Official Statistics

Planning Inspectorate statistical release 24 October 2024

Published 24 October 2024

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 Planning Inspectorate’s work.

These statistics are produced each quarter, 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.

We have released two Excel files with tables at the same time as this report. The tables show the number of cases received, decided and allowed since 2010, broken down by appeal type.

Planning Inspectorate Quarterly and Annual Volume Statistics - GOV.UK

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 October 2023 to September 2024
• The time taken to reach decisions
• Provisional estimates of the number of open cases
• Number of Inspectors
• Number of appeals received compared to decided in the last 5 years
• Percentage of allowed appeals

2. The Planning Inspectorate

The Planning Inspectorate makes decisions and provides recommendations and advice on a range of land use and 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 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

2.1 Summary

2.2 Time to decide cases

The median decision time for cases decided in September was 27 weeks.

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

Procedure type	Last 12 months	September 2024
Written Representations	28 weeks	27 weeks
Hearings	30 weeks	24 weeks
Inquiries	41 weeks	27 weeks
All Cases	28 weeks	27 weeks

The median time for planning cases was 26 weeks in September 2024. The 12-month median was 27 weeks.

Enforcement decisions made in September 2024 had a median decision time of 41 weeks, with the 12-month median being 52 weeks.

The median time for planning appeals decided by inquiry under the Rosewell Process in September was 33 weeks and over the 12 months to September 2024 was 29 weeks.

2.3 Decisions

The Planning Inspectorate made 18,176 appeal decisions in the last 12 months, an average of 1,515 per month. The number of decisions in September 2024 was 1,343.

There were 1,251 written representations decisions in September 2024 and 16,915 in the last 12 months.

There were 773 decisions made on hearings during the last 12 months, and during September 2024, 69 decisions were issued.

There were 488 decisions made on inquiries during the last 12 months, with 23 in September 2024.

2.4 Planning Inspectors

There were 434 Planning Inspectors employed by the Inspectorate at the end of September 2024.

3. Decisions, Events, and Open Cases

The number of decisions issued in September 2024 was 1,343, with a monthly average of 1,515 over the past 12 months.

The number of events recorded for September 2024 was 1,470, the average over the past 12 months was 1,504.

The median valid to decision time was 27 weeks in September 2024, 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 typically impact on the number of events arranged for December and April.

Figure 1: Number of events held , decisions issued and median time between valid date & decision date; October 2023 to September 2024.

alt= “Bar and Line chart showing data in Table 1 (below)”

Source: Horizon

Table 1: Number of events held, decisions issued and median time between valid date & decision date; October 2023 to September 2024.

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

Month	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Events Held	1,801	1,604	1,115	1,887	1,547	1,220	1,557	1,365	1,525	1,684	1,276	1,470	18,051
Decisions	1,650	1,605	1,416	1,507	1,649	1,448	1,447	1,560	1,358	1,673	1,520	1,343	18,176
Median	30.4	31.9	29.4	30.1	28.4	27.8	27.6	26.0	26.4	25.7	25.7	27.0	28.0

Source: Horizon

Figure 2 below shows the number of cases received, closed and open for each of the last 12 months. The number of cases closed has exceeded the number of cases received for most of the past 12 months, with the exceptions being March, June and September 2024.

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; October 2023 to September 2024.

alt= “Bar and Line chart showing data in Table 2 (below)”

Source: Horizon

Note: 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.

Table 2: Number of cases received, closed and open; October 2023 to September 2024.

Note 1: This table includes revisions to previously published data. Please see Annex D for further information

Month	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Received	1,682	1,720	1,463	1,522	1,628	1,699	1,582	1,681	1,610	1,724	1,567	1,588	19,466
Closed	1,855	1,812	1,613	1,749	1,834	1,660	1,732	1,758	1,536	1,858	1,674	1,523	20,604
Open	14,057	13,815	13,689	13,569	13,230	13,291	13,288	13,213	13,314	13,318	13,167	13,214

Source: Horizon

4. Number of Decisions

The Planning Inspectorate has made 18,176 appeal decisions in the last 12 months. There were 1,343 cases decided in September 2024.

