Guidance

Appeals: how long they take

Latest average timescales for planning, enforcement and householder appeals.

From:
Planning Inspectorate
Published
1 January 2014
Last updated
18 July 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

Cases decided in June 2024 – Summary

S78 & Householder appeals

Median (weeks) Mean (weeks) Decisions
s78 planning appeals Written Reps 28 29 742
s78 planning appeals Hearings 26 31 26
s78 planning appeals Inquiries 28 31 13
Householder appeals Written Reps 16 19 317

Enforcement appeals

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

Median (weeks) Mean (weeks) Decisions
Written Reps 46 51 115
Hearings 80* 80* 12*
Inquiries 63* 58* 10*

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 18 July 2024 + show all updates

  1. June 2024 data added

  2. May 2024 data added

  3. Cases decided in April 2024 – Summary

  4. Updated with March 2024 data

  5. February 2024 data added

  6. January 2024 data added

  7. stats updated for December.

  8. November data added to tables

  9. Cases decided in October 2023

  10. Cases decided in September 2023 – Summary updated

  11. Updated appeal handling time averages for August 2023

  12. July 2023 data added

  13. Tables updated with June 2023 data

  14. May 2023 data added

  15. March 2023 data added

  16. Tables updated with March data

  17. Data updated with cases decided in February 2023

  18. Cases decided in January 2023 updated

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

  20. November 2022 - Decisions summary updated

  21. October 2022 - Decisions summary updated

  22. September 2022 - Decisions summary data added

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

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

  25. Data updated with July 2022 - Decisions summary

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

  27. May 2022 data added

  28. Decisions summary updated with April 2022 data

  29. Decisions summary updated with March 2022 data

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

  31. January 2022 data on timeliness

  32. How long appeals take based on December 2021 data

  33. November 2021 figures added

  34. October decisions summary data added

  35. September 2021 data added

  36. August 2021 data added

  37. Tables updated with July data.

  38. Updated appeal timeliness data for June 2021

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

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

  41. March data added to chart

  42. February 2021 - Decisions summary updated

  43. January 2021 - Decisions summary updated

  44. December 2020 - Decisions summary updated

  45. September 2020 data added.

  46. August average performance data added

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

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

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

  50. 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.

  51. Data updated with January 2020 figures

  52. Updated times added

  53. Average timescales updated

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

  55. Average timescales updated

  56. Average timescales updated

  57. Average timescales updated

  58. Average timescales updated

  59. Average times updated

  60. Average times updated

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

  62. Average timescales updated

  63. Latest appeal timescales

  64. Average timescales updated

  65. Data updated

  66. data on handling times updated

  67. average timescales updated

  68. times updated

  69. Average timescales updated

  70. Average timescales updated

  71. Average timescales updated

  72. Average timescales updated

  73. Average timescales updated

  74. Updated data on appeal handling times

  75. indicative times updated

  76. Indicative times updated

  77. Monthly figures updated

  78. pre election advice removed

  79. Monthly stats updated

  80. Monthly Figures updated

  81. Advice on impact of local elections added

  82. Monthly figures updated

  83. Timescales updated

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

  85. Monthly figures updated

  86. Figures updated

  87. figures updated

  88. Monthly figures updated

  89. Updated figures

  90. First published.

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