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PlanIndex study · Year to December 2026

How long planning decisions take, by council

Across the 45 UK local planning authorities with records deep enough to measure, the median planning application decided in the year to December 2026 took 57 days from submission to decision — 1 day beyond the eight week target. That is 50,062 decisions, counted from the dates each council published itself.

57days to decide

57 daysNational median1 day beyond the eight week target
49%Within eight weeks76% within thirteen
154 daysNine in ten decided byThe wait to budget for
50,062Decisions measured45 councils ranked

The target and the reality

Year to December 2026 · 50,062 decisions

Most planning applications carry a statutory determination period of eight weeks — 56 days — with thirteen weeks for major development. Measured across every council in this study, the median application was decided in 57 days, 1 day beyond the eight week target.

The median is the honest middle: half of all applications were faster, half slower. The average sits at 85 days, further out, because a small number of applications take very much longer and drag it upwards. If you need one number to plan around, 154 days is the figure — nine applications in ten were decided inside it.

  1. Within eight weeks the statutory target for most applications 24,759 49%
  2. Eight to thirteen weeks the target band for major development 13,517 27%
  3. Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension of time 11,786 24%
Fig. 1 — The national median against the statutory target
57 days 1 day beyond the eight week target
FastEight weeksSlow

A decision past eight weeks is not automatically a missed deadline: a council and an applicant can agree an extension of time in writing.

Fastest and slowest

Median days to a decision, year to December 2026

The gap between the fastest and slowest council in this study is 66 days — longer than the statutory target itself. Where an application is made changes the wait more than almost anything else about it.

Ten fastest councils

  1. 1. Rushmoor 45 days
  2. 2. Runnymede 48 days
  3. 3. Cheltenham 49 days
  4. 4. Stevenage 51 days
  5. 5. Leeds 52 days
  6. 6. Mid Sussex 55 days
  7. 7. Medway 55 days
  8. 8. Surrey Heath 55 days
  9. 9. Torfaen 55 days
  10. 10. Shetland Islands 55 days

Ten slowest councils

  1. 45. Orkney Islands 111 days
  2. 44. Mid Ulster 108 days
  3. 43. City of London 83 days
  4. 42. Great Yarmouth 81 days
  5. 41. Wigan 77 days
  6. 40. Wakefield 77 days
  7. 39. Maldon 74 days
  8. 38. South Lanarkshire 72 days
  9. 37. Angus 70 days
  10. 36. Mansfield 69 days

Who moved

Places gained and lost against the same twelve months a year earlier

Movement compares each council with its own position in the window ending twelve months before this one, so the seasons are held constant. Only councils measurable in both windows appear.

Biggest improvements

  • Leeds 2 down 2 places since the same window a year earlier 49 → 52 days
  • North Norfolk 2 down 2 places since the same window a year earlier 129 → 57 days
  • Gravesham 7 down 7 places since the same window a year earlier 57 → 56 days
  • Solihull 12 down 12 places since the same window a year earlier 153 → 68 days
  • Brentwood 13 down 13 places since the same window a year earlier 114 → 66 days
  • Maldon 17 down 17 places since the same window a year earlier 140 → 74 days
  • Monmouthshire 18 down 18 places since the same window a year earlier 39 → 56 days
  • Havering 18 down 18 places since the same window a year earlier 64 → 64 days

Biggest falls

  • City of London 24 down 24 places since the same window a year earlier 84 → 83 days
  • Angus 20 down 20 places since the same window a year earlier 77 → 70 days
  • Adur 20 down 20 places since the same window a year earlier 56 → 60 days
  • Great Yarmouth 18 down 18 places since the same window a year earlier 212 → 81 days
  • Havering 18 down 18 places since the same window a year earlier 64 → 64 days
  • Monmouthshire 18 down 18 places since the same window a year earlier 39 → 56 days
  • Maldon 17 down 17 places since the same window a year earlier 140 → 74 days
  • Brentwood 13 down 13 places since the same window a year earlier 114 → 66 days