Table 3 below shows the monthly breakdown with the highest number of decisions in July and lowest in September.

Table 3: Appeal Decisions; October 2023 to September 2024.

Month	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Decisions	1,650	1,605	1,416	1,507	1,649	1,448	1,447	1,560	1,358	1,673	1,520	1,343	18,176

Source: Horizon

Figure 3 – Appeal Decisions; October 2023 to September 2024.

alt= “Bar and Line chart showing data in Table 3 (above)”

Source: Horizon

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 over the past 12 months (16,915) were made on written representations. This is 93% of all appeal decisions made. Table 4 shows that written representation decisions have varied from around 1,250 to around 1,560 per month over the past 12 months.

There were 773 decisions made on hearings during the last 12 months, the monthly average being 64. During September 2024, 69 decisions were issued. In September 2024, 23 decisions were made for inquiries. Decisions for inquiries per month over the last 12 months have ranged between 23 and 59.

Table 4: Appeal Decisions by Procedure and Casework Category; October 2023 to September 2024.

Month	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Written Representations	1,557	1,490	1,311	1,405	1,559	1,327	1,343	1,435	1,292	1,548	1,397	1,251	16,915
Hearings	54	66	62	67	46	78	52	77	41	66	95	69	773
Inquiries	39	49	43	35	44	43	52	48	25	59	28	23	488
Total	1,650	1,605	1,416	1,507	1,649	1,448	1,447	1,560	1,358	1,673	1,520	1,343	18,176
Month	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Planning	1,400	1,335	1,207	1,246	1,406	1,127	1,204	1,314	1,172	1,445	1,282	1,150	15,288
Enforcement	187	228	151	205	206	176	179	185	137	172	175	140	2,141
Specialist	63	42	58	56	37	145	64	61	49	56	63	53	747
Total	1,650	1,605	1,416	1,507	1,649	1,448	1,447	1,560	1,358	1,673	1,520	1,343	18,176

Source: Horizon

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 decided over the past 12 months were planning (15,288). This is about 84% of all appeal decisions made. There were 2,141 enforcement decisions and 747 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 178. Specialist casework figures continue to vary each month, from a high of 145 in March 2024 to a low of 37 in February 2024.

Figure 4 – Appeal Decisions by Procedure and Casework Category; October 2023 to September 2024.

Source: Horizon

5. 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 27 weeks for September 2024. Figure 5 shows the median has ranged from 26 to 32 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 32 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; October 2023 to September 2024.

Month	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Valid to Decision (median weeks)	30.4	31.9	29.4	30.1	28.4	27.8	27.6	26.0	26.4	25.7	25.7	27.0	28.0
Valid to Decision (mean weeks)	34.4	36.6	33.7	34.5	32.1	33.7	32.2	30.5	29.4	30.1	29.2	30.3	32.3
Standard Deviation (weeks)	18.8	20.7	19.8	20.3	18.6	21.5	20.0	19.3	16.6	18.3	17.3	17.5	19.3

Source: Horizon

Figure 5: Median and mean Time to Decision; October 2023 to September 2024.

Note: Specialist casework timeliness measures exclude Tree Preservation Order cases

alt= “Line chart showing data in Table 5 (above)”

Source: Horizon

Procedure Type

Table 6 below shows decision timeliness broken down by the procedure type. Hearings and inquires have typically been more variable than written representations . 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 September 2024 is 28 weeks. The median time for hearings over the 12 months to September 2024 is 30 weeks. The median time to decide for inquiries over the 12 months to September 2024 was 41 weeks.

Table 6: Mean and Median Time to Decision, with Standard Deviation, by Procedure; October 2023 to September 2024.

