The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has confirmed that its new ‘Appeal a planning decision’ service is now the primary route for submitting planning and enforcement appeals, with the legacy Appeals Casework Portal (ACP) no longer accepting new appeals. The digital platform currently supports eight appeal types: householder, planning, listed building, commercial planning, commercial adverts and advertisements, enforcement notice, listed building enforcement notice and lawful development certificates. Existing appeals submitted via the ACP remain accessible for case management purposes. A small number of specialist appeal types not yet supported on the new service are expected to be migrated throughout the 2026/27 financial year. The digital service is intended to provide a more secure and resilient experience for appellants, agents and local authorities.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has confirmed the permanent appointment of Rebecca Phillips as Chief Planning Inspector following a competitive recruitment process. Phillips has served in the role on an interim basis since March 2025, during which she led initiatives to strengthen inspector learning and development and worked with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on planning system reforms, including the draft National Planning Policy Framework and new approaches to local and strategic planning.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has expanded its digital casework portal to include section 78 appeals, following the successful implementation of the Householder Appeals Service. The expanded portal is currently being piloted by five London Borough local planning authorities (LPAs): Barnet, Greenwich, Havering, Richmond upon Thames, and Bromley. It aims to streamline appeal submissions and management, enhance tracking and monitoring capabilities, and improve communication between parties, among other aspects. A nationwide rollout to all LPAs across England is scheduled to begin in June 2025, with a phased approach to ensure a smooth transition.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has issued a press release announcing that the M3 Junction 9 Improvement application has been granted development consent by the Secretary of State. The project proposes an upgrade to the junction to allow free movement from the A34 to the M3.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has issued a press release announcing that the A1 in Northumberland – Morpeth to Ellingham application has been granted development consent by the Secretary of State for Transport. The project proposes 13 miles of upgrades to dual the carriageway linking Morpeth and Alnwick bypasses with the dual carriageway close to Ellingham, to create a continuous dual carriageway from Newcastle to Ellingham.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has launched a consultation on the proposed changes its official statistics publications. The proposed changes include shifting the Monthly Statistical Release from a monthly to a quarterly publication and to stop publication of the annual Staff Diversity Official Statistics. The consultation closes on 19 September 2024. Thereafter, PINS will consider the feedback and responses received and within 12 weeks of the consultation closing, publish an account of the consultation as well as its decision in relation to the proposed changes.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has launched a tiered pre-application service as part of the reforms to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) process. The new service is established by the pre-application prospectus. The service consists of 3 different tiers: Basic, Standard and Enhanced.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) is inviting participants to take part in research sessions aimed at enhancing its digital services. The initiative seeks feedback on existing and potential new features across services, including Find a National Infrastructure Project and Appeals. Sessions will be conducted online and last between 30 minutes and one hour. Participation is voluntary, and PINS welcomes input from both existing and prospective users.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has published and added 12 new advice notes to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) advice pages, forming part of a collection that was first published in March 2024. These notes are intended to inform applicants, consultees, the public, and others about a range of process matters in relation to the Planning Act 2008.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has published the results of its 2025 stakeholder survey. The survey found that 75% of respondents rated PINS’ decisions, recommendations and advice as high quality, compared to 74% in 2024. In addition, 36% agreed that the organisation is customer-focused, up from 31% in 2024, although PINS recognises that customer focus remains an area for development. PINS reported that the average decision time for cases decided in September 2025 was 20 weeks, compared to a 25-week average over the previous 12 months. The organisation also announced several operational improvements, including: (1) the introduction of simplified planning appeal procedures for the majority of appeals decided via written representations and the national rollout of its digital appeals service by the end of 2025; (2) plain English training for inspectors on local plans; (3) the launch of a ‘Find a Crown Development’ website for Crown body applications; and (4) updated customer-facing guidance for the Common Land service.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has published its Business Plan for 2025–26, outlining key regulatory and operational priorities for the upcoming year. The plan commits to delivering high-quality, timely decisions across all casework areas, including national infrastructure projects, planning appeals, and local plan examinations. Key initiatives include introducing a simplified appeals process following ministerial amendments to regulations, piloting concise decision writing to improve the timeliness and consistency of decisions and launching a significant recruitment campaign to ensure adequate staffing to meet performance targets.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has published a collection of guidance on the preparation and examination of new style local plans under the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026 (Local Planning Regulations), SI 2026/186. The collection collates links to guidance on the examination process under the new local plan system and the role of PINS, along with a procedural guide covering examinations and gateways under the 2026 Regulations. The guidance applies to plans submitted for examination on or after 31 December 2026. Separate guidance remains available for plans under the legacy plan-making system governed by the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, SI 2012/767.