Planning appeals

If you seek consent or permission to carry out particular works to your property and your application is not decided within a set period, or the local authority refuses your application or grants it with conditions you disagree with, you usually have a right of appeal.

Appeal Timeframes

Appeals must be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate within specific timeframes.  The timeframes can differ for different types of appeals, and are summarised within the table below.

Time limits on right to appeal

Type of planning application	Time limit on right to appeal
Lawful Development Certificate	There’s normally no deadline. If you’re appealing an application about a listed building lawful development certificate, you must appeal within 6 months of the decision.
Tree Preservation Order	You must appeal: within 28 days of the date on the council’s decision notice before the date the tree replacement notice comes into effect There’s no deadline if you’re appealing because your application wasn’t decided within 8 weeks.
Display of an advertisement	If you disagree with a decision, you must appeal within 8 weeks of the date on the decision notice from your local planning authority. If you’ve been sent a discontinuation notice, you’ll need to appeal before the date given on the notice.
Hedgerow notice	You must appeal within 28 days of the date on the council’s notice.
Household application	If you disagree with a decision, you must appeal within 12 weeks of the date on the decision notice from your local planning authority. The deadline is earlier if you have received an enforcement notice. You must appeal within 28 days of the notice.
Listed Building consent	You must appeal within 6 months of either: the date of the decision when the decision was due, if you didn’t get one within 8 weeks (13 weeks for a major development)
Minor commercial development	You must appeal within 12 weeks of the date on the decision notice from your local planning authority. The deadline is earlier if you have received an enforcement notice - you must appeal within 28 days of the notice.
Planning decision	If you disagree with a decision, you must appeal within 6 months of the date on the decision notice from your local planning authority. If they didn’t make a decision within 8 weeks, you can appeal up to 6 months after the decision was due. The deadline is earlier if you have received an enforcement notice - you must appeal within 28 days of the notice.
Enforcement notice	Your appeal must be received before the date the enforcement notice takes effect.

Planning appeals lodged and decided

See planning appeals lodged and decided within London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

The appeal process is available to applicants only. Objectors and other interested third parties have no right of appeal under UK planning legislation.

More information

Additional guidance on how to submit your householder appeal can be found on the Government Services and Information website.

The Planning Inspectorate

All planning appeals are administered by the Planning Inspectorate.

Only the applicant for consent or permission can make an appeal. There is no right of appeal for interested people or organisations (known as ‘third parties’).

Inspectors decide most appeals, but in cases where they make a report to the Secretary of State the appeal is decided by the Secretary of State. This is termed a 'called in' inquiry and usually only occurs with very large developments.

Submitting an appeal

There are three ways of submitting an appeal:

• Written Representation (the cheapest, simplest and most common procedure)
• Informal Hearing (discussion forum)
• Public Inquiry (full cross examination)

Further information can be found at the Government Services and Information website and in the following documents:

• The Planning Inspectorate Procedural Guide to planning appeals

Planning Inspectorate guidance booklets

Guides to taking part in planning appeals proceedings:

• by written representations
• by a hearing
• by an inquiry

Guides to taking part in enforcement appeals proceedings:

• by written representations
• by a hearing
• by an inquiry

For further information please email planningappeals@richmond.gov.uk.