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

Note 2: This table includes revisions to previously published data. Please see Annex D for further information

Key: WR= Written Representations; HRG= Hearings; INQ= Inquiries; All= All Cases

Measure	Procedure	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Valid to decision (median weeks)	Written Representations	30.4	31.7	29.3	30.0	28.1	27.4	27.1	26.0	26.3	25.6	25.3	27.1	27.9
Valid to decision (median weeks)	Hearings	28.1	32.1	33.6	38.9	37.1	27.1	37.9	24.3	31.8	26.4	38.5	23.8	30.0
Valid to decision (median weeks)	Inquiries	40.7	41.0	53.0	40.4	37.1	50.1	47.1	41.1	34.4	31.4	26.6	26.7	41.0
Valid to decision (median weeks)	All Cases	30.4	31.9	29.4	30.1	28.4	27.8	27.6	26.0	26.4	25.7	25.7	27.0	28.0
Valid to decision (mean weeks)	Written Representations	34.0	35.7	32.3	33.2	31.1	32.1	30.3	29.4	28.6	29.2	28.1	29.5	31.2
Valid to decision (mean weeks)	Hearings	43.0	43.1	45.2	50.9	45.0	43.9	52.0	34.3	46.6	39.3	42.0	42.5	43.5
Valid to decision (mean weeks)	Inquiries	39.6	56.4	59.6	55.6	53.5	62.1	60.5	56.8	42.2	44.0	40.2	39.9	52.1
Valid to decision (mean weeks)	All Cases	34.4	36.6	33.7	34.5	32.1	33.7	32.2	30.5	29.4	30.1	29.2	30.3	32.3
Standard Deviation (weeks)	Written Representations	18.1	19.1	17.2	17.7	16.7	18.9	17.0	17.5	15.5	17.0	15.2	14.5	17.3
Standard Deviation (weeks)	Hearings	34.2	27.1	30.3	39.7	26.7	33.1	39.3	22.8	30.3	27.0	27.8	41.5	32.3
Standard Deviation (weeks)	Inquiries	15.5	37.7	40.7	34.5	41.2	37.8	27.1	36.9	19.2	27.6	36.7	25.4	34.2
Standard Deviation (weeks)	All Cases	18.8	20.7	19.8	20.3	18.6	21.5	20.0	19.3	16.6	18.3	17.3	17.5	19.3
Decisions	Written Representations	1,557	1,490	1,311	1,405	1,559	1,327	1,343	1,435	1,292	1,548	1,397	1,251	16,915
Decisions	Hearings	54	66	62	67	46	78	52	77	41	66	95	69	773
Decisions	Inquiries	39	49	43	35	44	43	52	48	25	59	28	23	488
Decisions	Total	1,650	1,605	1,416	1,507	1,649	1,448	1,447	1,560	1,358	1,673	1,520	1,343	18,176

Source: Horizon

Note: Tree Preservation Order cases are not included in timeliness measures

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 inquiries have experienced considerable month to month changes in the spread of decision times.

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: Decisions, Mean, Median and Standard Deviation of Time to Decision – Planning, Enforcement, Specialist Cases; October 2023 to September 2024.

Appeal Type	Measure	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Planning Cases	Valid to decision (median wks)	29.3	29.9	27.9	28.9	26.9	26.1	26.1	25.1	25.0	24.6	24.1	26.1	26.7
Planning Cases	Valid to decision (mean wks)	32.0	32.5	30.2	30.5	28.5	28.7	27.9	26.4	26.1	26.6	25.5	27.5	28.6
Planning Cases	Standard deviation of decision (weeks)	16.7	16.5	15.6	14.6	13.5	14.3	14.0	12.4	11.4	12.6	11.7	12.5	14.1
Enforcement Cases	Valid to decision (median wks)	48.3	57.7	56.3	48.6	50.5	62.1	53.0	51.9	51.7	57.2	46.0	40.6	52.0
Enforcement Cases	Valid to decision (mean wks)	51.7	57.6	57.7	54.7	53.9	65.1	58.6	58.2	54.4	57.8	53.2	50.5	56.2
Enforcement Cases	Standard deviation of decision (weeks)	23.0	22.6	25.3	30.1	27.5	29.5	26.7	30.4	25.3	29.4	26.2	30.7	27.5
Specialist Cases	Valid to decision (median wks)	34.6	51.7	44.9	49.1	46.2	25.0	28.0	27.3	30.7	33.6	43.2	48.7	35.0
Specialist Cases	Valid to decision (mean wks)	41.4	57.9	50.8	52.8	49.4	34.4	41.4	35.7	41.9	40.0	44.4	46.0	43.6
Specialist Cases	Standard deviation of decision (weeks)	26.6	42.3	33.4	31.6	30.0	26.3	32.7	28.2	31.0	23.1	28.8	25.1	31.0

Source: Horizon

Note: Specialist casework timeliness measures exclude Tree Preservation Order cases

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.

