Have you received a refusal for your planning application and want to consider what’s next? Well look no further – here are our THREE things you should consider before moving forward with a Planning Appeal.

 

Q. How do I appeal a planning application refusal?

A. Planning Inspectorate

If you’ve received a Decision Notice from your Local Planning Authority refusing a planning application, the first thing to do is review the decision to understand whether you would have a strong case at appeal. Are the refusal reasons justified or could they be overcome? Are they unreasonable or down to independent opinion against the policies? These, amongst others, are crucial questions to ask to understand whether an appeal would be worthwhile.

 

Following this, if you would like to appeal the decision, Planning Appeals are submitted to the Planning Inspectorate who will then independently

 

Q. Timescales – how long to they take?

A. Ages!

Planning Appeals are lengthy processes, there’s no denying it. Local Planning Authorities have a statutory determination period within which to issue a decision however, with the exception of the planning guarantee, the Planning Inspectorate are not bound by the same rules.

 

Most planning appeals are submitted through the ‘written reps’ format, however at the start of 2023, the average time for these appeals was 35 weeks! Below is an indicative list of the average timescales for planning appeals as per the Planning Inspectorate’s statistics at the start of 2023. Please note the timescales for Enforcement Appeals will be different.

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Householder Appeal (written reps) - 23 weeks

Full Planning Application Appeal (written reps) - 35 weeks

Full Planning Application Appeal (hearing) - 46 weeks

Full Planning Application Appeal (inquiry) - 41 weeks

 

So, you can see, the appeal process is long and should not be entered into lightly!

 

Q. Can you help me make the best case for my Appeal?

A. Yes

At VP our team of planning professionals have a wealth of experience with planning appeals and would be more than happy to assist. Whether you submitted an application on your own and are looking for some professional support to take it to appeal, or if you had advice through the application and are looking for a second pair of eyes, our team can help guide the way.

 

If you’d like some assistance with your appeal, please feel free to get in touch with a member of our team.