Don't be despondent if your planning application is refused. Planning applications can be refused for a variety of reasons, ranging from matters of planning law through to subjective judgements on design, and so Salmon Planning Company are frequently asked to advise clients on how to proceed after an application has been refused. Here we explain how the appeal system works and outline significant recent successes in overturning initial refusals.
This blog outlines why you should consider taking professional advice from a chartered planning consultant such as Salmon Planning Company in the event of an initial refusal to ascertain whether appealing the decision is the right course of action for you.
What is the right of appeal?
If a planning application is refused, or indeed permission is granted subject to onerous planning conditions, as an Applicant you have a right of appeal against the decision. An appeal is determined by the Planning Inspectorate who are an independent body who consider the Council’s decision, and the Applicant’s case, and then decide whether to allow (grant permission) or dismiss (refuse) the appeal.
Why do you need a chartered planning expert to navigate the planning appeal process?
According to statistics published by the Planning Inspectorate, only 28% of appeals were successful in the last quarter of 2024. This fact underlines the importance of having the right expertise to explore whether to lodge an appeal in the first instance and then to successfully navigate the complex appeal system.
At Salmon Planning Company we are delighted that the quality of our planning advice has seen us achieve positive outcomes on four planning appeals at sites across the south-west since the start of 2025.
Planning Appeal Win Case Studies (Summaries)
1. At the start of January, we were very pleased to achieve planning permission when an appeal was allowed in Portishead in North Somerset to re-model a 1960’s bungalow into spectacular new home which makes the very most of the property’s location with panoramic views across the Bristol channel.
2. Following on swiftly from the above, we had another appeal success in South Somerset where our client had planning permission granted by the Council for a new equestrian centre, but the approval was subject to a raft of onerous planning conditions that were unjustified, and which would have been costly and complex to comply with.
3. Next, we move onto an appeal in a village between Frome and Bruton in east Somerset. In 2024 we submitted a planning application for a single new dwelling on land immediately adjacent to four other new houses that we had previously gained permission for in late 2023, and which have since been built. The application for a fifth dwelling was refused by the Council because of concerns about the impact on the character of the area, and (surprisingly, in the context of what had been permitted next door) because of the lack of services and facilities locally. In-light of this decision we immediately lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate.
4. Finally, an appeal we lodged has also been allowed in mid-Somerset in relation to the siting of a caravan in a residential garden which is to be occupied by family members as ancillary accommodation to the main house. In this case we sought a Lawful Development Certificate from the Council to confirm that planning permission was not required for the caravan, but the Council didn’t determine the application within the statutory timescale of 8 weeks.
We will be discussing these cases fully in further blogs. If you would like more information in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us.
If you have had a planning application refused and are considering an appeal, or perhaps you have had planning permission granted subject to onerous conditions, then Salmon Planning Company are well placed to help with expert planning advice and in-house architectural services. With offices in Somerset and Devon we operate across the south west and beyond. Contact us on 01749 671500 or email info@salmonplanning.co.uk
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