Figure 6 – Median Time to Decision by Casework Category: October 2023 to September 2024.

alt= “Line chart showing data in Table 7 (above)”

Source: Horizon

Note: Specialist casework timeliness measures exclude Tree Preservation Order cases

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.

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 September 2024 is 29 weeks and the median time to decision for September 2024 was 33 weeks.

Table 8: Decisions, Mean and Median Time to Decision, Planning Inquiry Cases under Rosewell Process; October 2023 to September 2024.

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

Measure	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Decisions	15	24	21	15	16	14	4	22	12	25	12	11	191
Median (weeks)	37.3	26.2	29.1	35.0	31.9	25.6	25.1	27.8	28.9	31.4	24.0	32.7	29.1
Mean (weeks)	35.8	31.6	44.2	36.0	31.2	27.8	25.7	35.5	31.5	34.4	31.3	36.9	34.3
St. Dev. (weeks)	9.0	11.7	23.0	9.3	7.9	6.8	1.9	16.2	10.3	12.6	21.2	21.3	15.1

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; October 2023 to September 2024.

Month	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Decisions	0	2	3	0	4	2	2	2	1	3	0	0	19

Figure 7 below shows the mean and median time to decision for planning inquiry cases under the Rosewell process.

Figure 7: Mean and Median Time to Decision, Rosewell Inquiry Process; October 2023 to September 2024.

alt= “Line chart showing data in Table 8 (above)”

Source: Horizon

6. Open Cases

At the end of September 2024, the Planning Inspectorate had 13,214 cases open. 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 11,828 cases being handled through written representations; 842 through hearings; and 489 through inquiries, as well as 55 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

Data separating open cases into those that have and have not yet had an event is not available for the end of September. We are working to fix this problem so that we can restore that additional information to Table 10.

Table 10: Open cases by procedure and stage, as of end of September 2024

Stage	WR	HRG	INQ	Total
Case received but yet to be deemed valid	408	27	3	438
Case deemed valid but yet to “start” [Note 1]	2,243	164	145	2,552
Case started but decision not yet issued	9,177	651	341	10,169
Total	11,828	842	489	13,214

Source: Horizon

Note 1 - there are 55 cases that have no procedure type recorded (see Background Quality Report for more detail) These are excluded from the table above.

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.

7. Inspectors

Table 11 below shows the number of inspectors in the Planning Inspectorate in each month from October 2023 to September 2024 . 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 434 Planning Inspectors employed by the Inspectorate in September 2024 – with a full-time equivalent of 393.

Table 11: Planning Inspectors – Headcount and FTE; October 2023 to September 2024.(at end of month)

Month	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24
Headcount	430	428	426	424	426	434	443	443	442	437	436	434
FTE	386.4	385.2	383.6	381.6	383.3	390.6	400.0	399.4	399.0	395.1	394.4	393.4

Source: SAP HR and Employee Central

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 Appeal Decision Suppliers, previously referred to as non-salaried Inspectors).

8. Volume Statistics

The Inspectorate has published a series of tables of quarterly data alongside this bulletin.  Some of the data published is on casework types that The Planning Inspectorate deals with that are larger in scale, but smaller in volume, than the appeals decisions that are the subject of the preceding sections of these statistics.  Some examples of this are Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and Local Plans, where volumes never go into the hundreds, and the time between submission to report issue can be over a year. Other data breaks appeals down into more detail than in the monthly totals.

Appeals against refusal of Planning Permission (Section 78 appeals)

The largest volume of casework dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate are appeals against refusal of Planning Permission, which are made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.  The analysis below deals with just this casework type although figures for other casework types can be found in the published tables.

Number of appeals received compared to decisions issued.

In the last twelve months, October 2023 to September 2024, there have been 9,575 Section 78 planning appeals (s78) received, 5.3% lower than for the period October 2022 to September 2023.

