How long are appeals taking nowadays?

[Claire B]

Hi, Does anyone know what the wait time for planing appeals is at the moment? I had a refusal on April 19th (I want to convert a small agricultural building into residential), I put an appeal in 4 weeks later and haven't heard a thing since. I know they're taking a while now (because C0v1d) but I'm wondering if I should just use the building for something else for a year or two in the meantime. 

[Jilly]

It might depend on your area, but my local council took 13 weeks to discharge a condition because they're snowed under. Depends what they refused it on, someone here may be able to give advice. It might be worth paying a planning consultant who knows your area for advice.

[Johnnyt]

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/appeals-average-timescales-for-arranging-inquiries-and-hearings

[DevilDamo]

10 hours ago, Jilly said:

It might depend on your area, but my local council took 13 weeks to discharge a condition because they're snowed under. Depends what they refused it on, someone here may be able to give advice. It might be worth paying a planning consultant who knows your area for advice.

The OP is referring to the Appeal process, not LPA decisions.

 

@Claire B You haven’t received any correspondence from the Planning Inspectorate within the last 7mths? I submitted a (Householder) appeal in September and it was formally acknowledged approx. two weeks later. I don’t ‘think’ we’ve been allocated an Inspector yet but was expecting that to take a few months anyway.

[Claire B]

16 hours ago, Jilly said:

It might depend on your area, but my local council took 13 weeks to discharge a condition because they're snowed under. Depends what they refused it on, someone here may be able to give advice. It might be worth paying a planning consultant who knows your area for advice.

I've paid a planning consultant 25k so far (plus architect 13k and surveys £12k). The person dealing with my application left the company so it was handed to someone else who isn't really interested and doesn't reply to my emails. 

[Claire B]

5 hours ago, DevilDamo said:

 You haven’t received any correspondence from the Planning Inspectorate within the last 7mths? I submitted a (Householder) appeal in September and it was formally acknowledged approx. two weeks later. I don’t ‘think’ we’ve been allocated an Inspector yet but was expecting that to take a few months anyway.

Not that I know of. I'm paying a planning consultant but they've gone quiet after telling me it will take 'a long time'. 

[Claire B]

16 hours ago, Jilly said:

Depends what they refused it on,

It's the most ridiculous reason.... Im trying to convert an old building into a 1 bed cottage for my son, it has an office so he can work from home. Refused because the council said we might use the office as a second bedroom and if we do then the property won't meet minimum build size for a 2 bed. They could have just put a condition on the approval that it's not to be a 2 bed! We're applying for costs too. 

[Claire B]

15 hours ago, Johnnyt said:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/appeals-average-timescales-for-arranging-inquiries-and-hearings

Thank you. Assuming mine is a written rep and not a hearing I could hear before Christmas on that basis. 

[Ferdinand]

8 minutes ago, Claire B said:

It's the most ridiculous reason.... Im trying to convert an old building into a 1 bed cottage for my son, it has an office so he can work from home. Refused because the council said we might use the office as a second bedroom and if we do then the property won't meet minimum build size for a 2 bed. They could have just put a condition on the approval that it's not to be a 2 bed! We're applying for costs too. 

 

You were too open.

 

Should have perhaps left it as one big room (either bed/office or loung/office), and added in a stud wall later after the build had been signed off.

[Mr Punter]

Sack the planning consultant.  They have cost you £25k and were not capable of communicating with the planners, leading to s straight refusal instead of a simple amended plan.

 

The appeals take several months and you may hear nothing until you receive the decision.

 

Here is their current performance:

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/appeals-average-timescales-for-arranging-inquiries-and-hearings

[Moonshine]

3 hours ago, Claire B said:

I've paid a planning consultant 25k so far (plus architect 13k and surveys £12k).

 

??????

 

These costs make me very concerned, That planning consultants fee, assuming a hourly rate of £100 is six weeks full time hours. £13k for the architect to draw out planning drawings seems nuts.

 

How have they managed to spend that much on what seems from the outside to be a fairly simple development.

 

Has there been significant back and forth with the council and scheme redesigns?

[Claire B]

4 hours ago, Mr Punter said:

Sack the planning consultant.  They have cost you £25k

When I got the refusal they said they won't charge any more now until we win the appeal (if we don't, I've spent 50k and got nowhere!). Note they want to negotiate a final fee once an appeal is won. 

[Claire B]

2 hours ago, Moonshine said:

 

??????

 

These costs make me very concerned, That planning consultants fee, assuming a hourly rate of £100 is six weeks full time hours. £13k for the architect to draw out planning drawings seems nuts.

 

How have they managed to spend that much on what seems from the outside to be a fairly simple development.

 

Has there been significant back and forth with the council and scheme redesigns?

Hourly rate was £130 and  the senior consultant almost twice that. Their first bill was 2 years ago now, we started off trying for permitted development then had to put a full application in (when we couldn't provide evidence the building had been used agriculturally), then had to make some amendments after comments from the council. 

The fees and time increased due to this line in their fee proposal "Time spent post submission of the application, liasing with council officers and the design team would be covered on an hourly basis but capped at £1300 per month (plus vat)". It was in their interests to drag it out. Anyway they've stopped fees now until the appeal is won. 

 

I've worked with them before and they did (eventually) get me permission to convert my Nissen huts when everyone else said I had no chance.  

 

 

 

[Moonshine]

8 hours ago, Claire B said:

"Time spent post submission of the application, liasing with council officers and the design team would be covered on an hourly basis but capped at £1300 per month (plus vat)".

 

Call me cynical but It makes me wonder how many of their invoices were bang on £1300 a month ?

[DevilDamo]

You’ve already spent £50k on consultant fees for something that has not yet received Planning? ?

[Claire B]

On 15/11/2021 at 07:07, Moonshine said:

Call me cynical but It makes me wonder how many of their invoices were bang on £1300 a month

Not all of them but a few were. 

[Claire B]

16 hours ago, DevilDamo said:

You’ve already spent £50k on consultant fees for something that has not yet received Planning? ?

Indeed. 

[Temp]

On 14/11/2021 at 16:34, Claire B said:

Refused because the council said we might use the office as a second bedroom and if we do then the property won't meet minimum build size for a 2 bed.

 

Is it too late to appeal as I'd be surprised if that's a valid planning reason for rejection. Eg I'm sure they can't reject based on what you "might do" only what you have said you will do in the planning application. 

 

 

[Claire B]

On 17/11/2021 at 18:35, Temp said:

Is it too late to appeal as I'd be surprised if that's a valid planning reason for rejection. Eg I'm sure they can't reject based on what you "might do" only what you have said you will do in the planning application. 

I have appealed. They could have just put a condition in the planning decision to say it can only be a 1 bed but they didn't and just refused it instead. Have just been assigned a case officer finally so should have a decision mid Feb.