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Planning application timescales: how long to expect
Psycologists say we are most impatient at the end of the expected waiting time, so getting your expectations in the right ballpark can help enormously in handling the frustration of a long wait for a decision by a local planning authority. These figures exclude extensions of time so you can see what proportion of planning applications are genuinely decided within the statutory timescales of 8 or 13 weeks.
It's good to see some improvement since last year, when the English average for non-major planning applications decided within 8 weeks was 37% (now 40%) and householder development was 56% (now 63%). No change for major development though, which remains on a mere 19% decided within the statutory period excluding extensions of time. Let's hope timescales continue to improve. The table below shows the current snapshot - to check out your LPA's direction of travel see our tortoise-verses-hare table of change over time.
Percentage of planning applications decided within statutory timescales,
EXCLUDING extensions of time, for the year ending December 2024
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| England average | 86% | 19% | 40% | 63% |
| Adur | 92% | 17% | 42% | 70% |
| Amber Valley | 94% | 7% | 37% | 68% |
| Arun | 87% | 39% | 77% | 98% |
| Ashfield | 77% | 17% | 43% | 81% |
| Ashford | 83% | 39% | 46% | 82% |
| Babergh | 86% | 35% | 51% | 83% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 71% | 33% | 66% | 86% |
| Barnet | 79% | 12% | 50% | 70% |
| Barnsley | 93% | 0% | 26% | 52% |
| Basildon | 75% | 11% | 29% | 65% |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 91% | 7% | 23% | 63% |
| Bassetlaw | 84% | 25% | 47% | 62% |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 94% | 23% | 29% | 53% |
| Bedford | 77% | 18% | 29% | 61% |
| Bexley | 86% | 0% | 50% | 78% |
| Birmingham | 81% | 15% | 31% | 38% |
| Blaby | 93% | 25% | 38% | 57% |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 93% | 15% | 52% | 76% |
| Blackpool | 80% | 6% | 34% | 75% |
| Bolsover | 92% | 10% | 52% | 87% |
| Bolton | 85% | 12% | 34% | 54% |
| Boston | 94% | 31% | 43% | 68% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 82% | 10% | 27% | 43% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Bracknell Forest | 93% | 10% | 15% | 49% |
| Bradford | 83% | 25% | 61% | 76% |
| Braintree | 80% | 16% | 42% | 71% |
| Breckland | 88% | 40% | 48% | 84% |
| Brent | 73% | 4% | 55% | 65% |
| Brentwood | 84% | 10% | 19% | 46% |
| Brighton and Hove | 89% | 6% | 51% | 60% |
| Bristol, City of | 82% | 9% | 17% | 33% |
| Broadland | 94% | 20% | 24% | 70% |
| Bromley | 77% | 0% | 43% | 71% |
| Bromsgrove | 89% | 21% | 43% | 60% |
| Broxbourne | 85% | 0% | 32% | 47% |
| Broxtowe | 91% | 42% | 47% | 74% |
| Buckinghamshire | 84% | 20% | 36% | 56% |
| Burnley | 80% | 7% | 52% | 81% |
| Bury | 89% | 27% | 58% | 73% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Calderdale | 77% | 18% | 37% | 61% |
| Cambridge | 92% | 9% | 47% | 83% |
| Camden | 90% | 0% | 20% | 21% |
