Decision times · East of England
How long planning decisions take in Hertsmere
66 days. Ranked 266 of 343.
In the year to September 2026, the median planning application decided by Hertsmere took 66 days from submission to decision — 10 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 375 decisions where the council published both dates.
How Hertsmere compares
Year to September 2026
Hertsmere takes longer than the country as a whole: 10 days above the national median of 56 days. Nationally 55% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 37%.
The average here is 106 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 243 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 138 37%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 111 30%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 126 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 |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 66 | 266 of 343 |
| June 2026 | 63 | 256 of 328 |
| September 2025 | 56 | 171 of 324 |
| June 2025 | 56 | 133 of 313 |
| March 2025 | 56 | 132 of 315 |
| December 2024 | 56 | 135 of 319 |
Against the same twelve months a year earlier, when the median was 56 days, Hertsmere has moved down 95 places in the table.
By type of application
Year to September 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 10 decided 37 days
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Prior approval 22 decided 43 days
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Trees 43 decided 45 days
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Lawful development 31 decided 55 days
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Householder 115 decided 65 days
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Amendments 22 decided 87 days
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Conditions 61 decided 96 days
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Full applications 60 decided 101 days
What Hertsmere decides
Year to September 2026
Hertsmere issued 375 decisions in the year to September 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 85% were approvals: 255 granted against 46 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 Hertsmere?
The median planning application decided by Hertsmere in the year to September 2026 took 66 days from submission to decision, 10 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 375 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date. It ranks 266 of 343 UK councils on decision speed.
Does Hertsmere meet the eight week target?
37% of the 375 decisions Hertsmere made in the year to September 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 66% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 243 days. Councils can agree an extension of time with an applicant, so a decision past eight weeks is not necessarily a missed deadline.
Is Hertsmere faster or slower than average?
Hertsmere is slower than average: its median of 66 days is 10 days above the national median of 56 days.
Is Hertsmere getting faster or slower?
Against the same twelve month window a year earlier, when its median was 56 days, Hertsmere has moved down 95 places in the table. Its median has risen by 10 days.
What proportion of applications does Hertsmere approve?
85% of the clear-cut outcomes Hertsmere issued in the year to September 2026 were approvals: 255 granted against 46 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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Hertsmere planning decision times, year to September 2026: median 66 days from application to decision (10 days beyond the eight week target), across 375 decisions with both dates published. 37% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 66% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 243 days. Ranked 266 of 343 UK councils on decision speed (national median 56 days). 85% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.