Planning appeals by council 2026

Planning appeals are lodged with the Planning Inspectorate when applicants disagree with a local planning authority's refusal of a planning application, or when a council fails to determine an application within the statutory period (non-determination). The Planning Inspectorate independently reviews each appeal case. A high number of allowed appeals against a particular council may suggest that local planning authority is refusing planning applications that should be approved under national planning policy.

The planning appeal success rate (percentage of appeals allowed) varies significantly between UK councils. Government guidance indicates that local planning authorities should be concerned if more than 10% of their decisions on major planning applications are overturned at appeal, as this can trigger designation as an under-performing authority.

Planning appeals data is sourced from the Planning Inspectorate and covers all appeal types, including written representations, hearings, and public inquiries. Only local planning authorities with at least 10 planning appeals in the period are included, to ensure the success rate figures are statistically meaningful and not distorted by very small samples.