Planning Inspectorate: Standards

(asked on 30th April 2025) - View Source
Questioner
Amanda Hack Portrait
Amanda Hack
(Labour - North West Leicestershire)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the size of the backlog of cases in front of the Planning Inspectorate's Rights of Way and Common Land Decision Service in each month since 1 January 2020.

Answered by
Matthew Pennycook Portrait
Matthew Pennycook
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This question was answered on 12th May 2025

Based on the targets described below, the number of open cases over non-statutory targets each month is as follows:

Month (end of)

Number of open cases over non-statutory target

Rights of Way

Common Land

Jan-20

46

3

Feb-20

48

5

Mar-20

52

4

Apr-20

57

4

May-20

69

6

Jun-20

71

9

Jul-20

76

7

Aug-20

78

6

Sep-20

76

13

Oct-20

90

11

Nov-20

93

11

Dec-20

91

12

Jan-21

97

12

Feb-21

93

7

Mar-21

108

8

Apr-21

102

10

May-21

107

12

Jun-21

113

11

Jul-21

119

9

Aug-21

122

11

Sep-21

116

10

Oct-21

106

6

Nov-21

100

7

Dec-21

94

4

Jan-22

97

6

Feb-22

95

8

Mar-22

108

9

Apr-22

116

8

May-22

125

10

Jun-22

133

9

Jul-22

124

8

Aug-22

117

5

Sep-22

115

9

Oct-22

116

10

Nov-22

121

8

Dec-22

128

9

Jan-23

128

11

Feb-23

128

12

Mar-23

144

14

Apr-23

150

15

May-23

144

13

Jun-23

139

14

Jul-23

134

11

Aug-23

143

9

Sep-23

147

12

Oct-23

154

12

Nov-23

150

13

Dec-23

159

10

Jan-24

148

12

Feb-24

149

10

Mar-24

133

17

Apr-24

132

22

May-24

136

20

Jun-24

132

23

Jul-24

133

24

Aug-24

134

23

Sep-24

128

23

Oct-24

124

26

Nov-24

132

33

Dec-24

131

31

Jan-25

127

35

Feb-25

137

33

Mar-25

154

34

Apr-25

159

35

“Backlog” in this context is usually understood to refer to the number of cases which are over statutory deadlines. There are no statutory targets for Rights of Way and Common Land decisions.

However, non-statutory targets are as follows:

Non-statutory targets for Rights of Way decision

Procedure

Opposed orders

Schedule 14 appeals

Schedule 14 directions

Written representations

37 weeks

30 weeks

21 weeks

Hearings

39 weeks

39 weeks

N/A

Inquiries

45 weeks

45 weeks

N/A

Procedure

Non-statutory targets for Common Land decision

Written representations

In-house (no Inspector) no objections - 18 weeks In-house objections - 26 weeks Inspector cases - 40 weeks

Hearings

40 weeks

Inquiries

40 weeks

Due to limitations in the data storage, the inspector cases target (40 weeks) has been applied to all Common Land decisions by Written representation for the purposes of this answer.

Reticulating Splines