Every council ranked

45 councils ranked by median days to a decision, fastest first · Year to December 2026

Median time from planning application to decision by UK local planning authority, year to December 2026. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.
# Council Median days Within 8w 9 in 10 by Approved Sample Trend Move
1 Rushmoor 45 67% 105 95% 405 —
2 Runnymede 48 68% 127 82% 654 —
3 Cheltenham 49 60% 117 97% 1,247 —
4 Stevenage 51 74% 89 62% 397 —
5 Leeds 52 76% 90 83% 5,480 2 down 2 places since the same window a year earlier
6 Mid Sussex 55 56% 132 94% 1,692 —
7 Medway 55 62% 103 46% 1,400 —
8 Surrey Heath 55 64% 123 90% 1,085 —
9 Torfaen 55 55% 253 95% 339 —
10 Shetland Islands 55 51% 132 99% 287 —
11 Ealing 56 56% 126 86% 3,282 —
12 North Somerset 56 52% 126 95% 1,755 —
13 Plymouth 56 52% 123 92% 1,204 —
14 Woking 56 53% 111 87% 1,053 —
15 Arun 56 53% 100 84% 993 —
16 Gravesham 56 54% 128 82% 925 7 down 7 places since the same window a year earlier
17 Spelthorne 56 53% 120 88% 824 —
18 Aberdeen City 56 51% 164 93% 812 —
19 Monmouthshire 56 51% 185 96% 771 18 down 18 places since the same window a year earlier
20 Forest of Dean 56 51% 132 95% 668 —
21 Renfrewshire 56 50% 170 96% 585 —
22 South Holland 56 52% 141 81% 523 —
23 North Norfolk 57 48% 203 97% 1,227 2 down 2 places since the same window a year earlier
24 County Durham 58 45% 228 93% 2,399 —
25 Hillingdon 58 46% 115 87% 2,165 —
26 Neath Port Talbot 58 48% 159 97% 503 —
27 Worthing 60 45% 137 76% 1,101 —
28 Adur 60 45% 139 77% 1,099 20 down 20 places since the same window a year earlier
29 Huntingdonshire 63 40% 161 90% 1,607 —
30 Hastings 63 45% 142 84% 474 —
31 Havering 64 34% 139 99% 2,155 18 down 18 places since the same window a year earlier
32 Guildford 66 40% 162 90% 1,945 —
33 Brentwood 66 38% 153 88% 553 13 down 13 places since the same window a year earlier
34 East Dunbartonshire 66 21% 140 96% 450 —
35 Solihull 68 41% 225 88% 1,105 12 down 12 places since the same window a year earlier
36 Mansfield 69 37% 355 94% 306 —
37 Angus 70 28% 223 96% 469 20 down 20 places since the same window a year earlier
38 South Lanarkshire 72 33% 158 94% 945 —
39 Maldon 74 17% 279 82% 549 17 down 17 places since the same window a year earlier
40 Wakefield 77 34% 231 90% 919 —
41 Wigan 77 28% 220 89% 653 —
42 Great Yarmouth 81 24% 284 88% 619 18 down 18 places since the same window a year earlier
43 City of London 83 31% 248 100% 1,389 24 down 24 places since the same window a year earlier
44 Mid Ulster 108 19% 338 98% 805 —
45 Orkney Islands 111 16% 220 96% 244 —
— Eastbourne Dates unreliable 5 100% 7 100% 416 —
— Fareham Coverage building 31 82% 83 — 807 —
— Dorset Coverage building 41 78% 89 92% 4,601 —
— Redbridge Coverage building 41 70% 98 81% 2,548 —
— Shropshire Coverage building 41 87% 59 90% 214 —
— Wolverhampton Coverage building 42 71% 112 90% 456 —
— East Devon Coverage building 43 76% 90 91% 1,131 —
— Northumberland National Park Coverage building 45 78% 70 89% 1,109 —
— Fife Coverage building 46 61% 112 96% 2,306 —
— Oxford Coverage building 46 68% 86 92% 1,081 —
— Camden Coverage building 47 64% 137 94% 3,229 —
— City of Edinburgh Coverage building 48 60% 112 88% 1,559 —
