Watford Borough Council

If a planning application is turned down and the applicant is aggrieved by the reasons given for refusal by the Council, they can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. The applicant may also appeal against conditions imposed on a planning permission, but any appeal must be made within six months of the receipt of the decision notice, unless it is a householder appeal which needs to be made within three months. 

A leaflet entitled “Planning Appeals A Guide to procedure”, is available from

The Planning Inspectorate
Temple Quay House
2 The Square
Temple Quay
BRISTOL  EC4M 7NG
Tel: 0117 372 8000

who will also supply the necessary appeal forms.  Follow this link to go to the Planning Inspectorate website

An appeal can be determined by a Public Local Inquiry, which is presided over by an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State, where both the appellant and Watford Borough Council give their respective cases. In less complex cases an informal hearing procedure can be opted for, where each side presents a case on a more informal basis than that of the Public Local Inquiry, generally without legal advisors being present.

Interested parties such as local residents often get the opportunity to give their opinions. Alternatively, at the request of either party, the appeal can be dealt with by means of written representations which are also considered by an Inspector.

The decision is final and can only be changed by the High Court on a point of law.  Only applicants can make an appeal.