In the last five years (October 2019 to September 2024) the highest level of quarterly receipts (2,894) occurred in January to March 2020 and the highest number of decisions (3,350) was in October to December 2019. Over the past year the average number of receipts per quarter was 2,394 and the average number of decisions per quarter was 2,503.

The number of appeals received in July to September 2024 (2,382) was 1.2% lower than the same period in 2023.

Figure 8: Number of s78 Planning appeal, receipts and decisions, 2019/20 to 2024/25, by quarter

alt= “Line chart showing data in Table A in Annex C”

Source: Horizon & Picaso.  Full published data in Tables 2.1 and Table 2.4.  

See Annex C, Table A, for full data table.   

The number of decisions issued in July to September 2024, was 10.8% higher than the previous quarter and 4.9% higher than the corresponding quarter last year.

Appeals Allowed

The percentage of Section 78 planning appeals that were allowed in the latest quarter was 29%, the same as in the previous quarter (see figure 9). There were 754 appeals allowed between July and September 2024, 75 more than in the previous quarter. (see Figure 11).

The consistency in the overall percentage allowed is heavily influenced by the number of written representations appeals allowed, as this procedure type contributes by far the greatest number of decisions each year.  There has been slightly more variation in the percentage allowed for hearings and inquiries.  See Figure 10 below for further details.   

Figure 9: S78 planning appeals, percentage allowed, 2019/20 to 2024/25, by quarter

alt= “Bar chart showing data in Table B in Annex C”

Source: Horizon & Picaso.  Full published data in Table 2.4 s78 planning appeals decided.    See Annex C Table B, for full data table   

Figure 10: S78 planning appeals, percentage allowed by procedure type, 2019/20 to 2024/25, by quarter

alt= “Line chart showing data in Table B in Annex C”

Source: Horizon & Picaso.  Full published data in Table 2.4 s78 planning appeals decided.   

See Annex C Table B, for full data table   

Figure 11: S78 planning appeals, number of appeals allowed, 2019/20 to 2024/25, by quarter

alt= “Bar chart showing data in Table C in Annex C”

Source: Horizon & Picaso.  Full published data in Table 2.4 s78 planning appeals decided.   

See Annex C, Table C, for full data table   

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

Planning

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

Note 2: This table includes revisions to previously published data. Please see Annex D for further information

Planning	Measure	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Written Representations	Decisions	1,343	1,265	1,139	1,190	1,351	1,059	1,162	1,230	1,132	1,369	1,213	1,084	14,537
Written Representations	Median Average Weeks	29.3	30.0	27.9	28.9	26.9	26.4	26.1	25.1	24.9	24.6	24.1	26.4	26.7
Written Representations	Mean Average Weeks	31.7	32.5	29.6	30.2	28.1	28.5	27.5	26.0	26.0	26.3	25.2	27.2	28.3
Written Representations	Standard Deviation Weeks	15.7	16.4	14.4	13.8	12.9	13.7	12.3	11.3	11.3	12.1	11.0	10.4	13.3
Hearings	Decisions	42	44	44	41	35	52	36	60	27	48	57	55	541
Hearings	Median Average Weeks	25.0	25.4	24.0	28.1	30.0	23.4	26.6	23.8	24.7	23.4	23.7	21.7	24.0
Hearings	Mean Average Weeks	39.5	31.4	37.5	38.9	35.8	31.2	36.5	29.8	30.2	30.2	30.7	31.6	33.3
Hearings	Standard Deviation Weeks	35.0	15.8	28.2	29.1	17.8	21.5	35.9	17.7	16.2	22.1	20.4	31.7	25.4
Inquiries	Decisions	15	26	24	15	20	16	6	24	13	28	12	11	210
Inquiries	Median Average Weeks	37.3	26.2	31.1	35.0	33.6	27.1	27.4	29.6	27.9	30.4	24.0	32.7	29.5
Inquiries	Mean Average Weeks	35.8	34.4	45.4	36.0	38.5	35.9	46.5	42.8	31.2	33.8	31.3	36.9	37.3
Inquiries	Standard Deviation Weeks	9.0	19.9	24.0	9.3	31.4	22.3	37.5	29.6	10.0	12.9	21.2	21.3	22.3
All Cases	Decisions	1,400	1,335	1,207	1,246	1,406	1,127	1,204	1,314	1,172	1,445	1,282	1,150	15,288
All Cases	Median Average Weeks	29.3	29.9	27.9	28.9	26.9	26.1	26.1	25.1	25.0	24.6	24.1	26.1	26.7
All Cases	Mean Average Weeks	32.0	32.5	30.2	30.5	28.5	28.7	27.9	26.4	26.1	26.6	25.5	27.5	28.6
All Cases	Standard Deviation Weeks	16.7	16.5	15.6	14.6	13.5	14.3	14.0	12.4	11.4	12.6	11.7	12.5	14.1

