.7	30.4	31.1	28.7	28.0
Valid to decision (mean weeks)	Written Representations	29.1	27.2	30.4	29.7	30.3	30.7	32.8	32.5	34.8	32.8	33.4	31.9	31.3
Valid to decision (mean weeks)	Hearings	61.1	90.8	112.3	86.7	85.3	67.8	51.4	45.1	56.5	58.6	62.0	53.9	69.0
Valid to decision (mean weeks)	Inquiries	60.7	57.7	57.7	51.3	58.6	67.6	62.3	44.3	58.4	42.1	73.6	76.0	61.2
Valid to decision (mean weeks)	All Cases	30.7	31.3	36.3	32.9	33.2	33.7	34.4	33.2	36.5	35.7	36.7	34.2	34.0
Standard Deviation (weeks)	Written Representations	22.3	17.2	18.4	17.1	20.8	19.1	20.1	18.6	19.7	18.1	18.0	17.5	19.2
Standard Deviation (weeks)	Hearings	27.6	37.6	59.8	61.7	55.6	43.1	31.5	24.8	34.7	35.6	31.6	38.8	46.1
Standard Deviation (weeks)	Inquiries	45.8	46.2	36.7	35.4	53.7	30.6	54.9	40.8	43.4	18.3	50.6	54.6	44.2
Standard Deviation (weeks)	All Cases	24.3	24.8	31.2	25.1	27.0	23.2	22.8	19.8	22.4	22.0	24.1	22.6	24.3
Decisions	Written Representations	1,815	1,154	1,285	1,106	1,337	1,354	1,173	1,374	1,456	1,341	1,328	1,490	16,213
Decisions	Hearings	51	65	89	54	62	39	69	53	89	157	63	75	866
Decisions	Inquiries	46	31	35	34	26	80	24	31	32	46	76	46	507
Decisions	Total	1,912	1,250	1,409	1,194	1,425	1,473	1,266	1,458	1,577	1,544	1,467	1,611	17,586

Source: Horizon and Picaso.

The standard deviation information indicates that for all three procedures, there is considerable variation, meaning times are widely spread about the mean. For written representations, the amount of variation has been quite stable over recent months, whereas hearings and enquiries have experienced considerable month to month changes in the spread of decision times.

4.2 Casework Category

The nature of the cases the Planning Inspectorate deal with varies widely and several factors play a part in determining how long it takes to make a decision. One such factor is the type of casework. Table 7 below shows the time taken to decide, in planning cases, in enforcement cases, and in specialist cases, as does Figure 6.

The median time to decision for planning cases (there are many more of these decisions than in the other categories) is lower than for enforcement cases; and less variable than the times for specialist cases. Table 7 and Figure 6 show the median time for planning cases has been 24 weeks and above for each of the last twelve months.

Table 7: Decisions, Mean, Median and Standard Deviation of Time to Decision – Planning, Enforcement, Specialist Cases; March 2022 to February 2023

Appeal Type	Measure	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Planning Cases	Valid to decision (median wks)	23.6	24.9	27.0	26.0	25.0	25.1	27.0	27.4	29.1	28.9	28.3	26.1	26.4
Planning Cases	Valid to decision (mean wks)	25.7	26.6	30.3	29.3	29.1	28.7	30.8	30.6	33.0	31.4	31.5	30.7	29.8
Planning Cases	Standard deviation of decision (weeks)	15.0	15.3	21.6	17.9	20.4	17.7	18.2	15.9	17.6	16.0	16.3	17.8	17.6
Enforcement Cases	Valid to decision (median wks)	44.6	48.0	56.1	40.9	42.2	58.6	44.7	44.1	52.1	62.4	63.4	53.3	51.9
Enforcement Cases	Valid to decision (mean wks)	57.5	59.7	66.6	56.3	56.8	56.1	51.1	50.5	59.6	62.0	67.9	59.1	58.8
Enforcement Cases	Standard deviation of decision (weeks)	39.8	40.8	50.0	47.0	40.9	29.6	29.3	26.7	32.3	31.5	36.6	35.3	37.7
Specialist Cases	Valid to decision (median wks)	33.7	12.7	28.4	29.8	24.7	30.9	29.4	34.7	35.3	27.0	36.9	41.7	30.1
Specialist Cases	Valid to decision (mean wks)	54.3	27.4	42.0	41.1	44.6	41.6	43.5	47.5	49.0	44.7	47.2	50.1	43.3
Specialist Cases	Standard deviation of decision (weeks)	46.1	30.0	35.0	27.0	41.5	30.4	37.2	40.0	35.0	34.3	32.6	30.4	35.9

