Frequently Asked Questions.
1. Appeal Finder Subscription FAQs
- How many users/logins do I need to buy?
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Our system works on "simultaneous logins" not "bums on seats". Thus if you purchase a "Single Login" subscription that means you can add multiple users under the "User" menu item, but only one user can log in at once. In most offices of around 3-4 people who use the system a single user login is often enough, maybe requiring a little negotiation amongst colleagues.
More "Simultaneous Logins" can be purchased, such as two logins or five logins on either a monthly or annual basis. Larger practices may require additional logins to cover regional offices for example. A large practice with 5 simultaneous logins might have 30 users, all with their individual passwords.
One person needs to be the "admin" user, with full access to to invoices and with the ability to add or delete colleagues as users from the system (necessary when staff leave). The "admin" user is the key contact for the Appeal Finder account. - What methods of payment do you accept? Close
We accept payment through Direct Debit (via GoCardless) or credit card (via Elavon, formerly known as Opayo /SagePay). You will get a choice once you reach the end of the purchase process.
If you wish to pay by BACS/internet banking transfer you can find Appeal Finder's account details on the proforma invoice (see FAQ 4). With BACS payments we have to manually update the system to give you access so please email info@appealfinder.co.uk once you have processed the payment to ensure your account becomes live as quickly as possible. - Where has Worldpay gone? Close
In April 2024 we moved to Elavon as a more reliable credit card handler for new customers. If you set up your subscription by credit card before 8th April 2024, your payments will still be handled by Worldpay until your credit card expires, or until you cancel your subscription to Appeal Finder, whichever is the earlier. Our move to Elavon for new customers should not affect existing customers' payments via Worldpay, which is still working in the background. If you have any queries please email us at info@appealfinder.co.uk.
- I have just paid but the system isn't letting me on. Close
It can take 5 - 10 minutes for GoCardless or Elavon to communicate with Appeal Finder and the system to automatically update. Please be patient and try again in 15 minutes. If it's still a problem, email Helen or Steve on info@appealfinder.co.uk and we'll sort it out. - I need a pro-forma invoice before I can pay. How do I get one? Close
You can generate a pro-forma invoice through the subscription screen. Go through the payment process until you reach the final "Pre Pay Check" screen. On this screen click the "Print Proforma" link.
The system will remember you clicked on the Proforma invoice and it will be saved for you and accessible under 'My Account' / 'Orders'. When you are ready to pay, select the 'Payment Pending' on the My Account / Orders screen, then click "Pay" to resume the process of payment. - I need to reprint an invoice. How do I request one? Close
You can reprint invoices from the "My Account" page. Click on "Invoices", select the relevant invoice PDF. - What are your credit terms and other Ts&Cs? Close
In order to keep our costs down and provide you with as cost effective a service as possible we don't provide credit terms. We accept credit card or direct debit payments, as well as BACs payments, in advance only. For our full terms and conditions see the link below:
https://appealfinder.co.uk/legal.php - What is the per document download cost? Close
We do not charge on a per document basis. Once you subscribe you will have access to as many documents as you wish for no extra charge. - What's your "fair use" policy? Close
Our Ts&Cs mention a "fair use" policy. Essentially this restrict the number of searches per person per day. For all normal users this has been set generously and will in no way affect your searching and use of the data. The service has been designed for planning professionals to search the data and use the results to assist and advise clients, and to prepare for planning applications and appeals. It is not meant as a service to be used by data aggregators and big data statistics gatherers.
Currently we have this set at 50 searches and document downloads per day per person. If you feel you need a little more please contact us. - How do I cancel a subscription? Close
There is no minimum contract period so you are free to cancel at any time.
Under 'My Account', simply click the 'Cancel' button (located to the left of the 'Log Out' button). You then have the option of either (1.) cancelling the subscription as a 'pause' of the service, making it easy to log-in at a later date when you wish to resume the service, or (2.) deleting your account entirely.
If you want only 1 month's subscription that's fine with us; just cancel a week after setting up a monthly subscription and you will have a month of service with no further payments beyond that point. It's important to leave a few days before cancelling, to ensure that the payment goes through, otherwise you'll find yourself locked out due to a failed payment.
If you have any problems or concerns, just email us on info@appealfinder.co.uk and we will work together to sort them out. - My credit/ debit card has expired. How do I update the card details? Close
Appeal Finder has no access to your card details as these are only held by the banking-level security systems at GoCardless, Worldpay, Elavon or our bank depending on which method you used to make payment. If your card has expired you should receive a ‘card declined’ email from GoCardless, Worldpay or Elavon. Appeal Finder gives a few days’ grace before ceasing your subscription. The easiest way to avoid any interruption in your service is simply to re-subscribe to Appeal Finder, inputting your new card details.
2. Appeal Searching FAQs
- Why does a single appeal reference bring up multiple appeals? Close
The appeal may be cross-referenced in other Decisions, commonly as a footnote. These are recognisable as having a different description of development. A cross-referenced appeal is NOT proceeded by "App Ref:" but instead is usually proceeded by footnote number and is shown in bold text. - Duplicates of an appeal decision Close
Although the summaries may initially appear to be duplicates, they are usually different documents from the same appeal. The majority of 'duplicates' are (1) the Decision Notice; and (2) the Costs Decision.
If the Courts have referred an appeal for re-determination, there may be more than one Decision Notice. The final Decision is the one with the most recent date.
Secretary of State Decisions may appear multiple times as (1) the combined Decision Notice; (2) the cover letter; (3) the SoS decision; and (4) the original Inspector's Decision Notice. Each document is slightly different despite the common summary. Very occasionally PINS will publish documents after the original Decision Notice so always start with the most recent document.