| Cannock Chase | 87% | 17% | 46% | 89% |
| Canterbury | 93% | 12% | 18% | 30% |
| Castle Point | 77% | 25% | 69% | 90% |
| Central Bedfordshire | 83% | 21% | 41% | 83% |
| Charnwood | 84% | 9% | 47% | 74% |
| Chelmsford | 82% | 32% | 61% | 89% |
| Cheltenham | 93% | 43% | 49% | 80% |
| Cherwell | 88% | 13% | 37% | 53% |
| Cheshire East | 82% | 4% | 20% | 46% |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 89% | 8% | 6% | 32% |
| Chesterfield | 93% | 25% | 25% | 47% |
| Chichester | 89% | 25% | 31% | 63% |
| Chorley | 95% | 6% | 48% | 74% |
| City of London | 97% | 6% | 18% | 25% |
| Colchester | 80% | 24% | 50% | 67% |
| Cornwall | 91% | 14% | 42% | 71% |
| Cotswold | 91% | 26% | 41% | 47% |
| County Durham | 93% | 15% | 30% | 50% |
| Coventry | 84% | 30% | 74% | 89% |
| Crawley | 82% | 0% | 23% | 30% |
| Croydon | 69% | 17% | 41% | 60% |
| Cumberland | 96% | 25% | 44% | 74% |
| Dacorum | 82% | 21% | 30% | 70% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Darlington | 96% | 32% | 33% | 65% |
| Dartford | 76% | 36% | 31% | 58% |
| Dartmoor National Park | 86% | 40% | 44% | 69% |
| Derby | 90% | 14% | 32% | 57% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 83% | 8% | 43% | 75% |
| Doncaster | 89% | 13% | 46% | 77% |
| Dorset | 90% | 30% | 45% | 75% |
| Dover | 91% | 9% | 28% | 56% |
| Dudley | 82% | 26% | 52% | 70% |
| Ealing | 84% | 10% | 49% | 64% |
| East Cambridgeshire | 86% | 13% | 32% | 65% |
| East Devon | 88% | 6% | 34% | 61% |
| East Hampshire | 86% | 13% | 22% | 43% |
| East Hertfordshire | 80% | 5% | 36% | 74% |
| East Lindsey | 94% | 24% | 45% | 67% |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 86% | 35% | 52% | 79% |
| East Staffordshire | 86% | 38% | 33% | 56% |
| East Suffolk | 92% | 21% | 26% | 48% |
| Eastbourne | 93% | 11% | 38% | 66% |
| Eastleigh | 86% | 18% | 57% | 67% |
| Ebbsfleet Development Corporation | 90% | 9% | 17% | 79% |
| Elmbridge | 79% | 26% | 34% | 59% |
| Enfield | 71% | 29% | 75% | 92% |
| Epping Forest | 69% | 4% | 37% | 70% |
| Epsom and Ewell | 81% | 12% | 57% | 84% |
| Erewash | 94% | 23% | 51% | 81% |
| Exeter | 87% | 9% | 36% | 61% |
| Exmoor National Park | 87% | - | 24% | 47% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Fareham | 98% | 22% | 55% | 91% |
| Fenland | 89% | 12% | 23% | 60% |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 80% | 14% | 68% | 91% |
| Forest of Dean | 87% | 33% | 32% | 58% |
| Fylde | 93% | 14% | 37% | 65% |
| Gateshead | 91% | 13% | 29% | 35% |
| Gedling | 91% | 10% | 32% | 62% |
| Gloucester | 81% | 42% | 35% | 63% |
| Gosport | 98% | 29% | 37% | 74% |
| Gravesham | 72% | 38% | 53% | 83% |
| Great Yarmouth | 87% | 0% | 21% | 20% |
| Greenwich | 71% | 0% | 61% | 78% |
| Guildford | 84% | 10% | 22% | 49% |
| Hackney | 78% | 13% | 37% | 52% |
| Halton | 95% | 8% | 15% | 78% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 92% | 0% | 36% | 37% |
| Harborough | 88% | 41% | 40% | 65% |
| Haringey | 87% | 0% | 42% | 49% |
| Harlow | 85% | 24% | 46% | 75% |
| Harrow | 72% | 14% | 44% | 63% |
| Hart | 83% | 27% | 41% | 69% |
| Hartlepool | 89% | 21% | 36% | 51% |
