How does the appeals process work?

If a local planning authority refuses to grant planning permission, the applicant has a right to appeal to the Secretary of State via the Planning Inspectorate (1), (2).

An independent inspector is appointed by the Secretary of State to consider the appeal, and they will make their decision in line with the local plan, taking into account other material considerations (for example, supplementary planning documents and other factors including the influence of the premises on traffic, noise, and the appearance of the building).

The inspector will come to a decision on whether the planning permission should be granted in full, subject to other conditions, or refused. Such as decision is made according to national and local policy and evidence presented during the appeal process

In order to support local authority planning teams to effectively defend against any planning appeals, there is a need to provide localised evidence. Examples of appeal decisions relevant to the food environments indicate they can show a positive outcome if local authorities are able to demonstrate the contribution of other complementary public health initiatives, for example in relation to a council’s approach to tackling local obesity (3). We will cover these areas further in Week 3.