Planning Inspectorate Performance update – April 2025
Performance and other updates following the publication of our latest official statistics release.
Every three months, we publish the latest official statistics on appeals performance, which represent the greatest volume (in terms of number of cases) of the work of the Planning Inspectorate.
We also update the appeals handling times data to give customers the latest information on the average time it takes to receive a decision and provide an update on our other main casework areas.
The latest set of performance statistics shows quicker decision times in some areas of casework and demonstrates the positive impact of work to reduce the number of open cases we carry.
Appeals
In each month of the last quarter (Jan, Feb and March 2025) we have closed more cases than we have received. We now have 12,086 open cases down from 13,293 a year ago (March 2024).
We have made 18,346 appeal decisions in the last 12 months up to the end of March 2025. In March we made 1,736 decisions, more than 200 more than the 12-month average of 1,529.
Our appeal cases are dealt with in one of three ways: written representations, hearings, or inquiries. Ministerial performance measures include an expectation to reduce average decision times over time and make our decision speeds more consistent. All our decision times are measured from the day we receive a valid appeal through to the day we issue a decision. This is the same approach as Local Planning Authorities.
We continue to focus on reducing our overall open caseload of appeals and making our decision times more consistent, especially planning and enforcement appeals decided after an exchange of written evidence.
Median decision times
The median decision time for cases decided over the past 12 months was 27 weeks.
At the end of March decision times for planning cases decided by written representations and hearing were both below the 12-month average, as were enforcement cases decided by inquiry.
| 12 months to March 2025 median decision time | January 2025 median decision time | February 2025 median decision time | March 2025 median decision time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planning appeals by written representations | 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 24 weeks |
| Planning appeals by hearing | 24 weeks | 26 weeks | 24 weeks | 23 weeks |
| Planning appeals by inquiry | 27 weeks | 24 weeks | 25 weeks | 27 weeks |
| Enforcement appeals by written representations | 55 weeks | 71 weeks | 63 weeks | 58 weeks |
| Enforcement appeals by hearing | 57 weeks | 36 weeks | 47 weeks | 61 weeks |
| Enforcement appeals by inquiry | 47 weeks | 62 weeks | 51 weeks | 27 weeks |
National Infrastructure
We have a high number of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) at various stages, but we continue to meet all statutory deadlines:
- 61 where we are providing advice before submission.
- 15 submitted and at acceptance, pre-examination, or examination.
- 8 where we are preparing our recommendation.
- 6 where the relevant Secretary of State is considering our recommendation.
Local Plans
There are currently 61 live Local Plan examinations in progress.
At the start of each month on LinkedIn we publish a list of the upcoming Local Plan hearings and a map of the NSIP applications currently in progress around the country.