Enforcement

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

Note 2: This table includes revisions to previously published data. Please see Annex D for further information.

Enforcement	Measure	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Written Representations	Decisions	156	189	124	165	175	135	123	147	115	130	128	117	1,704
Written Representations	Median Average Weeks	49.4	55.3	54.5	46.6	49.3	58.6	50.1	52.1	46.3	55.9	48.1	40.4	51.1
Written Representations	Mean Average Weeks	52.8	55.2	54.5	51.5	51.5	61.1	53.4	57.7	51.3	58.1	52.3	47.6	54.0
Written Representations	Standard Deviation Weeks	22.9	19.9	19.0	24.6	23.2	25.4	25.3	28.5	24.3	28.9	21.5	25.6	24.4
Hearings	Decisions	11	22	15	23	9	18	16	16	12	16	33	12	203
Hearings	Median Average Weeks	61.0	63.8	62.3	69.7	81.7	66.9	87.6	43.8	79.9	67.3	45.1	101.6	63.4
Hearings	Mean Average Weeks	56.6	66.7	66.3	71.7	73.1	72.3	87.0	46.8	80.0	67.7	58.5	90.7	68.5
Hearings	Standard Deviation Weeks	27.0	29.5	26.2	48.1	30.2	37.3	19.0	28.8	24.5	20.7	29.6	47.3	34.3
Inquiries	Decisions	20	17	12	17	22	23	40	22	10	26	14	11	234
Inquiries	Median Average Weeks	46.3	72.7	69.4	81.0	50.6	90.6	47.1	77.9	63.0	30.9	33.3	21.9	54.4
Inquiries	Mean Average Weeks	40.3	73.3	80.5	63.0	65.2	83.0	63.1	70.5	58.5	50.4	48.3	37.6	61.9
Inquiries	Standard Deviation Weeks	17.0	29.9	52.6	37.1	45.4	36.4	25.5	38.6	18.1	34.1	46.5	24.0	37.1
All Cases	Decisions	187	228	151	205	206	176	179	185	137	172	175	140	2,141
All Cases	Median Average Weeks	48.3	57.7	56.3	48.6	50.5	62.1	53.0	51.9	51.7	57.2	46.0	40.6	52.0
All Cases	Mean Average Weeks	51.7	57.6	57.7	54.7	53.9	65.1	58.6	58.2	54.4	57.8	53.2	50.5	56.2
All Cases	Standard Deviation Weeks	23.0	22.6	25.3	30.1	27.5	29.5	26.7	30.4	25.3	29.4	26.2	30.7	27.5

Specialist

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

Note 2: This table includes revisions to previously published data. Please see Annex D for further information