— Dumfries and Galloway Coverage building 48 61% 111 95% 1,243 —
— North Ayrshire Coverage building 48 62% 91 96% 378 —
— Exmoor National Park Coverage building 49 65% 111 92% 4,493 —
— Richmond upon Thames Coverage building 49 67% 107 89% 3,034 —
— Barnet Coverage building 49 76% 71 78% 1,777 —
— Northumberland Coverage building 49 72% 88 89% 1,186 —
— North Hertfordshire Coverage building 49 69% 141 90% 1,143 —
— Merthyr Tydfil Coverage building 49 65% 155 92% 189 —
— Boston Coverage building 49 78% 64 100% 134 —
— Cornwall Coverage building 50 77% 90 93% 6,371 —
— Swindon Coverage building 50 73% 93 94% 1,136 —
— Folkestone and Hythe Coverage building 50 69% 81 88% 1,030 —
— Fermanagh and Omagh Coverage building 50 54% 194 98% 653 —
— East Renfrewshire Coverage building 50 58% 133 91% 541 —
— Redcar and Cleveland Coverage building 50 62% 148 96% 339 —
— Erewash Coverage building 50 82% 85 92% 244 —
— West Oxfordshire Coverage building 51 65% 115 96% 1,390 —
— Stockport Coverage building 51 66% 134 94% 1,205 —
— Blackburn with Darwen Coverage building 51 62% 91 97% 143 —
— Southwark Coverage building 52 62% 104 95% 2,203 —
— New Forest National Park Coverage building 52 65% 108 92% 1,774 —
— Rotherham Coverage building 52 59% 120 90% 1,094 —
— Dacorum Coverage building 52 67% 122 86% 1,003 —
— Teignbridge Coverage building 52 63% 88 83% 744 —
— Ipswich Coverage building 52 61% 133 95% 664 —
— Norwich Coverage building 52 66% 137 96% 523 —
— Watford Coverage building 52 67% 108 81% 430 —
— Preston Coverage building 52 66% 101 96% 346 —
— Ashfield Coverage building 52 71% 110 77% 228 —
— Hyndburn Coverage building 52 64% 131 85% 169 —
— Wiltshire Coverage building 53 62% 134 95% 4,945 —
— Test Valley Coverage building 53 63% 107 91% 1,360 —
— Uttlesford Coverage building 53 60% 105 81% 1,183 —
— Cambridge Coverage building 53 65% 103 94% 999 —
— Epsom and Ewell Coverage building 53 75% 91 87% 953 —
— Doncaster Coverage building 53 56% 147 89% 813 —
— Bedford Coverage building 53 59% 119 77% 736 —
— Bury Coverage building 53 57% 113 87% 497 —
— Pendle Coverage building 53 60% 151 90% 367 —
— South Ribble Coverage building 53 56% 147 97% 248 —
— Merton Coverage building 53 61% 88 91% 233 —
— The Broads Authority Coverage building 53 54% 156 98% 162 —
— Clackmannanshire Coverage building 53 59% 102 96% 158 —
— Bolsover Coverage building 53 55% 156 97% 157 —
— Babergh Coverage building 54 57% 106 93% 2,724 —
— Mid Suffolk Coverage building 54 57% 105 93% 2,699 —
— South Norfolk Coverage building 54 56% 147 95% 2,334 —
— Cotswold Coverage building 54 53% 137 94% 2,148 —
— South Hams Coverage building 54 56% 125 91% 1,983 —
— Islington Coverage building 54 58% 127 91% 1,964 —
— West Devon Coverage building 54 56% 120 91% 1,955 —
— East Suffolk Coverage building 54 58% 98 96% 1,512 —
— Argyll and Bute Coverage building 54 52% 240 97% 1,217 —
— Basingstoke and Deane Coverage building 54 60% 153 94% 1,204 —
— Eastleigh Coverage building 54 58% 114 86% 880 —
— North Lanarkshire Coverage building 54 54% 129 97% 724 —
— West Lindsey Coverage building 54 57% 137 91% 422 —
— Newcastle-under-Lyme Coverage building 54 68% 119 93% 305 —
— Cannock Chase Coverage building 54 71% 114 90% 291 —
— Darlington Coverage building 54 54% 126 96% 246 —