Source: Horizon and Picaso.

Annex A gives information on median and mean time to decision, with standard deviation, for the three procedure types, split by planning, enforcement, and specialist casework categories.

Enforcement decisions made in the past 12 months had a median decision time of 52 weeks.

There are considerably fewer specialist cases which means results are more liable to be distorted by extreme values. Looking at the annual measures, the median time to decision for specialist decisions have been shorter than enforcement decisions, and quite similar to the median for planning decisions.

Figure 6 – Median Time to Decision by Casework Category: March 2022 to February 2023

Source: Horizon and Picaso

Note that the Inspectorate publishes each month, information on the mean and median times from valid to decision, for selected appeal types. The information published also breaks down the time for each stage of the process. See Annex B for further details.

4.3 Planning Inquiry Decisions

For planning appeals decided by the inquiry process, The Planning Inspectorate has been implementing recommendations from the Rosewell review.

The median time for inquiries under Rosewell process over the 12 months to February 2023 is 30 weeks and the median time to decision for February 2023 was 32 weeks.

Table 8: Decisions, Mean and Median Time to Decision, Planning Inquiry Cases under Rosewell Process; March 2022 to February 2023

Note 1: where there are fewer than 20 decisions, the measures mean, median and standard deviation are less meaningful.

Measure	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Decisions	22	14	24	21	13	18	11	22	19	38	22	15	239
Median (weeks)	30.0	30.2	32.1	31.0	23.3	26.0	28.6	25.9	29.4	38.6	28.6	31.7	29.9
Mean (weeks)	35.5	35.5	41.6	33.0	23.9	30.9	29.5	29.1	38.0	36.9	31.0	40.2	34.3
St. Dev. (weeks)	14.2	13.6	19.2	9.8	4.6	14.0	9.4	11.0	20.8	6.5	10.3	29.2	15.2

Most inquiry decisions now being issued are under the revised ‘Rosewell’ process but some inquiries, for example those that are linked together with associated enforcement cases, do not follow the Rosewell process.

Table 9: Decisions, Planning Inquiry Cases under non-Rosewell Process; March 2022 to February 2023

Note: Number of decisions for September is affected by decisions being recorded after statistics downloaded.

Source: Horizon

5. Open Cases

At the end of January 2023, the Planning Inspectorate had 14,062 cases open ; the number of open cases peaked at 14,455 in November and has fallen in the past 3 months. More information on the number of open cases, and how it has changed over the past 12 months, is in Table 2 and Figure 2 above.

The open cases comprised of 12,573 cases being handled through written representations; 808 through hearings; and 630 through inquiries, as well as 51 not currently allocated a procedure type. This is not the number of ‘live’ hearings and inquiries since it includes cases where the event (hearing or inquiry) has yet to start, as well as those where the event has finished but the decision has yet to be issued.

For each procedure type, there are more cases with an event yet to start, than at any other stage in the process. Event refers to either a site visit, hearing, or inquiry.

