Planning appeals

If you’ve submitted a planning application, you have the right of appeal to the planning inspectorate if:

  • a decision regarding your planning application has not been reached within the statutory period for a decision (usually either eight or 13 weeks from the date the application is registered)
  • the application has been refused
  • you disagree with any of the conditions attached to the approval of planning permission

Appeals may only be made by or on behalf of the person who made the application. There is no third party right of appeal. This means that objectors or other people affected by a planning application cannot make an appeal if they are unhappy about the decision.

How to appeal

You must submit your appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. Details on how to appeal are provided in the decision notice or on the Government website.

You can search for an existing appeal online on the Planning Portal.

Time limits for appealing

You must appeal within a specific timeframe of the decision date. This will depend on the application or development type.

An appeal to a householder application or minor commercial application must be made within 12 weeks.

An appeal to an advertisement application must be made within eight weeks.

Appeals to all other application types or development types must be made within six months.

Please note that different timescales apply when the development is also subject to a planning enforcement notice.

If an enforcement notice has been served before your planning application has been determined, the time limit to appeal is 28 days from the date of the planning decision.

If an enforcement notice is served after your planning application has been determined, the time limit to appeal is 28 days from the date the enforcement notice is served upon you or within six months (12 weeks in the case of a householder appeal) of the date of the planning decision, whichever period expires sooner.

You may also appeal where your application hasn't been decided within the statutory time frame, usually 8, 13 or 16 weeks depending on the development type, unless an extension of time has been agreed.

Your data

The personal information you provide will only be used to process the application you have made to us. Find out more in our planning privacy policy.