| Hartlepool Development Corporation | 100% | 33% | 32% | - |
| Hastings | 86% | 43% | 50% | 77% |
| Havant | 93% | 7% | 15% | 38% |
| Havering | 73% | 16% | 42% | 65% |
| Herefordshire, County of | 91% | 14% | 10% | 30% |
| Hertsmere | 88% | 10% | 30% | 51% |
| High Peak | 86% | 9% | 18% | 42% |
| Hillingdon | 79% | 0% | 34% | 61% |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 90% | 21% | 41% | 74% |
| Horsham | 86% | 17% | 27% | 68% |
| Hounslow | 67% | 18% | 45% | 52% |
| Huntingdonshire | 88% | 4% | 17% | 43% |
| Hyndburn | 86% | 33% | 39% | 75% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Ipswich | 91% | 13% | 48% | 81% |
| Isle of Wight | 86% | 20% | 61% | 90% |
| Isles of Scilly | 97% | 50% | 40% | 63% |
| Islington | 90% | 0% | 39% | 36% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 90% | 8% | 56% | 58% |
| King’s Lynn and West Norfolk | 86% | 26% | 35% | 73% |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | 94% | 17% | 33% | 54% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 72% | 23% | 52% | 76% |
| Kirklees | 86% | 7% | 24% | 52% |
| Knowsley | 95% | 31% | 34% | 45% |
| Lake District National Park | 89% | 31% | 49% | 67% |
| Lambeth | 77% | 18% | 44% | 55% |
| Lancaster | 85% | 33% | 46% | 72% |
| Leeds | 82% | 19% | 44% | 73% |
| Leicester | 80% | 12% | 26% | 29% |
| Lewes | 90% | 8% | 35% | 54% |
| Lewisham | 86% | 13% | 54% | 69% |
| Lichfield | 84% | 5% | 31% | 60% |
| Lincoln | 93% | 46% | 62% | 80% |
| Liverpool | 83% | 11% | 43% | 56% |
| London Legacy Development Corporation | 91% | 4% | 20% | 25% |
| Luton | 75% | 13% | 56% | 58% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Maidstone | 77% | 49% | 65% | 86% |
| Maldon | 79% | 35% | 48% | 85% |
| Malvern Hills | 81% | 27% | 36% | 48% |
| Manchester | 86% | 33% | 70% | 88% |
| Mansfield | 96% | 24% | 36% | 52% |
| Medway | 90% | 35% | 65% | 91% |
| Melton | 95% | 4% | 7% | 16% |
| Merton | 84% | 19% | 42% | 60% |
| Mid Devon | 94% | 23% | 49% | 72% |
| Mid Suffolk | 88% | 24% | 45% | 75% |
| Mid Sussex | 93% | 29% | 47% | 75% |
| Middlesbrough | 75% | 15% | 39% | 50% |
| Middlesbrough Development Corporation | 94% | 50% | 48% | - |
| Milton Keynes | 86% | 28% | 64% | 83% |
| Mole Valley | 74% | 35% | 50% | 83% |
| New Forest | 92% | 5% | 42% | 84% |
| New Forest National Park | 96% | 23% | 42% | 55% |
| Newark and Sherwood | 83% | 29% | 45% | 67% |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 94% | 20% | 57% | 69% |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 93% | 12% | 39% | 51% |
| Newham | 76% | 15% | 34% | 64% |
| North Devon | 96% | 7% | 36% | 56% |
| North East Derbyshire | 87% | 43% | 37% | 62% |
| North East Lincolnshire | 94% | 19% | 32% | 62% |
| North Hertfordshire | 89% | 14% | 43% | 71% |
| North Kesteven | 95% | 15% | 28% | 68% |
| North Lincolnshire | 87% | 27% | 29% | 53% |
| North Norfolk | 93% | 16% | 45% | 68% |
| North Northamptonshire | 82% | 12% | 34% | 57% |
| North Somerset | 85% | 18% | 37% | 56% |
| North Tyneside | 95% | 30% | 57% | 85% |
| North Warwickshire | 95% | 14% | 41% | 68% |
| North West Leicestershire | 95% | 27% | 32% | 60% |