Table 10: Open cases by procedure and stage, as of end of February 2023

Stage	Written Representations	Hearings	Inquiries	Total
Cases received but yet to be deemed valid	1,903	42	2	1,947
Cases deemed valid but yet to ‘start’	2,886	142	68	3,131
Case started but event (site visit/hearing/inquiry) has not yet happened	7,731	581	489	8,814
Event has happened/started  but decision not yet issued	53	43	71	170
Total	12,573	808	630	14,062

Source: Horizon

Note 1 - there are 51 cases that have no procedure type recorded (see Background Quality Report for more detail) These are included in the total but excluded from the breakdown by procedure.

Note 2 – there is a known anomaly that means that the number of open cases does not exactly follow the volumes of cases closed or received (for example the number of open cases can increase between months even though the number closed exceeded the number received). The main reasons for this have been identified and are detailed in the Background Quality Report. The inspectorate are investigating how to introduce new processes to improve the quality of this data which once complete may result in revisions to the number of open cases.

6. Inspectors

Table 11 below shows the number of inspectors in the Planning Inspectorate in each month from March 2022 to February 2023 . This includes headcount (i.e. the number of different individuals) and full-time equivalents (FTE) where those working part time are counted in proportion with their contracted hours. There were 409 Planning Inspectors employed by the Inspectorate in February 2023 – with a full-time equivalent of 365.

Table 11: Planning Inspectors – Headcount and FTE; March 2022 to February 2023 (at end of month)

Month	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23
Headcount	357	355	365	371	378	376	388	391	390	390	406	409
FTE	319.1	316.6	325.9	331.5	337.7	335.0	346.2	348.9	348.3	348.3	363.2	365.3

As above, Planning Inspectors work on a broader range of work than the appeals featured in this Release. Please note that data on Planning Inspectors is only applicable to salaried employees (it does not include fixed term contract Inspectors or Planning and Appeal Decision Suppliers (previously referred to as non-salaried Inspectors).

7. Revisions to previous release

Data in the previous statistical release may have changed between being published last month and what is shown this month. Where changes have occurred (the volume numbers have changed by more than five, or the timeliness measures have changed by greater than 0.5 weeks) the tables in this release give the most recent figures. Information about which tables this applies to, can be found in Annex C and the separate Background Quality Report.

8. Annex A - Mean and median time to decision, with standard deviation, for planning, enforcement and specialist casework

8.1 Planning

Note: where there are fewer than 20 decisions, the measures mean, median and standard deviation are less meaningful. This applies to April, July and September 2022 for inquiries decisions.

Planning	Measure	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Written Representations	Decisions	1,543	932	1,074	945	1,110	1,109	958	1,197	1,254	1,172	1,162	1,326	13,782
Written Representations	Median Average Weeks	23.1	24.2	26.3	25.4	24.4	24.9	26.9	27.4	29.0	28.1	28.1	26.1	26.0
Written Representations	Mean Average Weeks	25.0	25.2	27.6	27.7	26.9	27.9	30.1	30.4	32.3	30.4	30.9	29.9	28.7
Written Representations	Standard Deviation Weeks	14.3	12.2	13.7	14.5	13.9	15.7	17.1	15.6	16.4	14.3	15.3	15.9	15.2
Hearings	Decisions	35	31	43	37	46	27	47	41	63	83	39	54	546
Hearings	Median Average Weeks	48.4	53.0	61.4	51.1	55.9	42.6	38.3	32.0	39.0	34.3	44.7	25.4	44.2
Hearings	Mean Average Weeks	52.5	64.8	90.0	66.4	81.2	55.4	45.8	39.7	44.8	42.9	48.5	41.8	54.4
Hearings	Standard Deviation Weeks	20.2	34.9	58.4	41.6	55.3	43.0	30.5	23.1	30.1	29.5	27.5	31.6	39.8
Inquiries	Decisions	25	17	25	22	15	21	11	23	20	39	25	20	263
Inquiries	Median Average Weeks	28.0	33.7	33.6	31.1	24.0	26.0	28.6	25.9	29.4	38.6	29.7	32.5	30.6
Inquiries	Mean Average Weeks	35.6	37.4	45.3	34.6	29.4	37.5	29.5	28.5	41.2	38.6	35.6	55.5	37.9
Inquiries	Standard Deviation Weeks	15.1	13.7	26.1	12.0	14.8	27.2	9.4	11.1	24.6	12.4	19.2	41.4	21.8
All Cases	Decisions	1,603	980	1,142	1,004	1,171	1,157	1,016	1,261	1,337	1,294	1,226	1,400	14,591
All Cases	Median Average Weeks	23.6	24.9	27.0	26.0	25.0	25.1	27.0	27.4	29.1	28.9	28.3	26.1	26.4
All Cases	Mean Average Weeks	25.7	26.6	30.3	29.3	29.1	28.7	30.8	30.6	33.0	31.4	31.5	30.7	29.8
All Cases	Standard Deviation Weeks	15.0	15.3	21.6	17.9	20.4	17.7	18.2	15.9	17.6	16.0	16.3	17.8	17.6

