Planning appeals in England

When a council refuses an application, or fails to decide it, the applicant can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. These are the Inspectorate's decisions, published under the Open Government Licence, joined to the applications they concern and the councils that made the original decision. Decisions to 31 Jul 2026.

15,937appeals decided in the last 12 months
29%allowed
3,430householder appeals
1,675enforcement appeals

Latest decisions

Source: Planning Inspectorate casework database, England, updated when the Inspectorate republishes it. Appeals still in progress are not included. Decisions to 31 Jul 2026.

How planning appeals work

Who can appeal a planning decision?
Only the applicant. In England there is no third-party right of appeal against a permission; an appeal is made to the Planning Inspectorate against a refusal, against conditions, or because the council did not decide in time.
What do allowed, dismissed and split mean?
Allowed means the Inspector granted what the council refused, or quashed the notice. Dismissed means the council’s decision stands. A split decision allows part of what was applied for.
How is an appeal decided?
Most are decided on written representations from both sides and a site visit; more complex cases go to a hearing or a public inquiry. The procedure is shown against each appeal.
Where does this data come from?
The Planning Inspectorate’s casework database, published under the Open Government Licence and refreshed here whenever a new edition appears. It holds decided appeals only, so appeals still in progress do not appear, and the latest decisions can be several weeks behind.