Your grounds of appeal should be set out in full. The Inspector will look at your application afresh, so there is no need to give a detailed history of the application e.g. of your discussions with Council Officers.

If you are appealing against the Council’s decision to refuse your application

You should explain clearly why you disagree with each of the Council’s reasons for refusing planning permission for your development. It is not enough to say that you do not accept them – that will not help the Inspector decide your appeal.

The reason(s) for refusal will refer to development plan policies (and/or supplementary planning guidance) that the Council thinks the development would contravene. The Council will provide the policies to the Inspector with their questionnaire so there is no need for you to do so or to write them out in full. In your grounds of appeal you should say why you think the proposed development would either satisfy the development plan policies/supplementary planning guidance or why they are not relevant to your proposals.

If there are other policies which you think are relevant please send a copy. If there is anything else that you think the Inspector will need to know to be able to take a decision on your appeal you should tell us about it.

If you are appealing because the Council did not decide your application

You should set out in detail why you think that permission should be granted, referring where appropriate to relevant policies in the development plan and/or any supplementary planning guidance published by the Council.

General guidance

You do not need to set out national policy as Inspectors have Planning Policy Statements and Guidance Notes to hand; please draw attention to any relevant paragraphs.

You could use photographs to illustrate your grounds of appeal – for example to show your site and its relationship to adjoining land. Any photographs should include details of where and when they were taken and what they show. They should not be taken using a wide angle or zoom lens.

You should send in any previous decisions – whether on appeal or made by the Council - if they are directly relevant.

You may include details of similar developments in the immediate area, but please do so only if they are relevant to what you are proposing. It would help the Inspector if they were identified on a street map with their addresses and any photographs. Inspectors will look at other sites/locations only if relevant to their decision on your appeal and are not able to go on private land unless allowed to do so by the owner.

If the effect of your proposed development on neighbouring properties has been raised, you should send us the relevant measurements.

The Planning Inspectorate
December 2006