Planning appeal terms, explained plainly.

Planning decisions and appeals come with a lot of jargon. Here's what the terms you're most likely to encounter actually mean, in plain English — no planning qualification required.

Applications and decisions

Householder application (HAS): A planning application for work to an existing house — extensions, loft conversions, outbuildings, and similar. Most homeowner planning matters fall into this category, which has its own simpler appeal process.
Decision notice: The council's official written decision on your application — approval, refusal, or approval with conditions — including the reasons if it's refused.
Refusal reasons: The specific grounds a council gives for refusing an application, usually tied to policy. These are what an appeal has to directly address.
Conditions: Requirements attached to an approval that must be met — for example, using matching materials or submitting a landscaping plan before work starts.
Discharge of conditions: A separate application to formally confirm that a condition attached to your approval has been satisfied, so you can proceed with that part of the work.
Non-material amendment: A minor change to an already-approved scheme that doesn't affect the overall development, submitted as a simplified application rather than a fresh one.
Retrospective planning permission: Permission applied for after work has already started or been completed, rather than before.

The appeal process

Planning appeal (Section 78 appeal): A request for the Planning Inspectorate to independently review a council's refusal (or its failure to decide in time). Formally known as a "Section 78 appeal," after the section of the Town and Country Planning Act that allows it.
Planning Inspectorate (PINS): The government body that decides planning appeals in England, independently of the council that made the original decision.
Planning Inspector: The individual appointed by the Planning Inspectorate to review and decide a specific appeal.
Written representations: The most common appeal procedure — the appeal is decided on written submissions alone, with no hearing or site visit involving live discussion. Most householder appeals use this route.
Hearing: A more involved appeal procedure with an informal, round-table discussion between the appellant, the council and the Inspector. Used for more complex cases than most householder appeals need.
Public inquiry: The most formal appeal procedure, with a more court-like structure and the ability for witnesses to be cross-examined. Reserved for the largest or most contested cases — householder appeals essentially never use this route.
Statement of case: Historically, the main written document setting out an appellant's full case. For householder appeals submitted since 1 April 2026, this has been replaced by a short 250-word statement — read more in our article on the new process.
Costs award: A ruling that one side in an appeal must pay some of the other side's costs, made only where a party has behaved unreasonably during the process. Uncommon in ordinary householder appeals.

Decisions and outcomes

Allowed: The Inspector has overturned the council's refusal and granted planning permission.
Dismissed: The Inspector has agreed with the council's refusal, and permission is not granted.
Split decision / allowed in part: The Inspector has agreed with part of the scheme but not all of it — for example, allowing an extension but not an accompanying outbuilding.
Material considerations: The factors an Inspector (or council) is legally allowed to take into account when deciding a case — things like policy, impact on neighbours, and design. Anything outside this is legally irrelevant to the decision, however strongly it's felt.

Policy and site designations

Development plan / Local Plan: The council's adopted planning policy document for its area. Applications and appeals are decided against this policy unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
Permitted development rights: Certain minor works that don't need planning permission at all, set out in national regulations. Rights can be restricted or removed in some areas (see Article 4 direction).
Article 4 direction: A council order removing specific permitted development rights in a defined area, usually to protect its character — meaning work that would normally need no permission does need it there.
Prior approval: A lighter-touch process for certain permitted development schemes, where the council only checks specific matters (like flooding or highways impact) rather than assessing the whole scheme.
Permission in principle: An early-stage approval confirming a site is acceptable for development in principle, before the detailed technical design is worked out.
Green Belt: Land designated to prevent urban sprawl, with strong policy protection against most new development, including some extensions above a certain size.
Conservation area: An area designated for its special architectural or historic character, where extra planning controls apply — including to some works that would otherwise be permitted development.
Listed building: A building of special architectural or historic interest, protected by law. Most changes need separate listed building consent in addition to any planning permission.
Enforcement notice: A formal notice from a council requiring unauthorised development to be altered, removed, or stopped. Different from — and normally more serious than — a straightforward refusal.

Not sure which of these apply to your case?

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