Guidance

Appeals: how long they take

Latest average timescales for planning, enforcement and householder appeals.

From:
Planning Inspectorate
Published
1 January 2014
Last updated
23 January 2025 — See all updates

Applies to England

Cases decided in December 2024 – Summary

S78 & Householder appeals

Median (weeks) Mean (weeks) Decisions
s78 planning appeals Written Reps 30 31 738
s78 planning appeals Hearings 22 28 43
s78 planning appeals Inquiries 31* 33* 10*
Householder appeals Written Reps 18 19 291

Enforcement appeals

Includes s174 enforcement appeals, s39 enforcement listed building appeals and lawful development certificate appeals

Median (weeks) Mean (weeks) Decisions
Written Reps 56 60 145
Hearings 100 167 37
Inquiries 43* 57* 16*

Mean Average - The total time taken divided by the number of cases. Also referred to as the ‘average’. A measure of how long each case would take, if the total time taken was spread evenly across all cases.

Median - The middle value, if the times are sorted. This means that half the cases take less then this time; and half the cases take more.

Decisions – number of decisions made.

Please note that the times given here are measured from the time an appeal which we are able to progress (‘valid’) to the time a decision is issued.

The smaller the number of decisions, the less helpful the mean and median are as measures for summarising performance. Particular care should be taken when there are fewer than twenty decisions. These are represented with an * in the table, but have been provided for completeness and transparency.

Each of the measures give a slightly different view of the average time taken to make a decision, both are provided because neither gives a perfect indication of the average. The mean is potentially affected by a small number of cases taking a long time – and this gives an over-estimate. The median is less affected by these few longer cases so may give a more helpful indication of the average.

The mean was published previously so we are publishing it to allow users to compare current with previous data.

In making use of the data provided, users are reminded that some decisions made in the latest month were on cases submitted a years or more before – as such, while they are the most recent snapshot available, they should not be relied on to give a reliable indication of what will happen to a case submitted recently or in the future.

We are reviewing our published information in order to make it more useful and accessible to users – please get in touch with us at statistics@planninginspectorate.gov.uk if you have suggestions on how we could improve the information we provide to you.

Updates to this page

Published 1 January 2014
Last updated 23 January 2025 + show all updates

  1. Cases decided in December 2024 data

  2. Updated with September figures

  3. August 2024 figures added

  4. July 2024 data added

  5. June 2024 data added

  6. May 2024 data added

  7. Cases decided in April 2024 – Summary

  8. Updated with March 2024 data

  9. February 2024 data added

  10. January 2024 data added

  11. stats updated for December.

  12. November data added to tables

  13. Cases decided in October 2023

  14. Cases decided in September 2023 – Summary updated

  15. Updated appeal handling time averages for August 2023

  16. July 2023 data added

  17. Tables updated with June 2023 data

  18. May 2023 data added

  19. March 2023 data added

  20. Tables updated with March data

  21. Data updated with cases decided in February 2023

  22. Cases decided in January 2023 updated

  23. The table has been updated today on the number and length of decisions made in December 2022

  24. November 2022 - Decisions summary updated

  25. October 2022 - Decisions summary updated

  26. September 2022 - Decisions summary data added

  27. Updated number and length of decisions made in August 2022

  28. Inquiry appeals submitted after 1 April 2019 removed as no longer correct

  29. Data updated with July 2022 - Decisions summary

  30. June 2022 information on number and length of decisions made

  31. May 2022 data added

  32. Decisions summary updated with April 2022 data

  33. Decisions summary updated with March 2022 data

  34. Updated with number and length of decisions made in February 2022

  35. January 2022 data on timeliness

  36. How long appeals take based on December 2021 data

  37. November 2021 figures added

  38. October decisions summary data added

  39. September 2021 data added

  40. August 2021 data added

  41. Tables updated with July data.

  42. Updated appeal timeliness data for June 2021

  43. May 2021 data on how long decisions are taking.

  44. April 2021 data added to show how long an appeal has taken.

  45. March data added to chart

  46. February 2021 - Decisions summary updated

  47. January 2021 - Decisions summary updated

  48. December 2020 - Decisions summary updated

  49. September 2020 data added.

  50. August average performance data added

  51. Corona virus information removed and July 2020 - Decisions summary added.

  52. Message regarding the impact of Covid-19 on our average timescales.

  53. The average timescales have been removed as we have postponed site visits, Hearings and Inquiries.

  54. To help delay the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) we are following Government advice on social distancing and avoiding non-essential travel. This has meant it necessary to postpone site visits, Hearings and Inquiries which has affected the time it is taking to deal with some appeals. We are looking ways to mitigate this by using technology and other ways to process appeals without risking the wellbeing of appellants, parties to an appeal and our staff. We apologise for the inconvenience this causes.

  55. Data updated with January 2020 figures

  56. Updated times added

  57. Average timescales updated

  58. Added a link to the Inspectorate's news item on Approach to casework during the pre-election period

  59. Average timescales updated

  60. Average timescales updated

  61. Average timescales updated

  62. Average timescales updated

  63. Average times updated

  64. Average times updated

  65. Updated the first section with a comment realating to the time taken to decide apeals

  66. Average timescales updated

  67. Latest appeal timescales

  68. Average timescales updated

  69. Data updated

  70. data on handling times updated

  71. average timescales updated

  72. times updated

  73. Average timescales updated

  74. Average timescales updated

  75. Average timescales updated

  76. Average timescales updated

  77. Average timescales updated

  78. Updated data on appeal handling times

  79. indicative times updated

  80. Indicative times updated

  81. Monthly figures updated

  82. pre election advice removed

  83. Monthly stats updated

  84. Monthly Figures updated

  85. Advice on impact of local elections added

  86. Monthly figures updated

  87. Timescales updated

  88. The monthly figures and the way they are set out have been updated

  89. Monthly figures updated

  90. Figures updated

  91. figures updated

  92. Monthly figures updated

  93. Updated figures

  94. First published.

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