England planning appeals go written from 1 April 2026

From 1 April 2026, planning appeals in England will start on a written-first track. In plain terms, more cases will be decided on the papers already submitted, with site visits where needed. The Planning Inspectorate trails this ‘expedited’ route as a way to simplify appeals and speed decisions. (gov.uk)

What’s actually changed? Since 2009, the fast route mainly covered householder and minor commercial cases. From April 2026 it becomes the default for most appeals made under section 78(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, and Part 1 of the 2009 rules is now treated as the ‘expedited written representations’ procedure. (planningportal.co.uk)

So who falls into Part 1 now? If you’ve appealed a refusal of planning permission, challenged conditions on a permission, sought prior approval, appealed advertisement consent, or moved forward on reserved matters, section 73 or 73A routes, or permission in principle and technical details consent, you’ll usually be on the expedited written path. (gov.uk)

What stays in Part 2? Appeals where the council hasn’t decided your application in time (the ‘non‑determination’ route under section 78(2)), listed building consent appeals, and appeals against advertisement discontinuance notices normally use the standard written procedure, where there is more room for additional representations. (gov.uk)

How the written‑first route works. The Inspector decides the case from written material. Local planning authorities have a short window to send their questionnaire and the application documents they relied on. There’s no separate ‘statement of case’ stage in Part 1; the officer report, committee minutes and decision notice usually stand as the council’s case. (gov.uk)

What this means if you’re a neighbour or community group: your best chance to be heard is earlier, during the application. Under the expedited Part 1 route, there’s normally no new public comment stage at appeal; the council forwards your original comments and the Inspector considers them. Councils must still notify interested people that an appeal is under way and explain this limitation. (gov.uk)

Who chooses the procedure? The Planning Inspectorate decides whether an appeal follows Part 1, Part 2, a hearing or an inquiry, and can transfer a case if the written‑first route isn’t suitable. In a very small number of cases, the Secretary of State can ‘recover’ an appeal for decision, usually on very large or sensitive schemes. (gov.uk)

Key date to remember: the new approach applies to appeals where the original application was submitted on or after 1 April 2026. If your application predates that, you’ll follow the earlier guidance and timetables instead. Check your application date carefully against your council’s decision notice. (gov.uk)

If you’re an applicant, think of this as a study tip for real life: make your full case at application stage. Under Part 1 you won’t usually add new technical reports later, and if your appeal is moved to Part 2, you’ll typically have only two weeks to submit a statement of case. Front‑load your evidence, drawings and planning arguments. (gov.uk)

If you’re learning the law, here’s the headline distinction. Section 78(1) covers appeals against refusals or conditions on applications; section 78(2) covers appeals where the authority hasn’t decided in time. Written‑first applies to the former; the standard written route often applies to the latter. (uk-legislation.com)