Government Issues Guidance on Upcoming Changes to Written Representation Appeals

What’s Changing?

 

The Government has confirmed that, by the end of 2025, changes to how appeals are submitted and processed under the written representations procedure will come into effect.

 

Key changes include:

 

• Expansion of the “expedited” written representations procedure, which will now apply to appeals relating to:
• The refusal of planning permission or reserved matters;
• The imposition of conditions on approvals; and
• The refusal of prior notification or prior approval.
• Appeals will be decided solely on the basis of the information submitted at application stage—no new evidence will be accepted.
• Appellants will only be required to submit:
• A copy of their application;
• The LPA’s Decision Notice; and
• A short statement responding to the LPA’s decision and why they disagree.
• Local Planning Authorities will only need to provide:
  • The material considered during determination;
  • The decision notice; and
  • The case officer’s report.
• No further comments will be accepted from interested parties for expedited appeals;
• LPAs are encouraged to update their notification templates to make clear that comments made during the application stage will be passed to the Planning Inspectorate in the event of an appeal, and that no additional representations can be made.

 

What are the implications of these changes?

 

• Appellants must be fully prepared at the time of application and appeal submission—late or additional evidence will no longer be permitted.
• LPAs will need to ensure that all technical assessments and decision rationale are clearly documented and available upfront.
• Both parties should expect a more rigid, less flexible process, with limited opportunity to clarify or expand on initial positions after appeal submission.

 

Given these changes, front-loading applications with robust, well-evidenced material will be more important than ever.

 

What next?

 

The Government anticipates introducing the necessary regulatory changes by the end of 2025. From that point, eligible applications will follow the simplified written reps process.

 

Further procedural guidance will be published once a final version of the new regulations is available.

 

How can DHA help?

 

These changes represent a fundamental shift in the appeals landscape—particularly for householder and minor applications. If you’d like advice on how to prepare for the new system, or need support submitting or responding to an appeal under the revised procedure, please don’t hesitate to contact the DHA Planning team.