Guidance

Appeals: how long they take

Latest average timescales for planning, enforcement and householder appeals.

From:
Planning Inspectorate
Published
1 January 2014
Last updated
17 July 2025 — See all updates

Applies to England

Cases decided in June 2025 – Summary

S78 & Householder appeals

Median (weeks) Mean (weeks) Decisions
s78 planning appeals Written Reps 25 27 900
s78 planning appeals Hearings 23 24 28
s78 planning appeals Inquiries 32* 41* 14*
Householder appeals Written Reps 15 18 423

Enforcement appeals

Includes s174 enforcement appeals, s39 enforcement listed building appeals and lawful development certificate appeals

Median (weeks) Mean (weeks) Decisions
Written Reps 69 71 186
Hearings 20* 28* 13*
Inquiries 89* 86* 4*

Mean Average - 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 - The middle value, if the times are sorted. This means that half the cases take less then this time; and half the cases take more.

Decisions – number of decisions made.

Please note that the times given here are measured from the time an appeal which we are able to progress (‘valid’) to the time a decision is issued.

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 represented with an * in the table, but have been provided for completeness and transparency.

Each of the measures give a slightly different view of the average time taken to make a decision, both are provided because neither gives a perfect indication of the average. The mean is potentially affected by a small number of cases taking a long time – and this gives an over-estimate. The median is less affected by these few longer cases so may give a more helpful indication of the average.

The mean was published previously so we are publishing it to allow users to compare current with previous data.

In making use of the data provided, users are reminded that some decisions made in the latest month were on cases submitted a years or more before – as such, while they are the most recent snapshot available, they should not be relied on to give a reliable indication of what will happen to a case submitted recently or in the future.

We are reviewing our published information in order to make it more useful and accessible to users – please get in touch with us at statistics@planninginspectorate.gov.uk if you have suggestions on how we could improve the information we provide to you.

Updates to this page

Published 1 January 2014
Last updated 17 July 2025 show all updates

  1. Updated with June 2025 data

  2. Cases decided in March 2025 data added

  3. Cases decided in December 2024 data

  4. Updated with September figures

  5. August 2024 figures added

  6. July 2024 data added

  7. June 2024 data added

  8. May 2024 data added

  9. Cases decided in April 2024 – Summary

  10. Updated with March 2024 data

  11. February 2024 data added

  12. January 2024 data added

  13. stats updated for December.

  14. November data added to tables

  15. Cases decided in October 2023

  16. Cases decided in September 2023 – Summary updated

  17. Updated appeal handling time averages for August 2023

  18. July 2023 data added

  19. Tables updated with June 2023 data

  20. May 2023 data added

  21. March 2023 data added

  22. Tables updated with March data

  23. Data updated with cases decided in February 2023

  24. Cases decided in January 2023 updated

  25. The table has been updated today on the number and length of decisions made in December 2022

  26. November 2022 - Decisions summary updated

  27. October 2022 - Decisions summary updated

  28. September 2022 - Decisions summary data added

  29. Updated number and length of decisions made in August 2022

  30. Inquiry appeals submitted after 1 April 2019 removed as no longer correct

  31. Data updated with July 2022 - Decisions summary

  32. June 2022 information on number and length of decisions made

  33. May 2022 data added

  34. Decisions summary updated with April 2022 data

  35. Decisions summary updated with March 2022 data

  36. Updated with number and length of decisions made in February 2022

  37. January 2022 data on timeliness

  38. How long appeals take based on December 2021 data

  39. November 2021 figures added

  40. October decisions summary data added

  41. September 2021 data added

  42. August 2021 data added

  43. Tables updated with July data.

  44. Updated appeal timeliness data for June 2021

  45. May 2021 data on how long decisions are taking.

  46. April 2021 data added to show how long an appeal has taken.

  47. March data added to chart

  48. February 2021 - Decisions summary updated

  49. January 2021 - Decisions summary updated

  50. December 2020 - Decisions summary updated

  51. September 2020 data added.

  52. August average performance data added

  53. Corona virus information removed and July 2020 - Decisions summary added.

  54. Message regarding the impact of Covid-19 on our average timescales.

  55. The average timescales have been removed as we have postponed site visits, Hearings and Inquiries.

  56. To help delay the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) we are following Government advice on social distancing and avoiding non-essential travel. This has meant it necessary to postpone site visits, Hearings and Inquiries which has affected the time it is taking to deal with some appeals. We are looking ways to mitigate this by using technology and other ways to process appeals without risking the wellbeing of appellants, parties to an appeal and our staff. We apologise for the inconvenience this causes.

  57. Data updated with January 2020 figures

  58. Updated times added

  59. Average timescales updated

  60. Added a link to the Inspectorate's news item on Approach to casework during the pre-election period

  61. Average timescales updated

  62. Average timescales updated

  63. Average timescales updated

  64. Average timescales updated

  65. Average times updated

  66. Average times updated

  67. Updated the first section with a comment realating to the time taken to decide apeals

  68. Average timescales updated

  69. Latest appeal timescales

  70. Average timescales updated

  71. Data updated

  72. data on handling times updated

  73. average timescales updated

  74. times updated

  75. Average timescales updated

  76. Average timescales updated

  77. Average timescales updated

  78. Average timescales updated

  79. Average timescales updated

  80. Updated data on appeal handling times

  81. indicative times updated

  82. Indicative times updated

  83. Monthly figures updated

  84. pre election advice removed

  85. Monthly stats updated

  86. Monthly Figures updated

  87. Advice on impact of local elections added

  88. Monthly figures updated

  89. Timescales updated

  90. The monthly figures and the way they are set out have been updated

  91. Monthly figures updated

  92. Figures updated

  93. figures updated

  94. Monthly figures updated

  95. Updated figures

  96. First published.

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