An interesting story of residents in an area of London concerned about too much interference by the planning department into their lives - which appears led by other residents concerned the planners are not taking enough interest in their area.

A scheme for 50 houses was refused unanimously by a Planning Committee in Cornwall, but was allowed at appeal by the Inspector. This demonstrates the importance of showing a robust and persuasive case at the appeal stage by all parties.

A common question we receive is how long a planning appeal will take to determine. The Planning Inspectorate publish statistics, which can be found here. Unfortunately it's a slow process of typically around 6 months from validation - note, that validation can take some weeks - but it is quicker than they have been for some years. No

The long-running saga of the householder who built 'Britain's biggest man cave' has nearly come to an end. Despite losing appeals and being told to remove the building, he failed to do so and the Council were forced to take action to demolish - Councils have the power to carry out the terms of the enforcement notice and charge later for it. However, it seems the householder is reluctant to pay those bills.

Research shows that the number of successful appeals has fallen to a 5 year low, at just 18% being allowed. Our guide gives advice on how to prepare and submit your planning appeal, to give you the best chance of getting your planning permission.

The lack of housing supply can be important in determining whether an appeal is successful: if there is a shortfall, there is a presumption in favour of sustainable development. A potential housing site that had been considered for development for many years in Surrey finally got the approval at appeal, partly on the basis of the need for housing.

Jeremy Clarkson's appeal for his farm shop and restaurant in Oxfordshire has finally been decided, with a partial victory for him: the shop remains with a car park for a temporary period, but his proposed restaurant cannot take place. Appeals can be complex, and are important to get right. See our book for more advice.

Good design is sought by planning policy, which partly led to a dismissed appeal in Kent on the grounds of 'generic' design in an AONB. But that decision is now being challenged in the Courts by Berkeley Homes

The award of costs against any party in planning appeals is relatively rare, but it is a risk to be aware of. A Council, an appellant or a third party are all at risk in having costs given against them if they behave unreasonably either during the course of the appeal, or in actions that led up to the appeal. A recent case in Yorkshire showed how a Council's failure to adequately explain why they refused permission led to the appellant's costs being paid by them. Our book explains how to minimise the risk of costs being awarded against you.