Decision times · South West
How long planning decisions take in North Devon
57 days.
In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by North Devon took 57 days from submission to decision — 1 day beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 933 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 North Devon compares
Year to December 2026
North Devon sits exactly on the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 50%.
The average here is 74 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 126 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 464 50%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 265 28%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 204 22%
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 77 decided 28 days
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Amendments 93 decided 46 days
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Conditions 106 decided 53 days
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Trees 106 decided 53 days
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Lawful development 47 decided 63 days
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Advertising 19 decided 64 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 59 decided 64 days
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Outline 12 decided 67 days
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Full applications 402 decided 69 days
What North Devon decides
Year to December 2026
North Devon issued 938 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 96% were approvals: 852 granted against 34 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 North Devon?
The median planning application decided by North Devon in the year to December 2026 took 57 days from submission to decision, 1 day beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 933 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.
Does North Devon meet the eight week target?
50% of the 933 decisions North Devon made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 78% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 126 days. Councils can agree an extension of time with an applicant, so a decision past eight weeks is not necessarily a missed deadline.
Is North Devon faster or slower than average?
North Devon sits exactly on the national median of 57 days.
What proportion of applications does North Devon approve?
96% of the clear-cut outcomes North Devon issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 852 granted against 34 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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North Devon planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 57 days from application to decision (1 day beyond the eight week target), across 933 decisions with both dates published. 50% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 78% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 126 days. 96% 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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