Specialist	Measure	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Total
Written Representations	Decisions	58	36	48	50	33	133	58	58	45	49	56	50	674
Written Representations	Median Average Weeks	32.1	43.6	40.7	42.4	42.3	23.4	25.7	26.7	29.5	31.9	40.9	46.3	31.0
Written Representations	Mean Average Weeks	40.0	49.0	45.7	48.4	45.5	31.4	39.3	32.4	40.8	35.8	41.3	43.2	39.9
Written Representations	Standard Deviation Weeks	27.2	35.0	29.2	28.8	28.6	23.9	33.5	25.1	31.2	19.6	29.7	23.5	28.6
Hearings	Decisions	1	0	3	3	2	8	0	1	2	2	5	2	29
Hearings	Median Average Weeks	-	-	65.6	57.1	79.9	77.9	-	100.7	88.0	26.1	65.2	64.0	64.9
Hearings	Mean Average Weeks	-	-	65.6	57.1	79.9	82.1	-	100.7	88.0	26.1	67.0	64.0	71.5
Hearings	Standard Deviation Weeks	-	-	0.0	7.8	21.4	28.2	-	0.0	0.0	0.0	17.5	0.0	24.0
Inquiries	Decisions	4	6	7	3	2	4	6	2	2	5	2	1	44
Inquiries	Median Average Weeks	47.1	93.6	78.4	113.6	73.9	43.0	52.6	74.5	32.3	82.6	36.1	97.4	63.9
Inquiries	Mean Average Weeks	50.2	103.9	72.3	111.8	73.9	46.1	57.1	74.5	32.3	68.0	36.1	97.4	69.6
Inquiries	Standard Deviation Weeks	20.7	46.6	43.1	16.6	26.8	16.2	19.4	30.1	10.4	24.8	8.9	0.0	37.4
All Cases	Decisions	63	42	58	56	37	145	64	61	49	56	63	53	747
All Cases	Median Average Weeks	34.6	51.7	44.9	49.1	46.2	25.0	28.0	27.3	30.7	33.6	43.2	48.7	35.0
All Cases	Mean Average Weeks	41.4	57.9	50.8	52.8	49.4	34.4	41.4	35.7	41.9	40.0	44.4	46.0	43.6
All Cases	Standard Deviation Weeks	26.6	42.3	33.4	31.6	30.0	26.3	32.7	28.2	31.0	23.1	28.8	25.1	31.0

Tree Preservation order decisions have been removed from the average time calculations in this table due to problems with recorded validation dates, which mean that we are currently unable to accurately calculate their decision times.

10. Annex B – Detailed Information on timeliness (September 2024)

The information below is published today on the number and length of decisions made in September 2024 :

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

Casework Type	Procedure Type	Median (weeks)	Mean (weeks)	Decisions
s78 planning appeals	Written Representations	29.0	30.1	724
s78 planning appeals	Hearings	21.8	32.7	50
s78 planning appeals	Inquiries	28.2	31.3	10
Householder appeals	Written Representations	17.3	19.8	258
Enforcement appeals	Written Representations	40.4	47.6	117
Enforcement appeals	Hearings	101.6	90.7	12
Enforcement appeals	Inquiries	21.9	37.6	11

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.

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)	6.0	2.7	1.6	3.6
Mean (average)	6.0	3.9	1.8	4.0
Cases that started in September 2024	843	51	29	505
Weeks between start date & event date
Median (Average)	16.7	14.7	16.9	9.1
Mean (Average)	18.2	18.7	25.8	11.4
Cases where an event occurred during September 2024	817	41	18	277
Weeks between event date & decision date
Median (average)	4.0	4.6	9.9	2.5
Mean (average)	5.5	5.1	12.7	3.4
Cases that have been decided in September 2024	720	50	10	258

Note: Only cases with both dates recorded appear in this table, meaning that numbers for cases decided and events recorded may be lower than those presented elsewhere.

Explanation of date terminology

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.

Find out more about the process here - https://www.gov.uk/appeal-planning-decision/after-you-appeal

11. Annex C – Volume Tables

ANNEX C, Table a: s78 planning appeals received and decided, by quarter since 2019/20

Year	Quarter	received	decided
2019/20	Apr - Jun	3,203	3,540
	Jul - Sep	2,849	3,705
	Oct - Dec	2,771	3,350
	Jan - Mar	2,894	2,759
2020/21	Apr - Jun	2,609	1,514
	Jul - Sep	2,613	2,252
	Oct - Dec	2,781	2,879
	Jan - Mar	2,832	2,467
2021/22	Apr - Jun	2,580	2,320
	Jul - Sep	2,692	2,124
	Oct - Dec	2,729	2,212
	Jan - Mar	2,671	2,294
2022/23	Apr - Jun	2,811	2,024
	Jul - Sep	2,584	2,056
	Oct - Dec	2,657	2,601
	Jan - Mar	2,578	2,481
2023/24	Apr - Jun	2,461	2,144
	Jul - Sep	2,412	2,487
	Oct - Dec	2,411	2,466
	Jan - Mar	2,405	2,579
2024/25	Apr - Jun	2,377	2,356
	Jul - Sep	2,382	2,610

