We prepare planning appeals to the Planning Inspectorate by written representations, for a fixed fee of £1,050 to £3,500. A householder refusal must be appealed within 12 weeks of the decision date. Since 1 April 2026 most appeals admit no new evidence, so we first check whether a revised application would succeed sooner.
Read the decision notice before deciding anything. Each reason for refusal names a policy, and the answer depends on what kind of objection it is. If the council objects to something you can change, such as a dormer that is too wide, a balcony that overlooks, or a missing daylight study, a revised application is usually faster and cheaper than an appeal. If the council objects to the principle, and you believe its reading of policy is wrong, an appeal puts the same scheme in front of an independent inspector.
The rules changed for applications dated on or after 1 April 2026. Appeals against refusals under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, including refused retrospective applications, now follow the written representations "part 1" procedure. The Planning Inspectorate's own guide says there is no opportunity to submit evidence the council has not seen, except where circumstances have materially changed. If a technical report or an amended design would overcome the refusal, it tells applicants to submit a revised application instead. An appeal is a verdict on the drawings the council already had, and it cannot restore permitted development rights removed by an Article 4 direction.
| Measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Section 78 planning appeals allowed | 31% | April to June 2026 |
| Appeal decisions made on written representations | 17,744 (95% of those with a procedure) | 12 months to June 2026 |
| Householder applications granted by councils | 90% of 151,900 applications | Year to March 2026 |
| Fee charged by the Planning Inspectorate | None | Householder and full planning appeals |
Sources: Planning Inspectorate, statistical release, 30 July 2026; MHCLG, Planning applications in England: January to March 2026; GOV.UK, Appeal against a householder planning decision. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
A 31% allowed rate for section 78 appeals means most appeals fail. Our guide to what to do when planning permission is refused walks through the resubmission route in more detail, and the glossary explains the planning appeal as a term.
The deadline depends on the application type and what the council did. It is counted from the date printed on the decision notice, and the Inspectorate must receive the appeal within it. A late appeal is not accepted.
| Situation | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Householder application refused | 12 weeks from the decision date |
| Householder application granted with conditions you object to | 6 months from the decision date |
| Householder application not decided in time | 6 months from the end of the council's decision period |
| Full planning application refused or not decided | 6 months |
| Enforcement notice served before the decision, within 2 years before the application | 28 days from the decision date |
| Appeal against an enforcement notice itself | Before the date the notice takes effect |
| Challenge to the appeal decision in the High Court | 6 weeks |
Sources: Planning Inspectorate, Planning appeals: procedural guide for applications dated on or after 1 April 2026, section 4; GOV.UK, Appeal against a planning decision. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
Twelve weeks sounds generous. It is not, once you allow for reading the officer's report, deciding between appeal and resubmission, and writing a statement that answers every reason for refusal. Contact us in the first four weeks if you can.
Timings are measured from the date the Inspectorate treats the appeal as valid to the date of the decision letter. The figures below are for appeals decided in June 2026.
| Appeal type and procedure | Median weeks | Mean weeks | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Householder, written representations | 12 | 14 | 351 |
| Section 78 planning, written representations | 17 | 19 | 758 |
| Section 78 planning, hearings | 19 | 20 | 52 |
| Section 78 planning, inquiries | 27* | 32* | 15* |
* Fewer than 20 decisions, which the Inspectorate flags as unreliable. Source: Planning Inspectorate, Appeals: average timescales, updated 30 July 2026. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
The Inspectorate itself warns that decisions issued in a month include cases submitted long before, so these are a snapshot, not a promise. Across all appeals, the median was 19 weeks over the 12 months to June 2026, against a mean of 29 weeks, because a small number of very long cases pull the average up.
We handle householder and small full planning appeals on the written representations procedure, which is how 95% of appeal decisions are made. The work is desk-based and drawing-led, which suits a architectural technology practice: householder appeals are argued about how a scheme looks and what it does to neighbours, and that argument is made from the drawings already in the application.
| Service | Our fixed fee | London architect |
|---|---|---|
| Planning appeal (written representations) | £1,050–£3,500 | £1,500–£5,000 |
| Planning drawings only, if you resubmit instead | £840 | — |
| Planning Inspectorate appeal fee | None | None |
Our fees are as published on our pricing page. The London architect range is the comparison shown there.
Not every case suits us. Appeals likely to go to a hearing or inquiry, and enforcement appeals that turn on evidence of dates, need a planning consultant or solicitor. We will say so at the first read. If an enforcement notice is part of your case, read our guide to receiving a planning enforcement notice first.
Under the part 1 procedure the timetable is short and mostly out of your hands. You submit the appeal and send a copy to the council. The Inspectorate checks it is valid and sets a start date. Within 5 working days of the start date the council sends its questionnaire and the application documents, and tells anyone who commented on the application that there is an appeal. On a householder appeal nobody can send new comments; earlier comments go to the inspector. The inspector usually visits the site, then issues a written decision.
Appeals against a council's failure to decide follow the longer part 2 procedure, where the council has 5 weeks from the start date to send a full statement and both sides can make final comments by week 7. Either party can apply for costs where the other has behaved unreasonably and caused wasted expense, and costs can be awarded against you too.
Refused scheme involves outdoor space above ground? Our guide on roof terrace planning permission sets out the overlooking tests inspectors apply. Built the work already? Start with how to apply for retrospective planning.
The Planning Inspectorate charges no fee for a householder or full planning appeal. Our fixed fee for preparing a written representations appeal is £1,050 to £3,500, as published on our pricing page.
The Planning Inspectorate must receive the appeal within 12 weeks of the date on the decision notice. If an enforcement notice was served on the same development, the deadline can shrink to 28 days.
Not for applications dated on or after 1 April 2026 that follow the part 1 procedure. The inspector decides the scheme the council refused, and new evidence is only accepted where circumstances have materially changed. Amended plans belong in a new application.
Householder appeals decided by written representations in June 2026 took a median of 12 weeks and a mean of 14 weeks from validation, across 351 decisions.
Not on a householder appeal. Comments made on the original application are passed to the inspector, but no new comments are taken at the appeal stage.
Send us the decision notice and we will tell you whether to appeal, resubmit or stop, and what the appeal would cost.
Get an appeal quoteBefore you commit, it is worth understanding what it costs and seeing why homeowners choose us. You can search the site to find the right fit, or contact us to talk it through. When you are ready, get a quote today — most homeowners have a fee in minutes — or contact us about your project and an architectural technologist will be in touch.
Each area page carries the local planning authority, conservation-area position, postcode districts and typical housing stock for that address.