| North York Moors National Park | 93% | 67% | 59% | 65% |
| North Yorkshire | 91% | 18% | 35% | 62% |
| Northumberland | 86% | 20% | 29% | 57% |
| Northumberland National Park | 95% | 100% | 67% | 88% |
| Norwich | 92% | 20% | 55% | 80% |
| Nottingham | 92% | 6% | 42% | 53% |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 92% | 0% | 24% | 64% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Oadby and Wigston | 78% | 0% | 48% | 62% |
| Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation | 94% | 0% | 94% | 100% |
| Oldham | 86% | 33% | 30% | 61% |
| Oxford | 85% | 15% | 48% | 62% |
| Peak District National Park | 80% | 36% | 48% | 63% |
| Pendle | 83% | 41% | 61% | 82% |
| Peterborough | 86% | 21% | 39% | 58% |
| Plymouth | 94% | 39% | 58% | 70% |
| Portsmouth | 87% | 10% | 33% | 50% |
| Preston | 96% | 27% | 38% | 60% |
| Reading | 85% | 24% | 28% | 47% |
| Redbridge | 78% | 27% | 56% | 77% |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 97% | 27% | 57% | 70% |
| Redditch | 92% | 9% | 40% | 81% |
| Reigate and Banstead | 86% | 8% | 46% | 75% |
| Ribble Valley | 78% | 59% | 39% | 58% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 83% | 9% | 58% | 66% |
| Rochdale | 84% | 31% | 20% | 57% |
| Rochford | 78% | 7% | 22% | 62% |
| Rossendale | 80% | 0% | 39% | 69% |
| Rother | 87% | 18% | 38% | 58% |
| Rotherham | 88% | 29% | 50% | 66% |
| Rugby | 91% | 15% | 29% | 49% |
| Runnymede | 83% | 3% | 26% | 48% |
| Rushcliffe | 90% | 14% | 43% | 66% |
| Rushmoor | 97% | 29% | 50% | 79% |
| Rutland | 85% | 28% | 56% | 81% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Salford | 88% | 7% | 35% | 54% |
| Sandwell | 87% | 27% | 60% | 71% |
| Sefton | 91% | 23% | 45% | 73% |
| Sevenoaks | 85% | 38% | 51% | 75% |
| Sheffield | 88% | 25% | 44% | 65% |
| Shropshire | 86% | 30% | 63% | 86% |
| Slough | 82% | 0% | 25% | 34% |
| Solihull | 90% | 12% | 33% | 55% |
| Somerset | 91% | 13% | 33% | 69% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 92% | 22% | 37% | 80% |
| South Derbyshire | 93% | 17% | 50% | 79% |
| South Downs National Park | 88% | 19% | 32% | 47% |
| South Gloucestershire | 82% | 18% | 32% | 60% |
| South Hams | 91% | 19% | 52% | 69% |
| South Holland | 87% | 18% | 51% | 73% |
| South Kesteven | 92% | 10% | 25% | 33% |
| South Norfolk | 94% | 10% | 19% | 64% |
| South Oxfordshire | 94% | 33% | 44% | 73% |
| South Ribble | 95% | 44% | 60% | 80% |
| South Staffordshire | 84% | 27% | 43% | 56% |
| South Tyneside | 96% | 8% | 35% | 58% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Southampton | 91% | 0% | 48% | 63% |
| Southend-on-Sea | 82% | 14% | 40% | 64% |
| Southwark | 90% | 8% | 60% | 79% |
| Spelthorne | 84% | 42% | 63% | 80% |
| St Albans | 83% | 11% | 18% | 32% |
| St. Helens | 92% | 9% | 35% | 82% |
| Stafford | 84% | 13% | 17% | 66% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 80% | 0% | 28% | 45% |
| Stevenage | 93% | 28% | 61% | 87% |
| Stockport | 94% | 6% | 38% | 77% |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 94% | 28% | 49% | 72% |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 79% | 17% | 39% | 63% |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 86% | 13% | 24% | 63% |
