Decision times · South East
How long planning decisions take in New Forest
57 days.
In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by New Forest took 57 days from submission to decision — 1 day beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 706 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 New Forest compares
Year to December 2026
New Forest sits exactly on the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 49%.
The average here is 84 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 154 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 346 49%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 182 26%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 178 25%
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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Prior approval 15 decided 26 days
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Other 14 decided 28 days
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Lawful development 55 decided 50 days
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Amendments 25 decided 58 days
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Full applications 382 decided 59 days
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Advertising 15 decided 64 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 47 decided 87 days
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Outline 11 decided 108 days
What New Forest decides
Year to December 2026
New Forest issued 706 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 89% were approvals: 609 granted against 75 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 New Forest?
The median planning application decided by New Forest in the year to December 2026 took 57 days from submission to decision, 1 day beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 706 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.
Does New Forest meet the eight week target?
49% of the 706 decisions New Forest made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 75% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 154 days. Councils can agree an extension of time with an applicant, so a decision past eight weeks is not necessarily a missed deadline.
Is New Forest faster or slower than average?
New Forest sits exactly on the national median of 57 days.
What proportion of applications does New Forest approve?
89% of the clear-cut outcomes New Forest issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 609 granted against 75 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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New Forest planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 57 days from application to decision (1 day beyond the eight week target), across 706 decisions with both dates published. 49% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 75% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 154 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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