— Gosport Coverage building 54 64% 115 96% 226 —
— Worcester Coverage building 54 67% 120 87% 217 —
— Burnley Coverage building 54 62% 97 80% 203 —
— Manchester Coverage building 55 63% 91 89% 2,749 —
— Bath and North East Somerset Coverage building 55 56% 149 96% 2,698 —
— Haringey Coverage building 55 65% 126 92% 2,587 —
— South Oxfordshire Coverage building 55 56% 113 93% 2,343 —
— Broadland Coverage building 55 56% 151 94% 2,342 —
— Lake District National Park Coverage building 55 56% 128 92% 2,255 —
— South Gloucestershire Coverage building 55 54% 138 89% 2,072 —
— Cardiff Coverage building 55 53% 219 94% 1,797 —
— Newham Coverage building 55 66% 92 85% 1,578 —
— Tunbridge Wells Coverage building 55 58% 102 94% 1,521 —
— Canterbury Coverage building 55 61% 158 97% 1,380 —
— South Cambridgeshire Coverage building 55 55% 179 94% 1,309 —
— King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Coverage building 55 57% 95 90% 1,081 —
— Peterborough Coverage building 55 58% 105 88% 1,022 —
— Exeter Coverage building 55 55% 129 88% 1,021 —
— Southampton Coverage building 55 63% 114 91% 1,020 —
— Chelmsford Coverage building 55 66% 91 87% 917 —
— Mid Devon Coverage building 55 71% 126 93% 871 —
— Newark and Sherwood Coverage building 55 55% 156 95% 767 —
— Pembrokeshire Coverage building 55 66% 149 82% 670 —
— North Kesteven Coverage building 55 53% 138 98% 645 —
— Rochdale Coverage building 55 56% 151 91% 398 —
— Broxtowe Coverage building 55 57% 102 90% 351 —
— Castle Point Coverage building 55 57% 87 88% 275 —
— Harlow Coverage building 55 64% 142 90% 204 —
— North Lincolnshire Coverage building 55 57% 186 94% 171 —
— Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation Coverage building 56 58% 121 87% 3,474 —
— Windsor and Maidenhead Coverage building 56 52% 119 81% 2,312 —
— Hounslow Coverage building 56 57% 121 85% 2,220 —
— Lewisham Coverage building 56 55% 93 88% 2,069 —
— Wokingham Coverage building 56 53% 118 93% 1,824 —
— Lambeth Coverage building 56 51% 112 82% 1,694 —
— Bristol, City of Coverage building 56 52% 124 93% 1,645 —
— East Riding of Yorkshire Coverage building 56 52% 88 89% 1,572 —
— Reigate and Banstead Coverage building 56 68% 107 91% 1,571 —
— Cumberland Coverage building 56 53% 143 98% 1,454 —
— Tower Hamlets Coverage building 56 57% 125 91% 1,426 —
— Bexley Coverage building 56 58% 91 90% 1,334 —
— Sutton Coverage building 56 52% 114 87% 1,236 —
— Dover Coverage building 56 54% 114 92% 1,117 —
— South Downs National Park Coverage building 56 52% 95 90% 1,111 —
— Bradford Coverage building 56 65% 115 84% 1,110 —
— Croydon Coverage building 56 53% 169 86% 1,091 —
— Tandridge Coverage building 56 54% 149 84% 1,067 —
— Sheffield Coverage building 56 53% 112 90% 1,005 —
— Dudley Coverage building 56 58% 125 84% 972 —
— Salford Coverage building 56 54% 125 83% 958 —
— Slough Coverage building 56 52% 132 79% 934 —
— Tendring Coverage building 56 54% 114 88% 931 —
— Ebbsfleet Development Corporation Coverage building 56 56% 104 78% 861 —
— Dartford Coverage building 56 55% 104 78% 850 —
— East Lothian Coverage building 56 51% 135 96% 847 —
— Epping Forest Coverage building 56 59% 120 76% 842 —
— Rutland Coverage building 56 61% 115 89% 754 —
