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What is the new appeals process in 2026?

  • Billy Lloyd

As you may be aware, there has been some changes to the Planning Appeal process which have recently taken effect, so we thought it would be helpful to provide a bit of a breakdown on what has changed.

The intention of the changes is to streamline the appeals process, reduce delays and encourage more complete submissions at the application stage. We note that the changes take effect from the 1st April 2026, and is only relevant to applications submitted after this date. Applications submitted before this date will be dealt with via the previous system.

So what are the changes on the new system?

  • No new evidence – Inspectors will rely on what the LPA determined the application on, unless there is an exceptional change of circumstance, in which case the appeal will be transferred to Part 2, which is more akin to the current system. 
  • Written Representations will now be the default, with other avenues at the Inspectors discretion and to become less common.
  • Third Party restrictions – They will also not be able to submit new information, so the initial comments as part of the application will be relied upon.
  • Final Comments – Will be removed as part of the process moving forward.
  • Online – Whilst we do submit all our appeals online already, the emphasis will be on this mechanism for appeal submission.  
  • Any use of AI in documents will need to be declared.

In terms of what the typical process will look like, the appeal will be submitted and one week from the issuing of the Start Letter, the LPA will send their Questionnaire and Application Docs to the Planning Inspectorate, with an Inspector than allocated who will undertake a site visit and look to issue a decision

What do the Planning Inspectorate expect to form part of an appeal submission?

  • Appeal Form (Opportunity to explain reasons for disagreeing with the Decision)
  • Application Form
  • Decision Notice
  • Environmental Statement (if required)
  • Planning Obligation (if required)
  • All documents submitted to the LPA at point of submission.
  • List of documents submitted throughout the application.

So, what does this mean? Effectively we are needing to front load any information to make a more comprehensive application, so that if an appeal is required all of the information is available to the Inspector when they make a decision. But what is key is that all parties including the Council are working collaboratively and proactively.

Get in touch!

If you have any queries or would like to discuss how this could impact on your site and interests, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Warner Planning, where we would be more than happy to advise.  

How to get in touch…

Having a consultant involved in your project, is a great way to reduce the risk of errors and it can drastically speed up the timeline for achieving planning permission.

If you think you need support with your project, we’d be happy to help.

You can contact us directly via the details below, or if you would prefer, you can fill in the form below and one of the team will be in touch.

T: 01908 592580
E: info@warnerplanning.co.uk

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