Skip to content
PlanIndex Get alerts
Menu

Region hub · England

South West planning applications

161,797 applications. 92% approved. 54 days at the median council.

As of September 2026, PlanIndex holds 161,797 planning applications from 29 of the 29 local planning authorities in South West. 65,248 were decided in the trailing 12 months, with 92% of clear-cut outcomes approved.

29
Planning authorities 29 with data indexed
76,507
New applications 12 months to September 2026
65,248
Decided 12 months to September 2026
54 days
Median decision national median 56 days

Every council in South West

Applications on record, with each council's own approval rate and decision speed

Planning application volumes, approval rates and median decision times for the local planning authorities in South West. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.
Council On record Last 12 months Approved Median days Decision times
Bath and North East Somerset 7,730 3,715 96% 52 How long decisions take
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 5,448 4,996 89% 60 How long decisions take
Bristol, City of 5,342 2,220 92% 55 How long decisions take
Cheltenham 7,713 1,747 97% 46 How long decisions take
Cornwall 15,940 8,908 94% 49 How long decisions take
Cotswold 10,503 3,020 94% 52 How long decisions take
Dartmoor National Park 912 421 Not yet measured
Dorset 8,550 6,102 91% 39 How long decisions take
East Devon 2,895 2,346 91% 42 How long decisions take
Exeter 3,020 1,360 87% 51 How long decisions take
Exmoor National Park 16,806 6,086 92% 44 How long decisions take
Forest of Dean 2,184 948 94% 57 How long decisions take
Gloucester 2,838 734 82% 57 How long decisions take
Isles of Scilly 187 96 99% 56 How long decisions take
Mid Devon 2,134 1,181 93% 55 How long decisions take
North Devon 2,185 1,237 96% 55 How long decisions take
North Somerset 4,928 2,263 92% 56 How long decisions take
Plymouth 6,492 1,543 92% 56 How long decisions take
Somerset 9,091 5,424 92% 44 How long decisions take
South Gloucestershire 6,302 2,709 88% 55 How long decisions take
South Hams 5,270 2,606 89% 53 How long decisions take
Stroud 3,510 1,915 78% 56 How long decisions take
Swindon 3,385 1,503 93% 49 How long decisions take
Teignbridge 1,929 1,456 83% 52 How long decisions take
Tewkesbury 2,591 1,188 87% 66 How long decisions take
Torbay 2,266 908 80% 62 How long decisions take
Torridge 4,117 1,011 93% 57 How long decisions take
West Devon 5,044 2,612 90% 53 How long decisions take
Wiltshire 12,485 6,765 95% 50 How long decisions take

Approval rates and median days come from the PlanIndex decision-times study; a dash means the council has too few timed decisions to measure fairly. Councils without a count are not yet ingested.

Latest applications in South West

Data to September 2026

  • 26/02710/TCONR Awaiting decision

    Mickleton House High Street Mickleton Chipping Campden Gloucestershire GL55 6RX

    t1. reduce hazel back to boundary t2. reduce hazel back to boundary t.3 reduce yew back to boundary t.4 coppice hazel

    Submitted 8 Sep 2026
  • 26/00821/FUL Awaiting decision

    15 The Tulworths Gloucester GL2 9RS

    Remove conservatory & new rear extension

    Submitted 8 Sep 2026 Full applications
  • 26/02703/TCONR Awaiting decision

    Newbold Barn Duntisbourne Abbots Gloucestershire GL7 7JN

    T1 - Silver Birch Removal A bat hotel is to be constructed on site, as a condition of Newbold barn renovation this tree is obstructing the bat hotel construction

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026
  • 26/02708/TCONR Awaiting decision

    Hill Cottage The Quarry Brockhampton Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL54 5XL

    To fell to ground level and remove Apple Tree in garden to make space for new summer house installation

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026
  • 1/0683/2026/TCA Awaiting decision

    2 South Green Buckland Brewer Bideford Devon EX39 5LX

    Works to trees within a Conservation Area - crown reduction of 1.5m to 1no. copper beech tree.

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026 Trees
  • 1/0682/2026/TRE5 Awaiting decision

    20 York Rise Bideford Devon EX39 3TN

    Felling of 1no. Beech tree covered by TPO/0005/1971

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026 Trees
  • 26/01433/FUL Awaiting decision

    4 Copt Elm Road Charlton Kings Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 8AB

    Proposed two storey and single storey side/rear extension to include removal of existing conservatory/detached garage.

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026 Full applications
  • 26/01241/TPO Awaiting decision

    Land To The Rear Of 28 Whitby Road Plymouth PL6 5LE

    T1 Sycamore -repollard

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026 Trees
  • 26/02690/TCONR Awaiting decision

    Westonbirt School Westonbirt Tetbury Gloucestershire GL8 8QG

    T1 - Yew tree to be crown raised by approximately 3 metres above roof of electric station building T2 and T3 - Holly trees to be felled Reason for works is to keep trees clear from electric building for health and safety

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026
  • 26/02691/TCONR Awaiting decision

    Pimlico Cottage Broadwell Moreton-In-Marsh Gloucestershire GL56 0TX

    tg1 marked blue 5 ash trees growing in drainage ditch to remove t2 marked red 1 ash tree to remove large fungal bracket and signs of rot in trunk

    Submitted 7 Sep 2026

Common questions

How many local planning authorities are there in South West?

South West has 29 local planning authorities listed on PlanIndex, 29 of which have applications indexed here. Each has its own hub with volumes, approval rates and the latest submissions.

How many planning applications does South West decide?

In the 12 months to September 2026, councils in South West decided 65,248 planning applications. 92% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals.

Which council in South West decides planning applications fastest?

Of the 28 South West councils ranked in the PlanIndex decision-times study, Dorset had the fastest median in the year to September 2026 at 39 days from application to decision. The slowest was Tewkesbury at 66 days.

How long does a planning decision take in South West?

Taking the median council in South West, a planning decision takes 54 days from application to decision, measured across 63,082 decisions from 28 ranked councils. The figure is the median of each council's own median, so one large authority cannot move it on its own.

Which is the busiest council in South West for planning applications?

Cornwall recorded 8,908 applications in the 12 months to September 2026, the most of any council in South West over that period.