— Maidstone Coverage building 56 70% 89 — 737 —
— Swale Coverage building 56 70% 84 — 728 —
— Leicester Coverage building 56 52% 117 83% 699 —
— Flintshire Coverage building 56 52% 139 90% 692 —
— Peak District National Park Coverage building 56 52% 162 92% 678 —
— Caerphilly Coverage building 56 55% 113 82% 578 —
— Fylde Coverage building 56 50% 174 96% 577 —
— Lancaster Coverage building 56 52% 154 85% 547 —
— South Ayrshire Coverage building 56 51% 114 98% 518 —
— Tameside Coverage building 56 54% 129 89% 447 —
— Malvern Hills Coverage building 56 52% 244 88% 441 —
— North Tyneside Coverage building 56 59% 107 94% 426 —
— Wyre Forest Coverage building 56 54% 141 97% 422 —
— Lichfield Coverage building 56 53% 142 82% 379 —
— Telford and Wrekin Coverage building 56 52% 98 94% 355 —
— Broxbourne Coverage building 56 52% 127 91% 349 —
— Sunderland Coverage building 56 50% 184 88% 297 —
— South Tyneside Coverage building 56 52% 146 94% 262 —
— Lincoln Coverage building 56 52% 163 96% 117 —
— Tamworth Coverage building 56 54% 161 96% 102 —
— Isles of Scilly Coverage building 56 54% 134 94% 79 —
— Greenwich Coverage building 57 49% 147 85% 2,404 —
— Wealden Coverage building 57 49% 147 86% 2,005 —
— West Suffolk Coverage building 57 48% 135 95% 1,508 —
— Hart Coverage building 57 49% 135 93% 1,331 —
— Cheshire West and Chester Coverage building 57 50% 251 93% 1,305 —
— Isle of Wight Coverage building 57 49% 108 94% 1,099 —
— Herefordshire, County of Coverage building 57 48% 181 95% 1,020 —
— Trafford Coverage building 57 49% 110 87% 934 —
— North Devon Coverage building 57 50% 126 96% 933 —
— Hertsmere Coverage building 57 50% 150 87% 833 —
— Three Rivers Coverage building 57 48% 129 89% 741 —
— New Forest Coverage building 57 49% 154 89% 706 —
— Thurrock Coverage building 57 48% 121 86% 572 —
— Amber Valley Coverage building 57 48% 177 97% 373 —
— Wandsworth Coverage building 58 47% 127 88% 2,866 —
— Brent Coverage building 58 49% 105 77% 2,143 —
— Waverley Coverage building 58 47% 113 90% 1,605 —
— Swansea Coverage building 58 48% 150 86% 1,312 —
— Stroud Coverage building 58 48% 126 89% 1,286 —
— Enfield Coverage building 58 48% 99 74% 1,167 —
— Horsham Coverage building 58 48% 109 95% 1,094 —
— Welwyn Hatfield Coverage building 58 47% 126 90% 836 —
— Wychavon Coverage building 58 49% 169 86% 690 —
— East Cambridgeshire Coverage building 58 49% 193 93% 462 —
— Falkirk Coverage building 58 46% 191 99% 390 —
— Redditch Coverage building 58 48% 156 93% 380 —
— Kingston upon Hull, City of Coverage building 58 49% 239 94% 358 —
— Bromley Coverage building 59 44% 113 78% 3,090 —
— Vale of White Horse Coverage building 59 47% 134 94% 1,612 —
— York Coverage building 59 41% 145 89% 1,437 —
— Carmarthenshire Coverage building 59 47% 157 82% 905 —
— Basildon Coverage building 59 43% 172 94% 848 —
— Torridge Coverage building 59 44% 165 94% 649 —
— Southend-on-Sea Coverage building 59 47% 121 89% 597 —
— Dundee City Coverage building 59 43% 134 96% 550 —
— Gloucester Coverage building 59 45% 220 82% 540 —
— Stirling Coverage building 59 42% 121 99% 519 —
— Portsmouth Coverage building 59 44% 145 85% 279 —
— Sevenoaks Coverage building 60 47% 119 89% 1,924 —