8.2 Enforcement

Note: where there are fewer than 20 decisions, the measures mean, median and standard deviation are less meaningful. This applies to all months for hearing other than April, May and November 2022 decisions and all months for inquiry decisions other than August 2022 and January and February 2023.

Enforcement	Measure	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Written Representations	Decisions	225	131	165	119	153	164	159	128	145	119	122	131	1,761
Written Representations	Median Average Weeks	42.6	36.7	45.7	37.3	39.6	40.0	44.4	39.7	49.3	53.7	53.5	47.7	44.1
Written Representations	Mean Average Weeks	55.0	44.8	47.6	43.1	53.0	46.3	48.1	49.0	54.1	54.1	56.7	50.4	50.3
Written Representations	Standard Deviation Weeks	38.9	29.1	28.6	24.2	36.3	25.3	23.4	26.9	28.5	27.7	23.6	20.5	29.2
Hearings	Decisions	11	31	43	11	10	6	14	11	20	71	15	17	260
Hearings	Median Average Weeks	63.0	118.9	170.3	223.7	75.0	99.6	39.7	53.7	93.0	68.1	74.7	73.6	83.6
Hearings	Mean Average Weeks	64.9	111.8	136.5	165.3	107.1	101.1	57.5	64.6	85.5	75.2	80.8	87.9	95.4
Hearings	Standard Deviation Weeks	22.5	19.0	52.8	70.8	64.4	25.4	30.0	22.2	19.6	33.1	22.3	40.8	47.6
Inquiries	Decisions	17	12	7	8	3	54	11	3	9	3	47	22	196
Inquiries	Median Average Weeks	58.3	49.3	78.0	96.1	52.7	68.6	62.3	67.6	58.6	45.1	82.0	72.6	74.3
Inquiries	Mean Average Weeks	86.0	88.5	86.7	103.3	81.7	80.9	85.9	61.2	89.2	63.4	92.9	89.0	86.8
Inquiries	Standard Deviation Weeks	48.0	60.7	37.2	35.9	43.7	22.2	62.5	12.2	57.6	28.7	51.4	61.9	46.8
All Cases	Decisions	253	174	215	138	166	224	184	142	174	193	184	170	2,217
All Cases	Median Average Weeks	44.6	48.0	56.1	40.9	42.2	58.6	44.7	44.1	52.1	62.4	63.4	53.3	51.9
All Cases	Mean Average Weeks	57.5	59.7	66.6	56.3	56.8	56.1	51.1	50.5	59.6	62.0	67.9	59.1	58.8
All Cases	Standard Deviation Weeks	39.8	40.8	50.0	47.0	40.9	29.6	29.3	26.7	32.3	31.5	36.6	35.3	37.7

8.3 Specialist

Note: where there are fewer than 20 decisions, the measures mean, median and standard deviation are less meaningful. This applies to all months’ hearings decisions; and all months inquiries decisions.

