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Appeal against a householder planning decision

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1. Overview

If your appeal is about an application dated on or before 31 March 2026, use the ‘Planning appeals: procedural guide’ instead.

Your local planning authority (LPA) makes decisions about householder planning applications.

You can appeal against a householder planning decision if you were refused permission for reasons that you think go against the LPA’s development plan or planning policy. You can usually find these on their website.

Householder planning applications cover small projects such as extensions, conservatories or loft conversions.

Use the appeal against a full planning decision service to appeal any of the following:

  • decisions made about bigger projects, like changing the use of a building or doing major structural work
  • planning permission conditions for any type of project

You can also appeal against a listed building consent decision.

Who can appeal

You can appeal a decision for an application you made yourself, or appeal on behalf of someone else. You’ll be asked to provide the planning application number and decision date.

Applying for costs

You can apply for an ‘award of costs’ if you believe the LPA has cost you money by behaving unreasonably. For example if you think their behaviour has caused you to miss a deadline.

The LPA can also apply to get costs from you.

2. How long you have to appeal

If your application was refused, you can appeal for up to 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter you got from your local planning authority (LPA).

Enforcement notices

You’ll have less time to appeal if you received an enforcement notice in the last 2 years.

If you received the enforcement notice before your application was refused, you have 28 days from the date on your decision letter to appeal.

If the enforcement notice came after your application was refused, you need to appeal by whichever of these dates is sooner:

  • 28 days from the date you received the enforcement notice
  • 6 months from the date on your application decision letter

3. Make an appeal

If your appeal is about an application dated on or before 31 March 2026, use the ‘Planning appeals: procedural guide’ instead.

If someone else owns land or property that’s included in your appeal, you must tell them before you start your appeal.

You should also make sure you have all the documents you need.

Fees

There’s no fee for appealing.

Documents you need

Reasons for the appeal

You’ll need to briefly explain why the local planning authority’s (LPA) decision should be overturned. Do not repeat information you’ve already given in the original application, or add new evidence that should have gone in the application.

If the LPA did not decide your application, explain why planning permission should be granted. You should refer to any relevant LPA policies or guidance.

Copies

You’ll need to submit copies of:

  • your planning application form
  • the decision letter from the LPA, if you have one

If your appeal is because the LPA did not make a decision, you’ll also need to submit copies of:

  • all plans, drawings and documents you sent to the LPA in your application
  • the site plan for your appeal site

Preparing your documents

You can upload the documents as any of these file types, as long as they’re smaller than 50MB:

  • DOC or DOCX
  • JPG or JPEG
  • PDF
  • PNG
  • TIF or TIFF

Make sure all documents are fully readable without any redacted text.

If someone else owns land or property that’s involved in your appeal

You must tell them that you intend to appeal.

Example 1:

Your appeal is about building a garden room in your garden. You do not have to tell anybody else, because you own the whole house and garden.

Example 2:

Your appeal is about extending a house that you own as a leasehold. You’d need to tell the freeholder about your appeal.

CheckÌýtheÌýguidance about notifying other owners. It includes theÌýtemplate notice you need toÌýcomplete.Ìý

Get help using the online service

Contact the Planning Inspectorate’s customer support team if you need help using the online service.

By phone

Planning Inspectorate customer support team
Telephone: 0303 444 5000
Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm (except public holidays)
Find out about call chargesÌý

Online

You can also .

4. Comment on an appeal

No one can comment on a householder planning appeal.

The local planning authority (LPA) must tell anyone who has commented on the original application (‘interested parties’) that there’s an appeal.

They have to do this within 5 working days of the appeal being started by the Planning Inspectorate.

Read the detailed guidance about taking part in an appeal.

5. After you appeal

The Planning Inspectorate will check your appeal to make sure it’s valid. They’ll tell you what happens next and how long your appeal may take.

The Planning Inspectorate will then consider your appeal. Check how long planning appeal decisions normally take.

Complain about how your appeal was handled

You can complain about how the Planning Inspectorate handled your appeal.

6. If you think the appeal decision is legally incorrect

You can challenge the decision in the if you think the Planning Inspectorate made a legal mistake.

You have 6 weeks from the date of the decision to do this.

to advise you if you’re unsure about this.