— Harborough Coverage building 60 42% 177 92% 848 —
— Bolton Coverage building 60 44% 141 80% 792 —
— Stockton-on-Tees Coverage building 60 44% 168 96% 386 —
— Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Coverage building 61 41% 107 88% 3,834 —
— Milton Keynes Coverage building 61 44% 126 84% 1,517 —
— Kirklees Coverage building 61 42% 167 88% 1,389 —
— Chichester Coverage building 61 43% 114 90% 1,129 —
— Reading Coverage building 61 44% 160 89% 955 —
— Derby Coverage building 61 44% 153 92% 563 —
— Derbyshire Dales Coverage building 61 44% 202 89% 412 —
— Midlothian Coverage building 61 41% 150 93% 353 —
— Inverclyde Coverage building 61 35% 105 97% 193 —
— West Berkshire Coverage building 62 41% 120 89% 1,536 —
— Winchester Coverage building 62 43% 125 96% 1,099 —
— Rhondda Cynon Taf Coverage building 62 41% 167 95% 647 —
— East Lindsey Coverage building 62 42% 153 93% 518 —
— Lewes Coverage building 62 42% 140 91% 503 —
— Chorley Coverage building 62 41% 187 89% 361 —
— Sefton Coverage building 62 43% 157 89% 348 —
— Knowsley Coverage building 62 45% 225 95% 223 —
— Halton Coverage building 62 47% 261 95% 206 —
— Blackpool Coverage building 62 46% 172 79% 150 —
— North York Moors National Park Coverage building 63 43% 149 90% 5,920 —
— Cherwell Coverage building 63 42% 148 92% 1,735 —
— Westmorland and Furness Coverage building 63 43% 148 94% 1,199 —
— Stratford-on-Avon Coverage building 63 45% 171 94% 1,193 —
— Perth and Kinross Coverage building 63 39% 147 92% 1,080 —
— Scottish Borders Coverage building 63 41% 210 93% 836 —
— Colchester Coverage building 63 41% 142 86% 644 —
— Crawley Coverage building 63 47% 182 92% 514 —
— North West Leicestershire Coverage building 63 45% 222 93% 383 —
— North East Derbyshire Coverage building 63 39% 180 91% 233 —
— Oadby and Wigston Coverage building 63 38% 155 78% 201 —
— Middlesbrough Coverage building 63 39% 187 88% 149 —
— Yorkshire Dales National Park Coverage building 64 43% 162 91% 4,651 —
— Buckinghamshire Coverage building 64 41% 154 85% 4,148 —
— Kingston upon Thames Coverage building 64 42% 129 83% 1,931 —
— South Kesteven Coverage building 64 43% 170 92% 706 —
— Bromsgrove Coverage building 64 43% 211 91% 437 —
— Ribble Valley Coverage building 64 42% 154 84% 421 —
— Gedling Coverage building 64 43% 175 90% 345 —
— Na h-Eileanan Siar Coverage building 64 44% 133 99% 330 —
— Chesterfield Coverage building 64 37% 184 91% 292 —
— Wyre Coverage building 64 38% 187 89% 268 —
— North Yorkshire Coverage building 65 41% 162 90% 4,280 —
— Tewkesbury Coverage building 65 43% 208 89% 1,014 —
— Newport Coverage building 65 43% 155 80% 728 —
— Wrexham Coverage building 65 43% 189 93% 554 —
— West Lothian Coverage building 65 33% 131 80% 526 —
— Rochford Coverage building 65 37% 147 88% 465 —
— Aberdeenshire Coverage building 66 35% 195 95% 1,424 —
— Ashford Coverage building 66 38% 156 91% 1,422 —
— Bracknell Forest Coverage building 66 40% 178 90% 768 —
— Thanet Coverage building 66 31% 139 93% 654 —
— Torbay Coverage building 66 36% 146 80% 621 —
— Sandwell Coverage building 66 39% 143 89% 510 —
— West Dunbartonshire Coverage building 66 32% 126 98% 184 —
— Elmbridge Coverage building 67 41% 137 78% 2,071 —
— Rugby Coverage building 67 41% 176 94% 622 —
