What is a planning appeal?
A planning appeal is a formal challenge to a decision (or non-decision) made by a Local Planning Authority (LPA). If your application for planning permission is refused, granted with conditions you disagree with, or not decided within the statutory eight-week window, you have a statutory right under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to appeal to the Secretary of State, whose functions are delegated to the Planning Inspectorate (often abbreviated to PINS).
The Planning Inspectorate is an executive agency of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It operates from a national hub in Bristol (with regional casework offices in Bristol, Birmingham, and Chelmsford) and employs planning inspectors who decide appeals independently of the LPA that made the original decision.
When you can appeal (and when you cannot)
You may appeal against:
- Refusal of planning permission — including householder, full, outline, and reserved matters applications.
- Grant of planning permission with conditions — including disputes over time limits, approved plans, or unusual conditions.
- Non-determination within the statutory window — if the LPA fails to determine your householder application within 8 weeks, or a full application within 13 weeks, you can appeal on the basis of non-determination.
- An Enforcement Notice — but only on limited grounds, and the appeal has a separate procedural track under section 174.
- A Listed Building Consent decision — under section 20 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
- A Conservation Area consent decision — for demolition in a Conservation Area.
You cannot appeal against Permitted Development determinations, the LPA's failure to respond to a pre-application enquiry, or against most planning obligations and unilateral undertakings.
How to appeal: written representations, hearing, or inquiry
The Planning Inspectorate offers three main appeal procedures. Your choice depends on the complexity and scale of the dispute:
- Written representations. The default procedure for most householder and minor commercial appeals. You and the LPA exchange written statements and supporting evidence; the Inspector considers the case on paper alone. Typical target timescale: 8 weeks for householder, 16 weeks for full planning appeals.
- Hearing. A short, informal session where the Inspector listens to both parties in person (or by video conference). The LPA may be represented by a planning officer; both sides can bring witnesses. Typical target timescale: 10–12 weeks.
- Public inquiry. A formal, lawyer-led process for major or technically complex appeals. Witnesses give evidence under oath and can be cross-examined. The Inspector typically sits for several days. Typical target timescale: 24+ weeks.
For most homeowners, the written-representations procedure is sufficient. Hearings and inquiries are typically reserved for appeals where the case turns on a contested technical issue or where the proposal is unusually large or contentious.
The Planning Inspectorate (PINS): how the decision is made
Appeals are decided by Planning Inspectors — chartered town planners (and sometimes chartered surveyors or lawyers) appointed by the Secretary of State. Inspectors operate independently of the LPA that made the original decision and decide each appeal on its planning merits.
An Inspector can:
- Allow the appeal and grant planning permission (with or without conditions).
- Dismiss the appeal, upholding the LPA's decision.
- Vary the LPA's decision, granting permission with different or modified conditions.
- Split the decision, allowing part and dismissing part on a multi-element proposal.
Inspectors' decisions are normally published on the PINS appeal decisions portal within a few weeks of the decision date. The decision letter sets out the Inspector's reasoning and is binding on both the appellant and the LPA.
Appeal decisions and costs
The Inspector's decision is final on the planning merits. There is no further appeal within the planning system; the only recourse is judicial review in the High Court, which can only challenge the legality of the decision-making process (not the planning judgement itself).
Either party (the appellant or the LPA) can apply for an award of costs against the other under the Town and Country Planning (Appeals) (Written Representations Procedure) (England) Regulations 2009 (or the equivalent hearing and inquiry regulations). Costs are awarded where a party has behaved unreasonably, causing the other party to incur unnecessary expense. Examples of unreasonable behaviour include:
- The LPA refusing without proper planning reasons or based on a policy that does not exist.
- The appellant failing to provide evidence they had committed to provide.
- Either party introducing substantial new evidence at a late stage without good reason.
- Either party failing to cooperate with procedural directions from the Inspector.
Costs awards are made on a standard basis — the winning party is reimbursed the costs that were directly and reasonably incurred.
Searching appeals and decisions (PINS portal)
The Planning Inspectorate publishes appeal decisions on its appeals casework portal at acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk. The portal supports search by:
- Appeal reference number (e.g. APP/LPA-code/year/number).
- Application address or postcode.
- Local planning authority (LPA).
- Decision date range.
- Procedure (written, hearing, inquiry).
- Decision outcome (allowed, dismissed, withdrawn).
The portal is free to use and is the canonical source for English planning appeal decisions. It is widely cited by planning professionals researching precedent.
Related guides
Detailed appeals MDX guides will appear here as they are published in the planning-permission queue. The full appeals process is covered in this hub.