Decision times · South West
How long planning decisions take in East Devon
43 days.
In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by East Devon took 43 days from submission to decision — 13 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 1,131 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 Devon compares
Year to December 2026
East Devon decides faster than the country as a whole: 14 days below the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 76%.
The average here is 50 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 90 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 856 76%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 166 15%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 109 10%
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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Conditions 207 decided 22 days
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Other 30 decided 28 days
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Amendments 87 decided 32 days
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Trees 215 decided 39 days
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Lawful development 53 decided 40 days
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Full applications 419 decided 50 days
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Outline 12 decided 53 days
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Prior approval 22 decided 55 days
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Advertising 11 decided 63 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 71 decided 64 days
What East Devon decides
Year to December 2026
East Devon issued 1,131 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 91% were approvals: 844 granted against 81 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 Devon?
The median planning application decided by East Devon in the year to December 2026 took 43 days from submission to decision, 13 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 1,131 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.
Does East Devon meet the eight week target?
76% of the 1,131 decisions East Devon made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 90% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 90 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 Devon faster or slower than average?
East Devon is faster than average: its median of 43 days is 14 days below the national median of 57 days.
What proportion of applications does East Devon approve?
91% of the clear-cut outcomes East Devon issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 844 granted against 81 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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East Devon planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 43 days from application to decision (13 days inside the eight week target), across 1,131 decisions with both dates published. 76% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 90% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 90 days. 91% 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-devon">Planning decision times, from PlanIndex</a></p>