What to Do If Your Planning Application Is Refused
Receiving a planning refusal is disappointing — but it's not necessarily the end of the road. Understanding your options after a refusal, and assessing which path is most likely to succeed for your specific project, is important before committing to a course of action. Here's a practical guide.
Read the Decision Notice Carefully
The planning authority's decision notice sets out the reasons for refusal. These are the starting point for any response. Read them carefully and honestly — not all reasons for refusal are equal. Some are fundamental objections to the principle of the development; others are more specific design or technical concerns that can be addressed through amendment.
If the reasons are about design details, scale, materials, or specific aspects of the proposal that could be changed without fundamentally altering the scheme, amendment and resubmission may be the right path. If the reasons relate to a fundamental policy conflict — the principle of development in that location, a fundamental heritage concern, or a policy that precludes the type of development you're proposing — an appeal or significant redesign may be necessary.
Pre-Refusal Engagement with the Planning Officer
Where you received a recommendation for refusal from the planning officer before the decision was made, and you didn't engage with the officer to discuss amendments before the decision, this is now the time for that conversation. Many planning officers will discuss the reasons for refusal and advise on what amendments might resolve the concerns — informally, and without prejudice to any future application.
Amendment and Resubmission
In England, you have the right to resubmit a planning application that has been refused within 12 months of the original refusal free of charge (for householder applications). If the reason for refusal is specific and addressable, amending the scheme and resubmitting — often after informal discussion with the planning officer — is frequently the most efficient route.
Planning Appeal
If you believe the planning authority made the wrong decision, you can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. Appeals are decided by an independent planning inspector, who considers the merits of the application against national and local planning policy. The majority of planning appeals are decided by written representations (rather than a hearing or inquiry) — a written exchange between you (or your representative) and the planning authority, with the inspector making a decision on the written evidence.
Planning appeals take 6–12 months on average for written representation cases. The success rate varies by project type and the specific grounds of refusal. Taking professional advice from a planning consultant before lodging an appeal is strongly recommended — an appeal on weak grounds wastes time and money and may also adversely affect any future amended application.
When to Accept the Refusal and Redesign
Sometimes the most efficient response to a refusal is to accept that the proposed scheme is not acceptable in that form, and to go back to the design stage to produce a fundamentally different proposal. This is particularly the case where the reason for refusal relates to the principle or character of the development rather than its specific details.
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