Planning Court Adjournment Request UK: How It Works

Overview

A Request for an Adjournment is the formal way of asking the Planning Court to move a hearing to a later date. It is used when the parties involved, whether that is the claimant, defendant, or an interested party, are not in a position to proceed on the listed day.

The reasons can vary widely: a witness may be unavailable, key documents may still be outstanding, legal representatives may have a scheduling conflict, or the parties may be close to settling and need extra time to finalise terms. The form itself is short but important.

It captures who is asking for the delay, why they are asking, whether any previous adjournment has been requested, and what the other parties think about it. That last point matters a great deal. The party making the request is expected to canvass the other side and record their position on the form, not spring a surprise on the court.

A judge will look at the request, weigh the reasons, consider any objections, and then decide whether to grant it.

Key steps

1. Check the hearing date and work backwards. Requests should generally reach the court no later than two working days before the hearing. Leaving it later makes it harder for the court to act on the request in time, and a fee may become payable for late applications. Plan ahead rather than rushing at the last minute.
2. Complete the applicant section honestly. Fill in your full name, your role in the case (claimant, defendant, or interested party), and set out clearly why you are seeking the adjournment. Vague reasons rarely persuade a judge. Be specific about what has changed or what you still need to do.
3. Contact the other parties. Before you lodge the form, speak to every other party in the case and record their view. Do they agree to the adjournment, or do they object? If they object, they should give their reasons on the form. A request that ignores the other side tends to be looked at unfavourably.
4. Fill in the case details and signatures. Add the case title, case reference number, and the date of the listed hearing. Each party named on the form should sign it to confirm their position. Missing signatures or incomplete details can delay how quickly the court processes the request.
5. Lodge the form with the correct Planning Court. Send the completed form to the court handling your matter, whether that is Birmingham, Cardiff, or another venue. Keep a copy for your own records and check whether a fee applies based on how close you are to the hearing date. Fee remission may be available if this applies.

Common questions