- How to use the appeals map Close
Advice on using the appeals map can be found using the link below.
https://appealfinder.co.uk/newsitem.php?news=27 - Missing from the appeals map Close
Our mapping software displays all appeals that have a postcode. The majority of appeal addresses include a postcode, however the few that do not have a postcode entered by PINS, are not displayed on the map. - Why does PINS have a different number of appeals for a given day? Close
Rest assured we have the same documents. Like counting apples and pears, Appeal Finder counts documents whereas PINS counts cases. This means an appeal with two documents (eg. a Decision Notice and a Costs Decision), Appeal Finder counts as 2 while PINS counts as 1.
Similarly, linked appeals with one shared Decision Notice are counted as 1 document on Appeal Finder but usually as multiple appeal cases by PINS (although PINS administrators can be inconsistent in their treatment of linked appeals, adding to the complexity).
Both Appeal Finder and PINS have identical appeal reference numbers and the same data, so if PINS have it, we also will have it. It's only the counting of documents that is different. - Missing from the appeals list Close
The most common reason an appeal is missing is that PINS simply have not published the Decision Notice as a pdf. This is most likely a clerical error at PINS end, not a global conspiracy. First check their website using the link below. In these (fortunately rare) cases, the next best source is the Council's website.
Please note CIL appeals are not indexed on Appeal Finder. You can find them on the Valuation Office Agency website.
https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/CaseSearch.aspx - Multi Decision - what does this mean? Close
If you get the 'Multi Decision' message in your search then you need to check the dates to make sure you have the latest decision. Some clients may also find looking at the previous decision and considering the change in thinking as useful to their case.
Decisions may have been decided multiple times due to a ruling in a legal challenge, or because they have been 'called in' or 'recovered' by the Secretary of State.
Occasionally a decision is re-issued as there may be corrections requested by one or more of the parties involved.
In all cases the date is important to determining the latest, and hence correct, decision. - Appeal Planning Officer assisting an Inspector - how do I find such appeals? Close
Where a Decision is written by 2 individuals, namely an Appeal Planning Officer assisting a more senior Inspector, they are indexed under the Inspector as the formal decision maker. Searching using the dropdown 'Select Inspector' will only find the Inspector, so to find appeals by an Appeal Planning Officer, put their name into the Keyword search instead. - Linked appeals Close
Linked appeals, where more than one appeal is considered at the same time by the same Inspector, are written up on a single Decision Notice as Appeal A, Appeal B, Appeal C, etc. Linked Appeals have the description of the development comprising the lead appeal (appeal A) in the title shown on Appeal Finder.
Appeal Finder's search results show how many separate decisions are on the Decision Notice, but unfortunately due to the way PINS summarise linked appeals, only the outcome of the lead appeal is shown. For example, if the lead case (appeal A) was dismissed and linked appeals B & C were allowed, only 'dismissed' is displayed as the outcome. - Finding appeals from pre-Unitary LPAs Close
Appeals are categorised under the name of the LPA at the time of the original decision. For example, Dorset Unitary Council has existed since April 2019, so to find an appeal from 2018 you will need to input the name of the former LPA of the area you are interested in (for example, Purbeck District Council). - Welsh appeals Close
We have all Welsh appeals from 2010 until September 2021. In October 2021 the Welsh Planning Inspectorate split into a separate organisation, the Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW), with its own separate system. Planning is a devolved power in Wales and for some years the legislation, administration and Planning Policy for Wales has been quite different from England. Given the increasing separation of the Welsh and English planning systems, we made the decision to not follow the separate Welsh appeals casework site when it was set up in October 2021. From this date you can find Welsh planning appeals at https://gov.wales/appeal-or-search-planning-decision-or-notice. - Keyword searching advice Close
Please see the separate tab 'Search Tips' at the bottom of this page.
3. Website navigation FAQs
- Customer Privacy Notice as required by the GDPR
- Where do I find the latest on appeal timescales? Close
For the Planning Inspectorate's latest statistics on appeal timescales, use the link below:
https://appealfinder.co.uk/Planning-appeal-success-rates-and-timescales.n48.html - Where do I find the number of appeals by appeal type for each LPA? Close
The latest available data is available via the link below.
https://appealfinder.co.uk/Local-planning-authority-success-rates.p20.html - Where do I find appeal performance (% allowed) by LPA? Close
For LPA success rates for planning appeals for the last financial year, use the link below
https://appealfinder.co.uk/Local-planning-authority-success-rates.p19.html - Where do I find appeal success rates (% allowed) by Inspector? Close
For each Inspector, the number of appeals decided and % allowed in the last financial year can be found using the link below. BE CAREFUL using these statistics, bearing in mind the important points set out above and below the table of Inspectors.
https://appealfinder.co.uk/planning_inspectorate_appeals_search.p15.html - Where do I find News Blogs? Close
Occasional Blogs with advice, observations and links to useful information can be found via the link below.
https://appealfinder.co.uk/newslist.php - Where is your link to the Housing Delivery Test (HDT) results, housing delivery & the affordability index? Close
Use the link below, which in turn has links within it to all the relevant DLUHC and ONS statistics.
https://appealfinder.co.uk/Insiders_Guide_to_the_Housing_Delivery_Test.p28.html - Where are DLUHC's statistics on affordable housing waiting lists and AH delivery? Close
Our Blog 'Winning Appeals with good evidence on affordable housing' can be found using the link below:
https://appealfinder.co.uk/Winning-appeals-with-good-evidence-on-affordable-housing.n41.html - What types of appeals are included on the Appeal Finder database? Close
Please see the link below for the list.
https://appealfinder.co.uk/search_for_a_planning_appeal_decision.p17.html - Why use Appeal Finder? Close
Please use the link below for reasons why our service can help you.
https://appealfinder.co.uk/planning_inspectorate_appeals_search.p18.html
