How to make a planning appeal

How do I make an appeal?

You must make your appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála in a written format and submit it:

Online
By post or
Deliver it to us in person by leaving the appeal or referral with an employee of the Commission at the offices of the Commission during office hours.

Submit Online: Use the Online Appeals Platform. Please note our online appeals platform is currently accepting appeals for the following:

1st party appeals (The Applicant appeals the decision or conditions attached to a decision that the planning authority has made. This can also include developments that have a commercial or retention element included in the application)
3rd party appeals (You made an observation or submission to the planning authority on an application, and you now want to appeal the decision of the planning authority.)
Granted Leave to Appeal (You submitted a leave to appeal request to An Coimisiún Pleanála. The Commission has granted your request. You now are submitting your appeal following this decision.)
Referrals deal with certain planning matters which can be referred to the Commission for formal adjudication usually following initial consideration of the matter by a planning authority. Further information on what can be referred to An Coimisiún Pleanála can be found here - Functions of the Commission: Referrals | An Coimisiún Pleanála
Large Scale Residential (LRD) A planning authority (local council) decides whether to grant or refuse permission for a development. This decision can be appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála. You can make:
- 1st party appeal on an LRD (The Applicant appeals the decision or conditions attached to a decision that the planning authority has made.
- 3rd party appeal on an LRD (You made an observation or submission to the planning authority on an application, and you now want to appeal the decision of the planning authority.)
Post or deliver it to us in person: Send your written appeal by post or deliver it in-person to An Coimisiún Pleanála by leaving the appeal or referral with an employee of the Commission at the offices of the Commission during office hours.

Important: We cannot accept appeals by email, letterbox, or via security staff. These methods will make your appeal invalid.

What do I include in my appeal?

You should carefully prepare your grounds of appeal (reasons and arguments) and any documents you wish to include.

To make a complete and valid appeal:

Your appeal must be in a written format.

You must clearly state your own name and address. If a planning agent is acting for you, the agent must clearly state their own name and address as well as your name and address.

Provide us enough details to allow us to easily identify the application you wish to appeal. Examples of the details we accept are:
• a copy of the planning authority decision, or
• name of the planning authority and the planning register reference number (for example: Ballytown City Council, 23719/18).

Provide us with:
• your planning grounds of appeal (reasons and arguments) for wanting the planning authority's decision changed, and
• any items you wish to support your grounds of appeal.

An Coimisiún Pleanála will receive a complete copy of documents, drawings and maps that were submitted to the local planning authority as part of the planning application stage and are displayed on the planning authority’s website. Therefore, we advise you to not to upload any of these documents as part of the supporting material with your appeal. When uploading supporting material, please only include new documents.(This does not apply to third party appeals where you must include a copy of the planning authority's acknowledgement letter)

You must make your appeal within 4 weeks from the date that the planning authority has made its decision.

You must pay the correct fee.

When you have made your appeal, you cannot make any further submissions unless we specifically ask you for them. Please note that An Coimisiún Pleanála cannot consider non-planning issues.

How much does an appeal cost?

There are many fee types. Please see our Fees and Charges Guide to find out the fee for your appeal, or contact us for help. You must make sure that the correct fee is included with the appeal.

How can I pay for my appeal?

There are many ways you can pay a fee to An Coimisiún Pleanála:

Payment Method	In Person	In the Post	Online
Cash	✔ Accepted	We do not advise sending cash in the post	✖ No
Debit and Credit Cards*	✔ Accepted	✖ No	✔ Only Option
Cheques / Drafts / Postal Orders	✔ Accepted	✔ Accepted	✖ No

*Please note we do not accept debit or credit card payments over the telephone.

Can I get a receipt if I deliver my appeal in person?

Yes, if you deliver your appeal in person to our office you can ask for a receipt which says that we have received your appeal. When your appeal is handed to a member of An Coimisiún Pleanála staff, we cannot return it nor can we make a photocopy of your documents with our date stamp.

Will I receive a receipt if I send my appeal by post?

Yes, we will send you a receipt in the post.

What is an oral hearing?

An oral hearing is sometimes held to help our inspector gather more information from participants. The Commission will generally only hold an oral hearing to help it understand a particularly complex case or if it involves significant national or local issues. The Commission has the power to hold an oral hearing with or without a request for one.

How do I ask for an oral hearing?

To ask for an oral hearing you need make an oral hearing request. To make an oral hearing request:

Tick the box that says "Yes, I want to request an oral hearing" on the Planning Appeal Form, or write to us and ask for one.
Please note you will have to pay an additional non-refundable fee of €50.

For information on how to make an oral hearing request, please click here or contact us.

Appeal Time Limits

Example: Decision made on Wednesday 2 March.

Your four-week deadline:
On or before 5.30pm on Tuesday 29 March.

Use our appeal calendar calculator to find your exact date.