Planning appeal procedures changed on 1 April 2026. For most appeals against the refusal of planning permission arising from applications submitted on or after that date, the Planning Inspectorate now uses the Part 1 written representations procedure. There is no separate appeal statement: the inspector normally decides the case using the material that was before the council, together with the appellant’s short grounds of appeal, which the current appeal form limits to 250 words.
Full appeal statements have not disappeared, however. They are still required, or may be requested, for:
- enforcement appeals;
- lawful development certificate appeals;
- non-determination and listed building appeals proceeding under Part 2;
- appeals proceeding by hearing or public inquiry;
- cases transferred by the Planning Inspectorate from Part 1 to another procedure; and
- appeals relating to planning applications submitted before 1 April 2026 where the former procedure applies.
If your case is an ordinary Part 1 appeal, My Planning Appeal offers express Part 1 appeals for £399. Read Just Planning’s guide to how planning appeals work under the new rules. If you have been asked to provide a full statement, this guide explains how to make it focused, persuasive and easy for the inspector to follow.
What an appeal statement needs to do
An effective appeal statement is not a complete history of everything that has happened. Its job is to identify the matters the inspector must decide, explain why the appellant’s case should be preferred and direct the inspector to the evidence supporting each point.
The precise content depends on the type of appeal. In a planning appeal, the statement will usually respond to the council’s reasons for refusal or likely concerns. In an enforcement appeal, it must address the statutory grounds on which the appeal has been made. In a lawful development certificate appeal, the question is whether the development or use is lawful, not whether it is desirable in planning terms.
A typical statement will contain:
- the appeal details and a short introduction;
- a description of the site and its surroundings;
- a clear description of the development, use or alleged breach;
- the relevant planning history;
- the relevant policies, legislation and guidance;
- the main issues in dispute;
- the appellant’s case on each issue;
- references to the supporting evidence and appendices; and
- a concise conclusion explaining the decision sought.
Start with the appeal details
Begin with the appellant’s name, the site address, the council reference, the decision or enforcement notice being challenged and the procedure being followed. Identify exactly what you are asking the inspector to do: grant planning permission, remove or vary a condition, quash or correct an enforcement notice, grant a lawful development certificate, or reach another specified decision.
Keep the procedural background short. Lengthy accounts of correspondence with the case officer rarely assist. Include them only where they are directly relevant to the appeal, a costs application or a point of law.
Describe the site and surroundings
The inspector needs enough context to understand the case before visiting the site. Describe the property, neighbouring development, access, land levels, boundary treatments and any physical relationships that are important to the dispute. Identify relevant constraints such as a conservation area, listed building, green belt, flood zone, protected tree or Article 4 direction.
Concentrate on facts that matter. If the issue is loss of light, explain the position and use of the affected windows, the orientation of the buildings and any differences in level. If the issue is character, explain whether the surrounding development is consistent or varied and identify the features that give the area its character.
Photographs can be extremely helpful, but number them, state when and where they were taken and mark the viewpoints on a plan. Do not assume that an inspector will carry out online research to fill gaps in your case.
Explain the development or alleged breach
For a planning appeal, describe the proposal accurately and concisely. Include the important dimensions, appearance, materials and intended use without repeating information that is already clear from the drawings.
For an enforcement appeal, reproduce the council’s allegation carefully and explain what has actually happened on the land. Distinguish between operational development, a material change of use and a breach of condition. If the notice is inaccurate, excessive or directed at the wrong land, explain precisely why.
An enforcement statement should be organised around the statutory appeal grounds selected on the appeal form. For example, a case under ground (a) deals with why planning permission should be granted, while a ground (d) case concerns whether it was too late for the council to take enforcement action. Evidence about lawfulness, dates and continuity of use must be clear, consistent and capable of withstanding close scrutiny.
Set out the relevant planning history
Include previous applications, appeals, certificates and enforcement decisions only where they help the inspector understand the current case. An existing permission can be particularly important where it represents a realistic fallback development that could be carried out if the appeal fails.
If you rely on a previous decision, include the decision notice and relevant plans or extracts. Explain why it is comparable rather than simply listing reference numbers. Differences in siting, scale, land levels, neighbouring windows or policy context can make an apparently similar case unhelpful.
Identify the policies and legal framework
There is rarely any benefit in copying pages of policy into the statement. Identify the development plan policies, national policy and supplementary guidance that genuinely bear on the issues, then explain how they should be interpreted and applied.
Where the appeal raises legal issues, cite the relevant statutory provisions and give full references for any court judgments. Do not rely on a legal quotation without explaining how the principle applies to the facts of the appeal.
Enforcement and lawful development certificate appeals are especially evidence- and law-sensitive. Professional planning or legal advice is strongly recommended where the meaning of a notice, the correct appeal ground or the lawfulness of a use is disputed.
Address the main issues directly
The assessment is the heart of the statement. Deal with each reason for refusal, enforcement ground or other disputed issue under its own heading. State the council’s position fairly, identify the point of disagreement and then explain why the evidence supports the appellant.
Do not spend pages arguing about matters the council has accepted. If the dispute is confined to the effect of an extension on one neighbour’s outlook, focus on that relationship. If an enforcement appeal is based on several grounds, keep the reasoning and evidence for each ground distinct.
Avoid emotional criticism of the council or case officer. Delay, poor communication and inconsistency may be relevant to a complaint or an application for costs, but they do not usually determine the planning merits. A calm statement supported by plans, measurements, photographs, policies and properly prepared expert evidence is much more persuasive.
Use evidence carefully
Every important factual assertion should be supported. Depending on the case, that may include plans, photographs, technical reports, statutory declarations, tenancy records, invoices, utility information or witness evidence.
Check the procedural timetable before submitting anything new. Even outside Part 1, appeal submissions should not normally introduce evidence that ought reasonably to have been provided with the original application. Late or unnecessary evidence can cause delay, procedural unfairness and a possible award of costs.
In enforcement and lawful development certificate cases, the evidence may determine the appeal. Put it in chronological order, explain what each document proves and deal openly with any gaps or apparent contradictions. More documents do not necessarily make a stronger case: relevance, clarity and consistency matter most.
Keep the statement concise and readable
The Planning Inspectorate normally expects a full statement of case to be concise and, in many planning appeals, no more than about 3,000 words. Some enforcement appeals and inquiry cases necessarily require more, but length should follow complexity rather than replace clear reasoning.
Use numbered headings and paragraphs, a contents page for longer statements and a clear list of appendices. Define abbreviations, number plans and photographs consistently and cross-reference the evidence accurately. Finish with a short conclusion bringing together the reasons the appeal should succeed.
Hearings and inquiries
If the appeal is proceeding by hearing or inquiry, follow the timetable and directions in the Planning Inspectorate’s start letter. A statement of common ground will usually also be required so that the event can concentrate on matters genuinely in dispute. Inquiry cases may require proofs of evidence from individual witnesses in addition to the appeal statement.
The written case remains important even where evidence will be discussed or tested in person. It gives the inspector the framework for understanding the issues and helps ensure that the hearing or inquiry is focused.
Need some help?
A good appeal statement makes a complicated case feel straightforward. It identifies the real issues, applies the correct policy and law and gives the inspector a clear route through the evidence.
Just Planning prepares and manages enforcement appeals, lawful development certificate appeals, Part 2 cases, hearings and inquiries. For more information, read its current guide to when an appeal statement is still needed or contact the team for a free initial assessment.