The Planning Inspectorate has opened its new online appeals service to all local planning authorities (LPAs) in England, marking a key milestone in the government’s wider digital transformation of the planning system. The platform is now live for Householder (HAS), Planning (Section 78) and Listed Building (Section 20) appeals.
According to the Inspectorate, the service is designed to streamline how LPAs submit and manage appeals, cutting administrative workload and speeding up case handling. A user-friendly dashboard, built to GOV.UK design standards, aims to make it easier for officers to review, track and update cases in one place.
The online system also promises clearer, more consistent communication between appellants, LPAs and the Inspectorate, with less reliance on paper-based processes. The platform will be updated regularly in response to user feedback and operational experience, with the intention of continuous improvement over time.
The rollout is being phased by appeal type. Commercial Planning, Commercial Adverts and Advertisements appeals are scheduled to go live on 17 December 2025, while Enforcement, Enforcement Listed Building and Lawful Development Certificate appeals are expected to be added in February 2026.
LPAs can access the service via the ‘Manage your appeals’ portal. Users log in with the primary email address held by the Planning Inspectorate, then enter a one-time code sent to that address. The Inspectorate advises authorities to create individual accounts for each team member, with a fresh login code generated on every visit for security.
Over time, the new platform will replace the existing Appeals Casework Portal (ACP) for the appeal types it covers. All new cases for those categories must now be created and managed in the new service, and appellants will not be able to access them through ACP.
However, any appeals already started in ACP before the switch – whether in draft or live – will remain in that system until completion. This includes access to historic decisions, ensuring that LPAs and appellants can still view and manage legacy casework while transitioning to the new digital service.
