Decision times · East of England
How long planning decisions take in Rochford
65 days.
In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by Rochford took 65 days from submission to decision — 9 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 465 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 Rochford compares
Year to December 2026
Rochford takes longer than the country as a whole: 8 days above the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 37%.
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, 147 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 172 37%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 168 36%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 125 27%
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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Amendments 10 decided 29 days
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Householder 25 decided 44 days
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Full applications 292 decided 66 days
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Conditions 46 decided 73 days
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Lawful development 54 decided 74 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 12 decided 85 days
What Rochford decides
Year to December 2026
Rochford issued 465 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 88% were approvals: 395 granted against 56 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 Rochford?
The median planning application decided by Rochford in the year to December 2026 took 65 days from submission to decision, 9 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 465 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.
Does Rochford meet the eight week target?
37% of the 465 decisions Rochford made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 73% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 147 days. Councils can agree an extension of time with an applicant, so a decision past eight weeks is not necessarily a missed deadline.
Is Rochford faster or slower than average?
Rochford is slower than average: its median of 65 days is 8 days above the national median of 57 days.
What proportion of applications does Rochford approve?
88% of the clear-cut outcomes Rochford issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 395 granted against 56 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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Rochford planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 65 days from application to decision (9 days beyond the eight week target), across 465 decisions with both dates published. 37% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 73% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 147 days. 88% 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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<p>Data: <a href="https://planindex.co.uk/planning-decision-times/rochford">Planning decision times, from PlanIndex</a></p>