ANNEX C, Table b: s78 planning appeals, percentage allowed by procedure type, 2019/20 to 2024/25

Year	Quarter	Written Representations	Hearings	Inquiries	All
2019/20	Apr - Jun	26%	51%	52%	27%
	Jul - Sep	23%	37%	42%	24%
	Oct - Dec	22%	42%	43%	23%
	Jan - Mar	22%	47%	48%	24%
2020/21	Apr - Jun	21%	37%	25%	21%
	Jul - Sep	24%	41%	55%	25%
	Oct - Dec	25%	37%	58%	26%
	Jan - Mar	25%	35%	53%	26%
2021/22	Apr - Jun	30%	34%	55%	31%
	Jul - Sep	27%	43%	58%	28%
	Oct - Dec	27%	41%	62%	28%
	Jan - Mar	28%	32%	54%	29%
2022/23	Apr - Jun	27%	34%	60%	29%
	Jul - Sep	26%	53%	65%	28%
	Oct - Dec	26%	51%	63%	28%
	Jan - Mar	28%	45%	66%	30%
2023/24	Apr - Jun	28%	41%	65%	30%
	Jul - Sep	27%	39%	38%	28%
	Oct - Dec	24%	48%	67%	27%
	Jan - Mar	27%	50%	53%	28%
2024/25	Apr - Jun	27%	40%	67%	29%
	Jul - Sep	28%	36%	50%	29%

ANNEX C, Table c: s78 planning appeals, number allowed by procedure type, 2019/20 to 2024/25

Year	Quarter	Written Representations	Hearings	Inquiries	All
2019/20	Apr - Jun	877	62	31	970
	Jul - Sep	805	55	24	884
	Oct - Dec	684	67	27	778
	Jan - Mar	541	87	32	660
2020/21	Apr - Jun	304	19	2	325
	Jul - Sep	537	17	6	560
	Oct - Dec	695	38	22	755
	Jan - Mar	588	39	16	643
2021/22	Apr - Jun	632	40	39	711
	Jul - Sep	536	40	29	605
	Oct - Dec	553	41	24	618
	Jan - Mar	595	31	36	662
2022/23	Apr - Jun	509	37	34	580
	Jul - Sep	484	60	31	575
	Oct - Dec	601	89	50	740
	Jan - Mar	637	66	42	745
2023/24	Apr - Jun	548	60	30	638
	Jul - Sep	614	54	26	694

12. Annex D – 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).

Timeliness measures for all 12 months have been reproduced without Tree Preservation Order cases in this publication. This is due to problems with recorded validation dates, which mean that we are currently unable to accurately calculate their decision times.

Table	Revisions
Table 1	Events held: November 2023, July and August 2024
Table 2	Received cases: August 2024
Table 2	Closed cases: August 2024
Table 6	Hearings Valid to decision (Median weeks): February and July 2024
Table 6	Hearings Valid to decision (Mean weeks): March and July 2024
Table 6	Hearings Standard Deviation (weeks): March and July 2024
Annex A Planning	Hearings Mean weeks: July 2024
Annex A Planning	Hearings Standard Deviation: July 2024
Annex A Planning	Inquiries Standard Deviation: May 2024
Annex A Enforcement	Written Representations Median: August 2024
Annex A Enforcement	Hearings Median: February and March 2024
Annex A Enforcement	Hearings Mean: February and March 2024
Annex A Enforcement	Hearings Standard Deviation: February 2024
Annex A Specialist	Written Representations Median: October 2023
Annex A Specialist	Written Representations Median: October 2023

13. Background notes

**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.

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.

Technical Notes

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

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Glossary

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. 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. 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. 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. At some point during or on conclusion of the inquiry the inspector and the main parties will undertake a site visit. 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 (includes Rights of Way Schedule 14)	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.

14. 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. For more information, see: https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-information-request/the-freedom-of-information-act