Overview of the Act Agreements relating to period before which an appeal may be made Section 31:  Agreements relating to period before which an appeal may be made
168.Section 31 amends section 47 of the 1997 Act (right to appeal against planning decisions and failure to take such decisions). This currently provides that an applicant may appeal if an application has not been determined within a period prescribed in regulations, or an extended period agreed between the applicant and the planning authority. The amendments alter this to provide that an appeal may be brought if notice of the decision has not been given with “the relevant period”, which may be as prescribed or such other period as may be agreed in writing either before or after the application is made. This allows, in particular, for a shorter period than the prescribed period to be agreed before the application is made, thus enabling a “fast track” service attracting a higher fee.