— Vale of Glamorgan Coverage building 68 40% 167 91% 878 —
— Warwick Coverage building 68 41% 172 93% 692 —
— Nottingham Coverage building 68 35% 189 95% 557 —
— East Ayrshire Coverage building 68 34% 163 94% 484 —
— Oldham Coverage building 68 37% 242 97% 450 —
— South Derbyshire Coverage building 68 35% 219 92% 447 —
— Highland Coverage building 70 32% 182 97% 1,907 —
— South Staffordshire Coverage building 70 34% 157 84% 448 —
— Barnsley Coverage building 70 38% 205 94% 365 —
— Bassetlaw Coverage building 70 38% 229 78% 363 —
— West Lancashire Coverage building 70 31% 203 86% 353 —
— Central Bedfordshire Coverage building 71 29% 189 89% 1,428 —
— North East Lincolnshire Coverage building 71 43% 233 93% 175 —
— Brighton and Hove Coverage building 71 32% 133 93% 167 —
— St. Helens Coverage building 72 31% 324 93% 344 —
— Birmingham Coverage building 73 38% 182 85% 3,757 —
— Tonbridge and Malling Coverage building 73 29% 154 95% 1,426 —
— Luton Coverage building 73 30% 149 82% 451 —
— Fenland Coverage building 73 31% 175 86% 300 —
— Rushcliffe Coverage building 74 32% 231 91% 647 —
— West Northamptonshire Coverage building 75 37% 185 92% 2,809 —
— St Albans Coverage building 76 36% 182 88% 1,405 —
— Powys Coverage building 76 35% 168 82% 863 —
— Isle of Anglesey Coverage building 76 31% 262 93% 584 —
— Mid and East Antrim Coverage building 76 32% 195 90% 549 —
— Blaby Coverage building 76 26% 192 96% 322 —
— East Hertfordshire Coverage building 77 27% 204 85% 743 —
— Walsall Coverage building 77 34% 225 82% 438 —
— Calderdale Coverage building 77 32% 161 89% 422 —
— Staffordshire Moorlands Coverage building 77 27% 219 79% 379 —
— Rossendale Coverage building 77 35% 231 91% 231 —
— Hartlepool Coverage building 77 32% 265 95% 157 —
— Conwy Coverage building 78 27% 181 85% 508 —
— Havant Coverage building 80 28% 196 94% 615 —
— Glasgow City Coverage building 81 20% 162 90% 1,014 —
— East Staffordshire Coverage building 81 34% 304 85% 581 —
— Antrim and Newtownabbey Coverage building 82 25% 199 94% 547 —
— Gateshead Coverage building 82 29% 348 89% 207 —
— North Northamptonshire Coverage building 83 29% 186 90% 1,884 —
— Mole Valley Coverage building 83 28% 168 81% 1,271 —
— Ards and North Down Coverage building 89 30% 293 96% 588 —
— Hinckley and Bosworth Coverage building 89 21% 292 96% 240 —
— High Peak Coverage building 90 19% 261 100% 244 —
— Melton Coverage building 92 31% 372 90% 297 —
— Hammersmith and Fulham Coverage building 93 11% 234 97% 1,378 —
— Bridgend Coverage building 94 24% 211 90% 438 —
— Moray Coverage building 96 28% 224 97% 503 —
— Westminster Coverage building 102 25% 200 90% 2,910 —
— North Warwickshire Coverage building 106 16% 237 98% 133 —
— Causeway Coast and Glens Coverage building 107 21% 332 97% 583 —
— Lisburn and Castlereagh Coverage building 108 14% 330 97% 494 —
— Derry City and Strabane Coverage building 112 20% 363 98% 420 —
— Belfast Coverage building 116 16% 236 97% 981 —
— Kensington and Chelsea Coverage building 118 22% 191 95% 2,649 —
— Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Coverage building 127 12% 367 96% 645 —
— Stafford Coverage building 134 14% 311 78% 241 —
— Newry, Mourne and Down Coverage building 209 8% 422 96% 490 —

