Decision times · East of England
How long planning decisions take in East Cambridgeshire
58 days.
In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by East Cambridgeshire took 58 days from submission to decision — 2 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 462 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 East Cambridgeshire compares
Year to December 2026
East Cambridgeshire takes longer than the country as a whole: 1 day above the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 49%.
The average here is 90 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 193 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 226 49%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 102 22%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 134 29%
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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Trees 92 decided 36 days
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Amendments 33 decided 52 days
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Lawful development 16 decided 58 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 15 decided 62 days
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Conditions 113 decided 65 days
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Advertising 10 decided 74 days
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Full applications 158 decided 90 days
What East Cambridgeshire decides
Year to December 2026
East Cambridgeshire issued 462 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 93% were approvals: 317 granted against 23 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 East Cambridgeshire?
The median planning application decided by East Cambridgeshire in the year to December 2026 took 58 days from submission to decision, 2 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 462 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.
Does East Cambridgeshire meet the eight week target?
49% of the 462 decisions East Cambridgeshire made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 71% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 193 days. Councils can agree an extension of time with an applicant, so a decision past eight weeks is not necessarily a missed deadline.
Is East Cambridgeshire faster or slower than average?
East Cambridgeshire is slower than average: its median of 58 days is 1 day above the national median of 57 days.
What proportion of applications does East Cambridgeshire approve?
93% of the clear-cut outcomes East Cambridgeshire issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 317 granted against 23 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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East Cambridgeshire planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 58 days from application to decision (2 days beyond the eight week target), across 462 decisions with both dates published. 49% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 71% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 193 days. 93% 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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<p>Data: <a href="https://planindex.co.uk/planning-decision-times/east-cambridgeshire">Planning decision times, from PlanIndex</a></p>