Specialist	Measure	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22	Jan-23	Feb-23	Total
Written Representations	Decisions	47	91	46	42	74	81	56	49	57	50	44	33	670
Written Representations	Median Average Weeks	26.9	11.3	24.4	24.6	22.6	27.9	25.9	33.9	32.1	26.9	31.6	34.1	26.9
Written Representations	Mean Average Weeks	42.8	23.2	35.5	37.0	35.1	37.4	36.7	41.4	42.9	39.7	34.8	40.6	36.2
Written Representations	Standard Deviation Weeks	36.7	22.1	28.7	26.7	30.5	27.6	32.9	30.7	29.7	30.5	19.9	21.9	29.0
Hearings	Decisions	5	3	3	6	6	6	8	1	6	3	9	4	60
Hearings	Median Average Weeks	119.0	141.0	90.9	71.4	76.4	82.6	67.5	50.4	60.6	85.1	89.6	75.6	79.4
Hearings	Mean Average Weeks	113.3	141.5	85.7	68.0	80.7	90.5	73.5	50.4	83.6	101.4	89.4	72.5	87.0
Hearings	Standard Deviation Weeks	23.2	15.4	29.0	12.0	24.4	28.4	27.5	0.0	45.5	33.5	27.2	19.8	32.8
Inquiries	Decisions	4	2	3	4	8	5	2	5	3	4	4	4	48
Inquiries	Median Average Weeks	109.4	44.8	80.9	43.9	133.2	35.6	112.9	126.7	91.1	48.1	73.8	111.6	65.9
Inquiries	Mean Average Weeks	110.0	44.8	94.1	39.1	104.7	50.4	112.9	106.9	80.0	60.0	85.0	106.1	84.6
Inquiries	Standard Deviation Weeks	61.3	1.6	47.2	13.6	65.7	22.5	51.2	66.6	27.6	31.1	41.7	26.3	53.0
All Cases	Decisions	56	96	52	52	88	92	66	55	66	57	57	41	778
All Cases	Median Average Weeks	33.7	12.7	28.4	29.8	24.7	30.9	29.4	34.7	35.3	27.0	36.9	41.7	30.1
All Cases	Mean Average Weeks	54.3	27.4	42.0	41.1	44.6	41.6	43.5	47.5	49.0	44.7	47.2	50.1	43.3
All Cases	Standard Deviation Weeks	46.1	30.0	35.0	27.0	41.5	30.4	37.2	40.0	35.0	34.3	32.6	30.4	35.9

9. Annex B - Detailed information on timeliness (February 2023)

The information below is published today on the number and length of decisions made in February 2023 :

Note 1: when there are fewer than 20 decisions the measures mean, median and standard deviation are less meaningful. This applies to 15 enforcement appeals decided by hearings.

Casework Type	Procedure Type	Median (weeks)	Mean (weeks)	Decisions
s78 planning appeals	Written Representations	32.1	35.2	768
s78 planning appeals	Hearings	25.7	42.2	53
s78 planning appeals	Inquiries	34.7	58.2	18
Householder appeals	Written Representations	18.1	21.4	495
Enforcement appeals	Written Representations	47.6	49.8	94
Enforcement appeals	Hearings	73.6	87.9	17
Enforcement appeals	Inquiries	80.0	92.8	19

The smaller the number of decisions, the less helpful the mean and median are as measures for summarising performance. Particular care should be taken when there are fewer than twenty decisions. These are shaded grey in the table but have been provided for completeness and transparency.

