Decision times · South East
How long planning decisions take in New Forest National Park
50 days. Ranked 35 of 343.
In the year to September 2026, the median planning application decided by New Forest National Park took 50 days from submission to decision — 6 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 2,045 decisions where the council published both dates.
How New Forest National Park compares
Year to September 2026
New Forest National Park decides faster than the country as a whole: 6 days below the national median of 56 days. Nationally 55% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 70%.
The average here is 56 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 98 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 1,425 70%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 384 19%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 236 12%
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 | 50 | 35 of 343 |
| June 2026 | 49 | 40 of 328 |
| March 2026 | 46 | 34 of 243 |
| December 2025 | 36 | 18 of 236 |
| September 2025 | 49 | 71 of 324 |
| June 2025 | 66 | 238 of 313 |
| March 2025 | 66 | 245 of 315 |
| December 2024 | 68 | 260 of 319 |
Against the same twelve months a year earlier, when the median was 49 days, New Forest National Park has moved up 36 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 25 decided 26 days
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Prior approval 42 decided 27 days
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Trees 549 decided 29 days
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Amendments 100 decided 50 days
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Lawful development 150 decided 54 days
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Conditions 110 decided 55 days
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Full applications 871 decided 56 days
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Outline 24 decided 58 days
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Advertising 31 decided 62 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 86 decided 72 days
What New Forest National Park decides
Year to September 2026
New Forest National Park issued 2,046 decisions in the year to September 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 93% were approvals: 1,629 granted against 119 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 National Park?
The median planning application decided by New Forest National Park in the year to September 2026 took 50 days from submission to decision, 6 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 2,045 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date. It ranks 35 of 343 UK councils on decision speed.
Does New Forest National Park meet the eight week target?
70% of the 2,045 decisions New Forest National Park made in the year to September 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 88% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 98 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 National Park faster or slower than average?
New Forest National Park is faster than average: its median of 50 days is 6 days below the national median of 56 days.
Is New Forest National Park getting faster or slower?
Against the same twelve month window a year earlier, when its median was 49 days, New Forest National Park has moved up 36 places in the table. Its median has risen by 1 day.
What proportion of applications does New Forest National Park approve?
93% of the clear-cut outcomes New Forest National Park issued in the year to September 2026 were approvals: 1,629 granted against 119 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
Click the text to select the whole citation.
New Forest National Park planning decision times, year to September 2026: median 50 days from application to decision (6 days inside the eight week target), across 2,045 decisions with both dates published. 70% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 88% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 98 days. Ranked 35 of 343 UK councils on decision speed (national median 56 days). 93% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.