PLANNING
APPEALS
REFUSED?
A refusal is frustrating, but it is rarely the end of a project. The decision notice sets out the council’s reasons, and those reasons tell you what needs to change, or what an Inspector would need to be persuaded of.
Our first step is an honest view on which route gives you the best chance: revise and resubmit, or appeal.
RESUBMIT OR APPEAL?
A revised application that answers the reasons for refusal is often quicker and more certain than an appeal. That is usually how we work.
An appeal is the right choice when the council has misapplied policy and the scheme should not need to change.
THE DEADLINES
Householder appeals: 12 weeks from the date of the decision. Most other planning appeals: 6 months. Listed building consent appeals: 6 months. Enforcement appeals: before the enforcement notice takes effect.
If the council fails to decide your application in time, you can appeal against non-determination. There is no fee to appeal.
WHAT CHANGED IN 2026
For applications made on or after 1 April 2026, most appeals are decided under a new written procedure. You cannot add evidence the council did not see, and neighbours cannot add fresh comments at appeal stage.
That makes the original application more important than ever. A strong case at application stage protects your position if you later need to appeal.
HOW LONG IT TAKES
The Planning Inspectorate’s figures for July 2025 to June 2026 show a median of 11.6 weeks for householder appeals and 17.1 weeks for other written appeals. Hearings and inquiries take longer.
COSTS
Each side normally pays its own costs. An Inspector can award costs against either side if it has behaved unreasonably and caused the other wasted expense, so an appeal should be pursued carefully.
OUR RECORD
We take appeals selectively. In 2012 we appealed a refusal for a client in a village near Godalming, and the appeal was allowed.
Where a case calls for it, we work with specialists with local authority backgrounds.
YOUR NEXT STEP
If you have received a refusal, send us the decision notice. A planning surgery, 45 minutes for a flat £95 plus VAT, is the quickest way to get a clear view of your options.
Prefer to talk first? Call us on 01428 892198.
Appeals across Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire
Every appeal is decided against the council’s development plan and national policy, and the plans in our area are in very different states.
Waverley and Guildford are preparing new plans. Chichester adopted its plan in 2025. East Hampshire relies on its 2014 strategy, and the South Downs National Park is replacing its 2019 plan. The weight an Inspector gives each reason for refusal can depend on where those plans stand. We look at that balance before recommending an appeal.
NOT SURE WHERE
TO START?
Book a planning surgery for £95 plus VAT, or call us on 01428 892198. We reply to every enquiry within one working day.
Related services: Planning applications, Permitted development, Listed buildings and conservation areas, New homes and development, Planning surgery.