This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Cost of defending planning appeals already three times what was budgeted this year
29/08/2024
The costs arise when refused applicants take their case to the Planning Inspector
The cost of defending planning decisions where the applicant has appealed to the Planning Inspector has reached £327,000 in the Cherwell District so far this financial year.
The amount spent, which comes from Council Tax payers, is already over three times the £100,000 set aside in Cherwell District Council’s budget.
Planning applicants can use the appeals process when they aren’t happy with a decision made by locally elected councillors on the Planning Committee to reject an application. The government’s Planning Inspector will then make a judgement on the case and can overrule the Planning Committee decision.
The council incurs costs defending the decision, appointing experts and, on occasions, paying the applicant’s costs when the council loses.
A number of recent applications by large developers have highlighted the potential costs to the council should their request be refused and they decide to take the decision to appeal.
In a report to be considered at next week’s Planning Committee meeting, Finance Business Partner Kelly Wheeler tells Councillors the overspend “has meant that alternative sources of funding to defend further appeals will need to be identified including the call on the appeals reserve will be necessary for mitigation.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam
Kristian david On 01/09/2024 at 1:34 pm
the costs are a lot more than the council will admit. if you look at the number of appeals that have been won and the requests by CDC planning department for judicial reviews the costs will be massive. There are dozens of major applications on the planning portal with some of them listed under strategic developments that will incur large costs