Most written planning appeals now start with application-stage evidence

Check the application date first

The Planning Inspectorate's current guide covers appeals relating to applications dated on or after 1 April 2026. It says most appeals in that cohort use part 1 written representations, although the Inspectorate may transfer an appeal or change its procedure. [1] [2]

The published procedure is divided by the date of the original application. The date an appeal is submitted does not, by itself, identify which guide applies. [1]

What the Inspector normally considers

For part 1, the Inspector normally considers the application and supporting material, the decision notice and refusal reasons, the officer report or committee minutes, the appeal form and the council's questionnaire. [1]

The appeal form can explain why the appellant disagrees by referring to that record. The guide says part 1 is not generally an opportunity to introduce new evidence or argument, and material submitted for that purpose may be disregarded. [1]

When new material may be considered

The guide provides a bounded exception where the Inspectorate accepts a material change in circumstances. Its examples include a policy change, a court judgment, a newly arising environmental-assessment requirement or a relevant new decision. [1]

A later technical report, revised drawing or changed scheme is therefore not automatically part of the appeal merely because it responds to a refusal reason. This procedural distinction does not decide whether appealing, amending and resubmitting, or commissioning further evidence is the right next step. [1]

Procedure is not a prediction

Written representations are intended for issues that can be understood from the documents and a site visit. A hearing allows questioning and clarification; an inquiry provides formal testing where the issues or technical evidence require it. [3] [1]

The Inspectorate's explainer also cautions against treating the different procedures' outcome rates as a simple comparison because the routes contain different case mixes. The procedure should not be used to predict an individual appeal. [4]

Build the refusal-stage evidence record

This check cannot determine whether an appeal or resubmission is better, and it cannot predict an outcome. It provides a source-led starting point for examining the refusal record and researching relevant appeal decisions. [1] [4] Search planning appeal decisions

• Record the date of the original application and use the matching procedural guide. [1]

• For each refusal reason, note where it is addressed in the application, supporting evidence, officer report or committee minutes. [1]

• Keep any later report, revised drawing or changed scheme in a separate list so it is clear what was and was not before the council. [1]

• Treat the selected procedure as a decision about handling evidence, not as an indication of likely outcome. [3] [4]

The guide's limits

The procedural guide says it has no legal status and that an Inspector may adapt the process to the case. The Inspectorate can also change the selected procedure, so the guide is a starting point for checking the record rather than a promise about how any appeal will be handled. [1]