About AppealBase™

AppealBase™ is a free, open-access web application for searching the full text of planning appeal decision notices issued by the Planning Inspectorate in England since 1 January 2020. With more than 90,000 decisions available, it helps architects, planning consultants, and other built environment professionals access real inspector reasoning to inform better planning applications and reduce the risk of refusal.

Who it's for

  • • Architects writing Design & Access Statements or pre-empting refusal risk
  • • Planning consultants researching precedent, appeal likelihood, or inspector logic
  • • Developers and planning-savvy clients reviewing similar decisions
  • • Anyone who wants to understand how inspectors think

Key features

Full-text search

Search the entire text of each decision notice. Results are ranked by relevance, so more meaningful decisions appear first.

Advanced filtering

Filter results by Local Planning Authority, decision, development type, appeal type, and decision date to find relevant cases.

Appeal references

Follow inline links to previous appeals cited within decisions, with direct access to summaries and the official Appeals Casework Portal.

Citation builder

Copy any text from a decision with a single click. The full appeal reference and decision date are automatically included.

Open access

No account required, no subscription or credit card. Unlimited use — built to become a daily tool, not a trial.

Clean interface

Modern, fast, and designed for professionals. Optimised for reading and discovery, with direct links to the official Appeals Casework Portal.

Data source

AppealBase™ searches through planning appeal decision notices issued by the Planning Inspectorate in England. Each decision contains the full reasoning, conditions, and conclusions from the inspector's determination. Data is updated daily and cross-checked quarterly with the PINS Casework Database to ensure accuracy.

Privacy & usage

AppealBase™ is committed to open access and privacy. No user accounts are required and no personal data is collected.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, with personal data redacted before republication.

Your use of AppealBase™ is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Statement.

Contact & questions

For any questions or feedback, please contact info@appealbase.com.