| Stroud | 82% | 9% | 43% | 67% |
| Sunderland | 92% | 36% | 49% | 81% |
| Surrey Heath | 86% | 4% | 44% | 80% |
| Sutton | 81% | 25% | 68% | 92% |
| Swale | 87% | 14% | 24% | 60% |
| Swindon | 88% | 10% | 38% | 81% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Tameside | 90% | 10% | 43% | 64% |
| Tamworth | 95% | 30% | 36% | 58% |
| Tandridge | 82% | 23% | 39% | 57% |
| Teignbridge | 83% | 21% | 37% | 58% |
| Telford and Wrekin | 89% | 60% | 68% | 90% |
| Tendring | 84% | 37% | 55% | 84% |
| Test Valley | 91% | 42% | 50% | 84% |
| Tewkesbury | 89% | 18% | 21% | 48% |
| Thanet | 87% | 11% | 37% | 52% |
| The Broads Authority | 93% | 78% | 53% | 65% |
| Three Rivers | 88% | 44% | 50% | 88% |
| Thurrock | 82% | 10% | 34% | 78% |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 87% | 14% | 26% | 39% |
| Torbay | 76% | 19% | 43% | 38% |
| Torridge | 90% | 23% | 56% | 81% |
| Tower Hamlets | 82% | 0% | 53% | 66% |
| Trafford | 80% | 10% | 43% | 69% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 94% | 52% | 61% | 83% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Uttlesford | 80% | 16% | 28% | 64% |
| Vale of White Horse | 94% | 20% | 49% | 64% |
| Wakefield | 87% | 11% | 17% | 50% |
| Walsall | 85% | 9% | 25% | 48% |
| Waltham Forest | 71% | 27% | 57% | 75% |
| Wandsworth | 89% | 8% | 53% | 58% |
| Warrington | 78% | 21% | 31% | 70% |
| Warwick | 88% | 25% | 32% | 43% |
| Watford | 78% | 50% | 69% | 84% |
| Waverley | 86% | 12% | 34% | 61% |
| Wealden | 85% | 13% | 37% | 61% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 77% | 17% | 32% | 60% |
| West Berkshire | 89% | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| West Devon | 81% | 30% | 42% | 55% |
| West Lancashire | 84% | 38% | 27% | 41% |
| West Lindsey | 92% | 32% | 37% | 68% |
| West Northamptonshire | 89% | 5% | 16% | 27% |
| West Oxfordshire | 92% | 22% | 42% | 79% |
| West Suffolk | 92% | 10% | 18% | 55% |
| Local Planning Authority performance year ending Dec 2024 | % decisions granted planning consent | Major development decided within 13wks | Non-major development (excl househr) decided in 8 wks | Householder development decided in 8 wks |
| Westminster | 89% | 11% | 46% | 39% |
| Westmorland and Furness | 92% | 19% | 32% | 55% |
| Wigan | 84% | 14% | 20% | 39% |
| Wiltshire | 92% | 14% | 33% | 58% |
| Winchester | 94% | 14% | 29% | 56% |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 72% | 9% | 31% | 56% |
| Wirral | 85% | 4% | 23% | 33% |
| Woking | 79% | 17% | 34% | 34% |
| Wokingham | 91% | 20% | 48% | 81% |
| Wolverhampton | 89% | 49% | 62% | 76% |
| Worcester | 87% | 13% | 43% | 64% |
| Worthing | 90% | 13% | 51% | 55% |
| Wychavon | 86% | 16% | 31% | 60% |
| Wyre | 85% | 11% | 18% | 44% |
| Wyre Forest | 86% | 25% | 35% | 57% |
| York | 87% | 14% | 26% | 57% |
| Yorkshire Dales National Park | 93% | 14% | 32% | 71% |
Source: The Planning Performance Dashboard District Matters Summary table on the .GOV website
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