Planning decisions and appeals

How are planning applications decided?

The majority of applications are decided by our planning officers, although some larger scale ones are decided by one of our planning committees, see details on this page. Under the council's constitution, councillors and local parish and town councils can also ask that an application, which would normally be decided by officers, is referred to committee for consideration. Such a request must be made on material planning grounds. If you have concerns about a particular application and feel that it would benefit from being determined by committee then you should contact your local councillor. 

The committee gets a recommendation from the officer on whether to approve or refuse an application, but will also take evidence from interested parties before making a decision.

If permission is granted a decision notice will outline any additional conditions which must be met. If permission is refused, we'll state our reasons why in the notice. 

Development Management Customer Charter (PDF, 390 KB)

Latest planning decisions

Appeals - what if you do not agree with the decision?

Only the applicant can appeal a decision.

If planning permission is refused, applicants have a right of appeal to the Planning Inspectorate: appeal service. The appeal deadline varies depending on the type of project.  

Before you make an appeal, the Planning Inspectorate recommend that you talk to us. If changes could be made to a proposal, it's better to resubmit an application, rather than appeal. 

Find out more about the process in the Gov.uk: planning appeals - procedural guide.