Decision times · South East
How long planning decisions take in New Forest
57 days. Ranked 181 of 343.
In the year to September 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 760 decisions where the council published both dates.
How New Forest compares
Year to September 2026
New Forest takes longer than the country as a whole: 1 day above the national median of 56 days. Nationally 55% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 49%.
The average here is 79 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 136 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 372 49%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 220 29%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 168 22%
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 | 57 | 181 of 343 |
| June 2026 | 56 | 169 of 328 |
| March 2026 | 55 | 143 of 243 |
| December 2025 | 53 | 136 of 236 |
| September 2025 | 63 | 245 of 324 |
| June 2025 | 71 | 267 of 313 |
| March 2025 | 71 | 268 of 315 |
| December 2024 | 71 | 276 of 319 |
Against the same twelve months a year earlier, when the median was 63 days, New Forest has moved up 64 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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Other 23 decided 26 days
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Prior approval 22 decided 29 days
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Lawful development 69 decided 50 days
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Amendments 35 decided 56 days
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Full applications 504 decided 57 days
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Advertising 24 decided 68 days
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Outline 18 decided 68 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 50 decided 91 days
What New Forest decides
Year to September 2026
New Forest issued 760 decisions in the year to September 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 89% were approvals: 592 granted against 70 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 September 2026 took 57 days from submission to decision, 1 day beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 760 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date. It ranks 181 of 343 UK councils on decision speed.
Does New Forest meet the eight week target?
49% of the 760 decisions New Forest made in the year to September 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 78% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 136 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 is slower than average: its median of 57 days is 1 day above the national median of 56 days.
Is New Forest getting faster or slower?
Against the same twelve month window a year earlier, when its median was 63 days, New Forest has moved up 64 places in the table. Its median has fallen by 6 days.
What proportion of applications does New Forest approve?
89% of the clear-cut outcomes New Forest issued in the year to September 2026 were approvals: 592 granted against 70 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 September 2026: median 57 days from application to decision (1 day beyond the eight week target), across 760 decisions with both dates published. 49% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 78% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 136 days. Ranked 181 of 343 UK councils on decision speed (national median 56 days). 89% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.