How to Submit a Planning Appeal 

The appeal process depends on the complexity of the issue. Many appeals for enforcement notices are by means of an inquiry, as there may need to be complex legal issues to overcome. The planning Inspector will consider all the evidence provided by all parties and will visit the site to assess the proposal. A final decision will subsequently be made in writing after the site visit. The whole process from submission to decision should take around three months.

Most planning appeals are submitted in writing by the appellant or an agent acting on their behalf. Written statements and other supporting evidence will need to be submitted to clearly justify why the planning authority’s initial decision was wrong. The planning authority will also submit written evidence to justify why they feel they have made the correct decision.

Once the appeal has been submitted there will be some strict timeframes for a variety of written submissions to be made. For householder applications, once the appeal is validated there is no further opportunity to add evidence or documentation to the appeal so it is essential to get it right the first time.

The planning inspectorate will make the determination on your appeal which can take up to 13 weeks. The good news is that there is no cost to submit an appeal however, you do also only get one go.

In theory anyone can submit an application although other than industry professionals those who try are often rejected unnecessarily due to missing information or mistakes. Even architects are normally only qualified in architectural design but not planning permission. This means that although they can draw anything, it may not meet all of the necessary planning criteria. In fact, lots of clients come to us having been rejected with an architect because the application did not meet the required planning criteria.

At Studio Charrette, we have a team of inhouse architects and planners who work together on every application. This ensures the design meets both our client’s expectation and also the expectations of the planning authority to give every application the best chance of success.

Contact us now to speak with one of our expert planning consultants to find out what is the best approach for your planning enforcement and the likelihood of success.

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