Govt to speed up planning appeals process

The government is to streamline the planning appeals process so appeal decisions can be made more quickly, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

It is expected that by the end of 2025, most written representation appeals will accept only the evidence put before the local planning authority during application.

These simplified planning procedures will apply to most planning appeals decided via written representations, following a ministerial decision to change regulation.

On the change, MHCLG said: “This will not only speed up appeals but will also importantly, encourage a full body of evidence to be provided at application stage, giving local planning authorities the information they need to make decisions - aligning with universal planning principles of keeping decisions local.”

MHCLG also said the new approach would mean a faster planning appeals process to benefit “everyone” and require only one submission to provide “the complete picture at application stage”.

From the date of the regulation change, applications to local planning authorities will be eligible for the simplified appeals process.

More detail of the changes can be found here.

Paul Morrison, ceo of the Planning Inspectorate, said: “Every …