We’re pleased to say that planning appeals are a rarity in our work at Nash Partnership. However, a change to the appeals process is being introduced that is important to be aware of if you’re preparing a planning application.
The Planning Inspectorate has issued a new Planning Appeals Procedural Guide, which applies to written representation appeals for applications submitted on or after 1 April 2026. At the heart of this change is a clear principle: “submit once, submit right.”
What’s changing?
Until now, if appealing against a refusal, it was possible to strengthen a case at appeal stage by preparing additional statements for the Inspector to consider. But, from 1 April 2026, this will no longer be the norm. Under the revised process, for most written representation appeals the Planning Inspectorate will make its decision based solely on the documents submitted with the application (alongside the local planning authority’s decision notice and the officer or committee report/minutes) under an ‘expedited written process’, allowing no new materials to be submitted or any third party comment during the appeal process.
The changes are being introduced to streamline the appeals process and reduce delays while encouraging a higher quality, more complete application from the start. In many cases, this should lead to faster appeal decisions.
The Town and Country Planning (Appeals) (Written Representations Procedure) (England) (Amendment and Saving Provision) Regulations 2026 (or ‘the 2026 Regulations’) along with a new procedural guide from the Planning Inspectorate (‘the Guide’), were made and published on 12 February 2026.
What does this mean for applicants?
With less opportunity to ‘fix’ an application at appeal stage, applications need to be thorough, policy-led and evidence-based from day one. Supporting information must be complete and robust at submission stage, so early engagement with local planning authorities and consultees will be more important than ever.
Our approach
For applications submitted from April 2026 onwards, it will be increasingly important to front-load the process, so all relevant evidence, assessments and supporting documents are prepared and submitted as part of the initial application, with a clear eye to any potential need to appeal. This approach is already embedded in how we work – preparing thorough, well-evidenced and robustly reasoned planning submissions from the outset.
Please contact our planning team for further advice.