305 of the 350 councils shown carry a figure but no rank: either our records do not yet reach far enough back to see their slower cases, or the dates they publish do not behave like receipt dates. Both are set out in the methodology, and each council's own page says which applies.

Cite these figures

Click the text to select the whole citation.

Planning decision times, year to December 2026: across 45 UK councils, the median planning application took 57 days from submission to decision (1 day beyond the eight week target). 49% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 76% within thirteen weeks. Based on 50,062 decisions with both dates published. Fastest: Rushmoor, 45 days. Slowest: Orkney Islands, 111 days. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.

Or take the data itself: download the full league table (CSV), under the Open Government Licence with attribution.

By region

The median council in each region · the full regional breakdown

Region Median days Ranked councils Browse
South East 56 13 South East planning applications
South West 56 4 South West planning applications
Wales 56 3 Wales planning applications
London 61 4 London planning applications
East of England 65 6 East of England planning applications
Scotland 66 7 Scotland planning applications

What else moves the wait

The council is not the only variable

The type of application A tree works consent and a reserved matters application are not the same job, and the spread between them is wider than the spread between councils. Where you are Median decision times by region and nation, built from each council's own median so one large authority cannot speak for its region. When you submit Whether the month an application goes in changes how long it waits. The effect is real, and smaller than people expect.

Common questions

How long does a planning decision take in the UK?

Across 45 UK councils, the median planning application decided in the year to December 2026 took 57 days from submission to decision — 1 day beyond the eight week target. Half of all applications were decided faster than that, half slower. 49% were decided within the eight week statutory target and 76% within thirteen weeks.

Which UK council decides planning applications fastest?

Of the councils in this study, Rushmoor had the fastest median in the year to December 2026 at 45 days, across 405 decisions. The slowest was Orkney Islands at 111 days. The gap between the two is 66 days, which is longer than the statutory target itself.

What is the statutory target for a planning decision?

Eight weeks — 56 days — from validation for most applications, and thirteen weeks for major development. Sixteen weeks applies where an environmental impact assessment is required. A council and an applicant can also agree an extension of time in writing, so a decision past the target is not automatically a breach of it.

Where do these decision times come from?

PlanIndex measures the days between the dates each council publishes on its own planning register: the date an application was received (or validated, where no received date is published) and the date it was decided. Nothing is modelled or estimated. The figures cover 50,062 decisions from 45 councils in the year to December 2026 and are rebuilt nightly.

Can these figures be cited?

Yes. Every figure on this page carries its measurement window and its sample size, and the methodology page states what is counted, what is excluded and where the numbers can mislead. The preferred citation is "PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk". Please link to the page you took the figure from, because the figures are rebuilt as councils publish more decisions.

This study measures decisions. To read what happens between submission and decision, and why an application stalls, see the guide on how long planning decisions take. To browse the applications behind these figures, start at the council directory.