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Decision times · West Midlands

How long planning decisions take in East Staffordshire

81 days.

In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by East Staffordshire took 81 days from submission to decision — 25 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 581 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.

81 days
Median decision 25 days beyond the eight week target
34%
Within eight weeks 56% within thirteen
304 days
Nine in ten decided by The wait to budget for

How East Staffordshire compares

Year to December 2026

East Staffordshire takes longer than the country as a whole: 24 days above the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 34%.

The average here is 126 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 304 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.

  1. Within eight weeks the statutory target 200 34%
  2. Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 125 22%
  3. Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 256 44%

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.

  1. Prior approval 35 decided 43 days
  2. Trees 80 decided 43 days
  3. Lawful development 36 decided 57 days
  4. Amendments 20 decided 73 days
  5. Conditions 83 decided 74 days
  6. Householder 157 decided 83 days
  7. Heritage and listed buildings 25 decided 134 days
  8. Full applications 120 decided 161 days

How these types compare nationally

What East Staffordshire decides

Year to December 2026

East Staffordshire issued 581 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 85% were approvals: 491 granted against 88 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 Staffordshire?

The median planning application decided by East Staffordshire in the year to December 2026 took 81 days from submission to decision, 25 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 581 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.

Does East Staffordshire meet the eight week target?

34% of the 581 decisions East Staffordshire made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 56% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 304 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 Staffordshire faster or slower than average?

East Staffordshire is slower than average: its median of 81 days is 24 days above the national median of 57 days.

What proportion of applications does East Staffordshire approve?

85% of the clear-cut outcomes East Staffordshire issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 491 granted against 88 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.

Cite these figures

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East Staffordshire planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 81 days from application to decision (25 days beyond the eight week target), across 581 decisions with both dates published. 34% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 56% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 304 days. 85% 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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