Guidance

Appeals: how long they take

Latest average timescales for planning, enforcement and householder appeals.

Published 1 January 2014
Last updated 15 October 2018 — see all updates
From:
Planning Inspectorate

The appeal handling process

The majority of appeals will be decided by written representations or a hearing and there are four stages involved, which are explained below.

The time taken to decide an appeal is a guide, and because the number of appeals we receive each month fluctuates this can affect the time taken to validate or start a case.

Planning (including listed building) appeals

These appeals will be in respect of a decision that the local planning authority (LPA) has made in relation to a planning application other than a householder appeal.

Planning appeal Receipt of valid appeal to decision
Written representations 28 weeks
Hearings 40 weeks
Inquiries 43 weeks

These are appeals relating to refusal for development associated with a house such as a rear extension or roof alteration, refusal to display an advertisement or sign and refusal for minor commercial development such as ground floor alterations like shop fronts and security shutters.

Householder appeal Receipt of valid appeal to decision
Written representations 14 weeks

Enforcement and lawful development certificate appeals

These are appeals against an enforcement notice (including listed building enforcement) or lawful development certificate in respect of your property.

Enforcement appeal Receipt of valid appeal to decision
Written representations 36 weeks
Hearings 42 weeks
Inquiries 58 weeks

Appeal stages

Receipt to validation.

You submit an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, Once it is received, we undertake certain checks to ensure it is a valid appeal. We will let you know when your appeal has been validated. The times stated above include appeals that have been submitted but cannot be validated until further documentation has been received.

Validation to start.

Once the appeal has been validated, we identify a suitable Inspector to decide the appeal. The time this takes depends on several things, including the type of appeal and the procedure type.

Start to event.

Once we have identified a suitable Inspector, we will write to you with the timetable for the appeal, including deadlines for the submission of representations and support documents. The Inspector will also hold a site visit, a hearing or an inquiry.

Event to decision.

The Inspector will then make a final decision regarding your appeal, based on the evidence submitted. You will be notified of the decision.

View the Appeals: average time they take broken down by stage guide for further detail on the latest average times.

For more information about the appeals handling process and the types of procedure types, read the Planning Inspectorate’s Procedural Guide.

Published 1 January 2014
Last updated 15 October 2018 + show all updates
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