How much does a householder planning appeal cost in London?

Where the money goes in an appeal

There are three possible costs. The first is the Planning Inspectorate’s fee, which is nil for a householder appeal. The second is the work of putting a case together. Ours is £425.

The third is the one nobody budgets for: a delay. A refusal does not stop the clock on your deadline, and a missed deadline turns a modest appeal into a new application, with a new council fee. The fee for one house is £548.

The 12-week deadline

The clock runs from the date on the notice.

Most planning appeals can be made within six months of the decision notice. Householder appeals cannot: the planning guidance says there are only 12 weeks from the date on the decision notice. The period counts from the date printed on the notice, not the day it reached you.

Twelve weeks sounds long, but a good case needs the refusal reasons read against local policy, drawings checked, and a statement written. We start the day you send us the decision notice.

Why most householder appeals are on paper

The guidance says the Part 1 written representations procedure, also called the expedited procedure, is used for most planning appeals. It was expanded from 1 April 2026.

On that route, there is no opportunity for further representations at the appeal stage, though what was said at the application stage goes to the Inspector. So an appeal case is built from the documents already in the file and your reasons for appeal.

It also means the appeal cannot repair a thin first application. If you are not yet refused, a stronger application first may cost less than an appeal later.

Is an appeal worth it?

Two nationally published figures give a sense of the odds, without promising anything. Councils in England decided 145,600 householder applications in the year to June 2026 and granted 90% of them. That tells you refusal is the exception, and that a refusal often turns on one specific reason.

The guidance also warns that applicants should consider the merits and whether there are strong grounds before appealing, and that costs can be awarded against a party who behaves unreasonably. We read the officer’s report first and tell you honestly whether the reasons can be answered by evidence, or whether a revised design is the better route.