Status of planning decisions, including call in requests, called in applications and recovered appeals

Sometimes Welsh Ministers will take a planning decision rather than a LPA. When they take responsibility for a decision on a planning application away from a LPA this is known as "call-in".

When do applications get called in?

They can consider whether to call in an application when:

1. a request is submitted by any person or organisation; or
2. a LPA refers an application where they are minded to grant permission for certain types of development outlined in the Notification Direction 2012 (Welsh Government Circular No: 07/12). These are known as ‘notification development’.

The Welsh Ministers powers to call in an application are discretionary and are used exceptionally. Requests are considered on a case by case basis. A call-in will usually only be considered where an application raises planning issues of more than local importance. The Welsh Ministers cannot take into account the merits of the planning application at this stage.

The criteria used to evaluate call in requests and applications for notification development are set out in explanatory guides which are available below.

Recovered appeals

The Welsh Ministers can also decide on planning appeals that would normally be dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate (our executive agency). These appeals are known as "recovered appeals".