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Blog: planning

How much does a planning appeal cost in London?

By Property Architecture drawing team, chartered architectural technologists (MCIAT). Published . 3 minute read.

A householder planning appeal in London costs £439 from us for the written case, and there is nothing to pay the Planning Inspectorate: there is no fee for appealingGOV.UK, Appeal against a householder planning decision: make an appeal. That makes an appeal one of the less expensive steps in the planning process, but time is short, so the first number to watch is the deadline of 12 weeksGOV.UK, Appeal against a householder planning decision: how long you have to appeal.

From £439 total

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    Key takeaways

    What an appeal costs

    Our fee is £439. For that we read the officer's report and the refusal reasons, assess whether the decision can be challenged, and prepare the appeal and its supporting evidence for written representations. It is a fixed fee for the written route, which is the one almost all householder appeals follow.

    The Planning Inspectorate's side is free: there is no fee for appealingGOV.UK, Appeal against a householder planning decision: make an appeal. You may need to tell any other owner of the land you are appealing about, which the form explains. There is no separate cost to pay unless you decide to bring in a specialist, such as a heritage consultant, for a case that needs one, and we say so before you commit.

    What the fee includesA reading of the officer's report and refusal reasons; An honest view of whether to appeal or amend; Appeal statement prepared for written representations; Appeal lodged for you; Plain-English explanation of the decisionWhat the fee includesA reading of the officer's report andrefusal reasonsAn honest view of whether to appeal oramendAppeal statement prepared for writtenrepresentationsAppeal lodged for youPlain-English explanation of thedecisionFixed fee from £439, no VAT to add
    What our appeal fee covers.

    The deadline and the wait

    The clock starts on the date of the refusal letter, and it is short: 12 weeksGOV.UK, Appeal against a householder planning decision: how long you have to appeal. It is shorter still if an enforcement notice has been served: 28 days from the date on the decision letterGOV.UK, Appeal against a householder planning decision: how long you have to appeal. Check the letter date before anything else.

    Once the appeal is lodged, the wait is the Inspectorate's. Householder appeals decided by written representations were taking a median of 11.6 weeksPlanning Inspectorate statistical release, 30 July 2026 in the figures we checked. We cannot promise a date or a result, but that gives a realistic planning horizon.

    Row of tall Victorian brick houses with bay windows and white sash frames facing Richmond Green in south-west London
    Appeals about extensions on terraces and villas are the usual householder case. Photo: Maxwell Hamilton, CC BY 2.0

    How often appeals succeed

    Nationally, 31%Planning Inspectorate statistical release, 30 July 2026 of section 78 planning appeals were allowed in the most recent quarter we could check. That figure covers all planning appeals, not just householder ones, and it says nothing about your case. What it does show is that most appeals are not allowed, so the case must be real.

    That is why our first step is an honest view of the refusal. Sometimes the right answer is an amended application, which is quicker, and it may need new drawings: see our planning drawings and retrospective planning application pages.

    What a good appeal looks like

    An appeal is read by an inspector who has not seen the original application, so the case must be clear and fit the officer's reasons point by point. It should not add new evidence that belonged in the application; the guidance says as much. It should refer to the council's own policies, as the guidance asks.

    Our planning appeal service covers all of this. If the refusal can be met by redrawing the scheme, we can redraw it free until the application is approved, but a redesign is a new application, not an appeal.

    How the job runs, step by stepSend us the refusal letter and the officer's report Then: Honest view of whether to appeal or amend Then: Appeal statement and evidence prepared Then: Appeal lodged with the Planning Inspectorate for you Then: Inspectorate decides on the written case Then: Decision explained, with next stepsSend us the refusal letter and theofficer's reportHonest view of whether to appeal oramendAppeal statement and evidence preparedAppeal lodged with the PlanningInspectorate for youInspectorate decides on the writtencaseDecision explained, with next steps
    From the refusal letter to a submitted appeal.

    Appeal or amend: how to decide

    An appeal fits when you think the council misapplied its own policy. An amended application fits when the officer's objection is about something you can change, such as height or a window. We lay out both in a short note after we read the refusal, so you can choose with the numbers in front of you.

    Either way, speak to the planning officer. Sometimes one conversation settles what an appeal would take months to decide.

    The figures, with sources

    Fee to appeal a householder decision
    there is no fee for appealingGOV.UK, Appeal against a householder planning decision: make an appealChecked 25 October 2026
    Time limit to appeal a householder decision
    12 weeksGOV.UK, Appeal against a householder planning decision: how long you have to appealChecked 25 October 2026
    Appeal deadline when an enforcement notice came before the refusal
    28 days from the date on the decision letterGOV.UK, Appeal against a householder planning decision: how long you have to appealChecked 25 October 2026
    Median time to decide a householder appeal by written representations
    11.6 weeksPlanning Inspectorate statistical release, 30 July 2026Checked 25 October 2026
    Share of section 78 planning appeals allowed, April to June 2026
    31%Planning Inspectorate statistical release, 30 July 2026Checked 25 October 2026

    Questions

    Do I pay the Planning Inspectorate anything?

    No. The householder appeal guidance says there is no fee for appealing, so the cost is the preparation of the case.

    Can I appeal if the council has not decided yet?

    Yes, if the council has not decided within the set time, you can appeal against the non-decision. Tell us the date you applied and we will check.

    Will the appeal succeed?

    We cannot promise it. The decision is the inspector's. What we do is give you an honest view before you commit, and prepare the case carefully.

    Should I appeal or submit a new application?

    It depends on the refusal reasons. An appeal fits where the council misapplied its policy. A new application fits where the design can change. We give you both options after reading the letter.

    Header photo: A row of London terraced houses with mansard-style roofs and dormers against an orange sunset sky by Daniel Sikpi, Pexels License.

    The fixed fee for planning appeals

    Fixed fee
    from £439
    Total you pay
    from £439
    Council fee
    paid to the council separately

    No VAT to add. The fee is fixed in writing after a free constraints check of your address.

    What you get

    • A reading of the officer's report and refusal reasons
    • An honest view of whether to appeal or amend
    • Appeal statement prepared for written representations
    • Appeal lodged for you
    • Plain-English explanation of the decision
    • More about our planning appeals
    Request your fixed quoteCall 020 7131 9703
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