The information published below shows the time taken for different stages of the appeals process:

Measure	s78 Written Representations [Note 1]	s78 Hearings	s78 Inquiries	Householder appeals
Weeks between valid date & start date
Median (average)	14.8	4.7	2.3	4.4
Mean (average)	14.5	6.7	2.8	6.4
Cases that started in February 2023	780	54	29	518
Weeks between start date & event date
Median (average)	13.0	14.4	15.1	6.6
Mean (average)	17.9	22.5	19.1	13.0
Cases where an event occurred during February 2023	740	49	19	505
Weeks between event date & decision date
Median (average)	3.9	4.1	9.3	3.0
Mean (average)	5.5	7.3	11.8	3.6
Cases that have been decided in February 2023	720	51	13	488

Explanation of date terminology

Date	Explanation
Valid date	When a case is deemed to have been validly received.  Note – this is not always the date the case was validated. If a case is validated after the date it was validly received, it is the date it was validly received that is the valid date.
Start date	When a timetable, on how the appeal will progress, is issued to both the appellant and local authority. This timetable tells the appellant when to submit the information the Inspectors need to determine the appeal. It also tells the local authority when to notify interested parties about the appeal.
Event date	When the site visit, hearing, or inquiry occurred.
Decision date	When the decision was issued by The Planning Inspectorate.

10. Annex C - Revisions to the data tables

This Annex lists all revisions made to the data since the last statistical release.

Note: Classed as a revision are any values which have changed by more than five (when measuring number of decisions/ cases) or more than 0.5 weeks (for mean, median or standard deviation of weeks).

Table	Revisions
Table 1	Events held: September, October, November, December 2022 and January 2023.
Table 1	Decisions: January 2023.
Table 2	Closed: January 2023.
Table 2	Open Cases: December 2022 and January 2023.
Table 3	Decisions: January 2023
Table 4	Written Representations: January 2023.
Table 4	Specialist Casework: January 2023.
Table 5	Median average weeks inquiries: July 2022.
Table 5	Mean average weeks inquiries: July, August, October 2022 and January 2023
Table 5	Standard deviation hearings: January 2023.
Table 5	Standard deviation inquiries: October 2022.
Table 6	Median average weeks specialist casework: June and October 2022.
Table 6	Mean average weeks specialist casework: August 2022 and January 2023.
Table 6	Standard deviation specialist casework: August 2022 and January 2023.
Annex A	Planing median average weeks hearings: January 2023.
Annex A	Planning mean average weeks hearings: January 2023.
Annex A	Specialist casework median written representations: January 2023.
Annex A	Specialist casework mean written representations: June, October 2022 and January 2023.
Annex A	Standard deviation written representations August 2022 and January 2023.
Annex A	Specialist casework median written representations: January 2023.
Annex A	Specialist casework mean written representations: January 2023.
Annex A	Specialist casework standard deviation: January 2023.

11. Background notes

11.1 Data sources

Horizon / Picaso – The main casework management systems used for processing appeals casework (note that Picaso is no longer a live system).

SAP HR – The Human Resources system database used to store all information regarding members of staff.

11.2 Compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

These statistics have been published in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics, which cover trustworthiness, quality, and value. They have been pre-announced, and publication is overseen by the Head of Profession.

11.3 Technical Notes

A Background Quality Report is published alongside this Statistical Release. It provides more detail on the quality of statistics in this publication.

	Definition
Data quality	Data on cases is taken from a live casework system, and details of cases can change for a number of reasons even after a decision has been made. We are seeking to get a better understanding of the nature and volume of these changes and will provide further information as it is available.
Data quality	We carry out regular checks on the quality of our data and may undertake ad hoc data cleansing exercises.  Therefore, all the data for the last 12 rolling months is published in provisional form.
Data quality	We have indicated in this publication any data where a number of cases has changed by more than five cases in a month; or where a measure (mean, median or standard deviation) has changed by more than 0.5 weeks.
Measuring weeks	Data are measured in days and then converted to weeks.
Measuring weeks	Note that not all decimal values are possible where converting days to weeks. 1 day is 1/7 of a week, or 0.14 weeks (to two decimal places). 2 days = 0.29; 3 days = 0.43; 4 days = 0.57; 5 days = 0.71; 6 days = 0.86.
Measuring weeks	When these are used to calculate averages, or displayed to one decimal place, the result will not equate to a full day which can be misleading: it may appear that we are measuring part days (e.g. 19.8 weeks) but we only measure in whole days.

