Householder planning appeals from £425
Refused? You have 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter. We read the reasons, test them against the plans and write and lodge the appeal for a fixed fee.
£425 fixed fee, no VAT to add
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The short answer
A householder appeal asks the Planning Inspectorate to overturn a council’s refusal of a home extension, loft or similar project. It is decided on written evidence, and there is no appeal fee. We write the statement and lodge the documents for £425, no VAT to add.
Householder planning appeal
from £425
- Fixed fee
- £425
- VAT
- None to add
- A read of the refusal reasons, the officer’s report and your drawings, with a plain-English opinion on the appeal
- An appeal statement that answers each reason for refusal against local and national policy
- Small changes to drawings where they help, shown as clarification rather than a new scheme
- The appeal form completed and every document uploaded for you, within the deadline
- Answers to the Inspectorate if it asks for more
- An independent check of the statement and drawings before they go in
£425. A starting fee: we confirm one fixed figure after checking your address. The council’s own fee, where there is one, is paid to the council.
Get my fixed feeHow an appeal runs with us
Check the deadline
We note the date on your decision letter and agree the date the appeal must be lodged, well inside 12 weeks.
Read the refusal
We take the reasons one by one, read the officer’s report and compare them with the policies cited.
Opinion
We tell you honestly whether the reasons are weak, and whether a revised application would be quicker.
Statement and lodging
We write the grounds of appeal, complete the form and upload the drawings and decision letter.
Decision
The Inspector decides on the written evidence, usually after a site visit.
Appeal, or amend and reapply?
An appeal tests the council’s decision, not a new design. The Planning Inspectorate decides on the same basis as the original application, so the scheme must be the one the council saw. The GOV.UK guide says to explain why the refusal should be overturned and not to add new evidence that should have been in the application.
If the refusal turns on something a small change would fix, such as a window or a set-back, a revised application is often faster than an appeal and keeps the officer on side. We give you both options with the likely timescale before you choose.
- Refusal reasons that misread the policy or the drawings: appeal is strong
- Reasons that a small change could fix: a new application is usually quicker
- A refusal that turns on a neighbour’s light: we check the drawings against the policy cited
The deadlines are short
You have 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter to appeal against a refused householder application. If an enforcement notice has been served, you have less: 28 days from the date on the decision letter if it came first, or the sooner of 28 days from the notice and 6 months from the decision if it came after, per the GOV.UK guide.
An appeal can also be made when a council does not decide an application in time: after 8 weeks for non-major applications, in the absence of an agreed extension. That is rare for householder jobs, and the guidance on appeals sets out the rules.
What to expect after you lodge
The Planning Inspectorate checks the appeal is valid and starts it. Most householder appeals follow the expedited, written route in which no further comments are taken from interested parties at appeal stage, though what they said to the council is passed on. There is no appeal fee, and costs are awarded only where a party has behaved unreasonably.
The Inspectorate’s target is to decide 98% of written representations appeals within 16 to 20 weeks, a target it is working towards by 2027. We keep you informed, and respond to any request for more information inside the deadline.
Householder appeals in numbers
12 weeks
Time you have to appeal a refused householder application, from the date on the decision letter.
Source: Appeal against a householder planning decision: how long you have to appeal (GOV.UK)
28 days
Time you have to appeal if an enforcement notice was served before the refusal.
Source: Appeal against a householder planning decision: how long you have to appeal (GOV.UK)
6 months
Latest date from the decision letter if the enforcement notice came after the refusal, or 28 days from the notice if sooner.
Source: Appeal against a householder planning decision: how long you have to appeal (GOV.UK)
No fee
There is no fee for lodging a householder planning appeal.
Source: Appeal against a householder planning decision: make an appeal (GOV.UK)
8 weeks
Decision period after which an appeal can be made for non-determination of a non-major application, without an agreed extension.
16 to 20 weeks
The Inspectorate’s target for 98% of written representations appeals, working towards it by 2027.
6 weeks
Time limit to challenge an appeal decision in the courts, on a point of law.
145,600
Householder decisions by English councils in the year to June 2026, the pool from which appeals arise.
Source: Planning applications in England: April to June 2026 (GOV.UK)
Questions about appeals
Can I appeal with changed drawings?
Not in the normal sense. The appeal is decided on the scheme the council refused. A changed scheme belongs in a new application, or in a minor clarification the Inspector accepts if it does not change what was applied for.
Do neighbours get to comment again?
On the expedited written route no new comments are taken at appeal stage, but what neighbours said to the council goes to the Inspector.
Will an appeal cost me the council’s legal fees?
Costs are awarded only for unreasonable behaviour, by either side, and either party can apply for them, as the GOV.UK guide notes.
Source: Appeal against a householder planning decision: make an appeal (GOV.UK)
Do you represent me at a hearing?
Householder appeals are on written evidence. If your case were to move to a hearing, we would agree the scope with you first.
Do not let the 12 weeks run down
Send the decision letter. We reply with our view and a fixed fee, from £425.