Planning Appeals

If you seek permission to carry out works to your property and your application isn't decided within a set period (usually 8 weeks), or you get a decision that you disagree with, you have a right to appeal. Appeals are made to the First Secretary of State in England. All appeals are administered by the Planning Inspectorate.

Time Limits

Please remember that there are strict time limits on the right to appeal. Appeals submitted outside these limits will normally be turned away.

The deadline for submitting an appeal varies dependent on the type of proposals. Should you wish to appeal against a decision involving works to a domestic property, the deadline is now 3 months from the date of determination.

For all other appeals, the deadline is 6 months from the date of the application decision letter (or in the case of non-determination, 6 months from the date the decision should have been made). The 6 month period applies to all non - domestic planning (section 78), listed building and conservation area consent (section 20) appeals.

Information and Advice

For further advice on making an appeal, please visit the Planning Portal website.

We will aim to deal with appeals within the time scales specified by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Making comments in writing

The council will normally agree to the written representation method of dealing with appeals unless the proposals have aroused a significant level of concern in the neighbourhood and, in the opinion of the council, the issues raised by the proposals need to be explored in the presence of an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State.

Should you wish to comment on any appeal in which the deadline for the submission of public comments has not expired, you should write in triplicate, before the final date for submission of public comments, to:

The Planning Inspectorate, 3/07 Kite Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN

Even when an appeal has been lodged the council is willing, where appropriate, to see whether an acceptable solution can be achieved by submitting a new application.

Copies of appeal decisions made by the Planning Inspectorate or the Secretary of State will be available for public inspection at our Frog Lane offices and on this site within 5 days of receipt, and copies can be supplied on request.

Making appeals and commenting on appeals online

Lichfield District Council support's the Planning Inspectorate's initiative to encourage the submission of appeals and comments on appeals online. The following documents from the Planning Inspectorate's website provide information on working on appeals online:

• A new and simple way of making an appeal for appellants - The Planning Casework Service
• A new and simple way to comment on an appeal for third parties - The Planning Casework Service

To check whether an application has been appealed against, please use our appeal search.