Decision times · East of England
How long planning decisions take in Central Bedfordshire
71 days.
In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by Central Bedfordshire took 71 days from submission to decision — 15 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 1,428 decisions where the council published both dates.
This council carries a figure but no rank
Not ranked yet: our records do not yet pass the historical coverage, monthly continuity, missing-date and refresh checks for this window. The figure above is still what the published dates say; it is left out of the league table so it cannot distort the ranking. See the methodology.
How Central Bedfordshire compares
Year to December 2026
Central Bedfordshire takes longer than the country as a whole: 14 days above the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 29%.
The average here is 100 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 189 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 418 29%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 529 37%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 481 34%
The last few years
Each row is a full twelve months of decisions, ending in the quarter shown
Rolling twelve month windows overlap by nine months, so this reads as a trend rather than as four separate quarters. Only windows our records reach far enough back to measure in full are listed.
| Twelve months to | Median days | UK rank |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 58 | 32 of 57 |
By type of application
Year to December 2026 · types with at least ten decisions
The headline median mixes every kind of application together. A householder extension and an outline application for a housing site are not the same job, and the difference between them is usually larger than the difference between two councils.
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Outline 45 decided 42 days
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Amendments 128 decided 56 days
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Lawful development 126 decided 57 days
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Other 51 decided 62 days
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Conditions 283 decided 63 days
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Advertising 18 decided 78 days
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Full applications 708 decided 80 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 39 decided 98 days
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Reserved matters 10 decided 230 days
What Central Bedfordshire decides
Year to December 2026
Central Bedfordshire issued 1,430 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 89% were approvals: 1,128 granted against 146 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes sit outside that percentage rather than being counted as either.
Speed and approval rate are separate things. A council that refuses quickly is not doing the same job as one that negotiates an approval slowly, and neither figure alone says which served the applicant better.
Common questions
How long does a planning decision take in Central Bedfordshire?
The median planning application decided by Central Bedfordshire in the year to December 2026 took 71 days from submission to decision, 15 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 1,428 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.
Does Central Bedfordshire meet the eight week target?
29% of the 1,428 decisions Central Bedfordshire made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 66% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 189 days. Councils can agree an extension of time with an applicant, so a decision past eight weeks is not necessarily a missed deadline.
Is Central Bedfordshire faster or slower than average?
Central Bedfordshire is slower than average: its median of 71 days is 14 days above the national median of 57 days.
What proportion of applications does Central Bedfordshire approve?
89% of the clear-cut outcomes Central Bedfordshire issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 1,128 granted against 146 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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Central Bedfordshire planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 71 days from application to decision (15 days beyond the eight week target), across 1,428 decisions with both dates published. 29% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 66% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 189 days. 89% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.
Or take the data itself: this council's history (CSV) or the full league table (CSV).
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<iframe src="https://planindex.co.uk/embed/decision-times/central-bedfordshire" title="Planning decision times in Central Bedfordshire" width="100%" height="215" loading="lazy" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<p>Data: <a href="https://planindex.co.uk/planning-decision-times/central-bedfordshire">Planning decision times, from PlanIndex</a></p>