Changes to the planning appeals process in England
Changes to the planning appeals process in England has come into force as of April 1st, 2026.
Most planning appeals are now expected to be determined largely on the information submitted at validation, so it is more important than ever that applications are underpinned by robust, comprehensive evidence from the outset.
Socio‑economic evidence can be used to strengthen planning applications – particularly in the context of the new appeals approach and the proposed NPPF reforms, which increases the weight given to economic growth from significant to substantial. We’ve prepared a short guide on this, which we have posted on LinkedIn: Strengthening planning applications with socio-economic evidence.
