The Planning Inspectorate has today published its Business Plan for 2025/26 setting out our priorities and ambitions for the year.

It details our focus on the delivery of excellent services to benefit the whole planning system and provides a practical framework as we progress the second year of our strategic plan.  

We are committed to delivering high-quality, timely decisions across all our casework areas – from national infrastructure projects to planning appeals and local plan examinations.  

This year we’re excited to be accelerating progress through a number of initiatives including:  

• introducing a simplified appeals process for the majority of appeals following the Minister’s decision to amend regulations 

• progressing trials of more concise decision writing to further improve timeliness and consistency of decisions 

• concluding our significant recruitment campaign to ensure we have the colleagues we need to deliver on our ambitious plans. 

As set out in our 2024/25 Annual Report we have already made significant progress in reducing our overall caseload and making quicker decisions. We will be doing even more this year to improve our performance including expanding our digital services and making the appeals process quicker and easier to navigate whilst remaining impartial, fair and open. 

We fully recognise the challenges ahead. The government has placed planning at the heart of its Plan for Change.  Our Business Plan gives us the practical direction to meet these challenges, reform our services and work together with our stakeholders to create a more effective and efficient planning system.