12. Glossary

Term	Explanation
Appeals	The right to appeal a planning decision made by a local authority is a key feature of the planning system, as is appealing when an authority is taking too long.
Appeals decided	Number of appeals by the date the appeal was decided by The Planning Inspectorate.
Appeals received	Number of appeals by the date the appeal was received by The Planning Inspectorate.
Applications	Planning Inspectorate manage the application process for proposed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) within England and Wales in line with the 2008 Planning Act.
Closed	The total number of appeals decided, withdrawn, or turned away.
Decision	The outcome of the case e.g. appeal allowed or rejected. The date of the decision is taken as the date a decision letter is sent to the appellant.
Event	A site visit, hearing, or inquiry (may be virtual)
Event Type	The different options of how an Inspector visits a site for a written representations appeal.
Examinations	The process of examining local plans is dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate. Every Local Planning Authority is required to have a local plan.  This includes a vision for the future and plan to address housing needs in the area.
Examinations	When a Local Planning Authority has finished preparing and consulting on a local plan it must be submitted to the Secretary of State who appoints an Inspector to carry out an independent examination.
FTE	Full Time Equivalent – a count of employees where those working part time are counted in proportion with their contracted hours.
Headcount	Total number of staff employed regardless of how many hours they work (i.e. the number of different individuals).
Hearings	A hearing involves the submission of written evidence by the main parties and a hearing once all the written submissions have been received.
Hearings	This takes the form of a round-the-table discussion (in person or virtually) that will be led by the planning inspector. It allows for all parties to respond to any questions that the inspector might have, and to let everyone make their case known.
Hearings	Source: Planning Portal
Inquiries	An inquiry is usually used for complex cases where legal issues may need to be considered. The main parties will usually have legal representatives to present their case and to cross-examine any witnesses. Prior to the inquiry date, the Planning Inspectorate will expect to have received various documents from all parties that will be taking part in the appeal. These may include statements of case and proofs of evidence from expert witnesses. Third parties may also take part. The inquiry will be led by the inspector and will follow a formal procedure.
Inquiries	At some point during or on conclusion of the inquiry the inspector and the main parties will undertake a site visit.
Inquiries	Source: Planning Portal
Live appeals	Number of live appeals in that have an appeal valid date but no end date (either decision date or a closed date, e.g. for appeals that have been withdrawn).
Mean	The total time taken divided by the number of cases. Also referred to as the ‘average’. A measure of how long each case would take, if the total time taken was spread evenly across all cases.
Median	This is the time taken by the ‘middle’ case if all cases were sorted from quickest to longest
Open Cases	Number of cases that have been received but on which a decision has not yet been made/ issued. Will differ from Live Appeals as it includes those received but not yet verified.
Procedure Type	The method by which The Planning Inspectorate processes and decides appeals.
Standard deviation	This is a measure of variability or spread. It is calculated by examining how much each value differs from the mean. A higher standard deviation means the individual decision times vary more widely around the mean.
Written Representations	Most planning appeals are decided by the written representations’ procedure. With this procedure the Inspector considers written evidence from the appellant, the LPA and anyone else who has an interest in the appeal. The site is also likely to be visited.

13. Contact Us

The Planning Inspectorate welcome feedback on our statistical products. If you have any comments or questions about this publication or about our statistics in general, you can contact us as follows:

Media enquiries 0303 444 5004 email press.office@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Public enquiries email statistics@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Please note we are currently reviewing our statistics with a view to making them as clear and helpful as possible for users. We would be delighted if you could contact us via the address below with any views on this approach; particularly on what content would be most useful and why.

email statistics@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

If you require information which is not available within this or other available publications, you may wish to submit a Request for Information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to the Planning Inspectorate.