Decision times · East Midlands
How long planning decisions take in South Kesteven
65 days. Ranked 260 of 343.
In the year to September 2026, the median planning application decided by South Kesteven took 65 days from submission to decision — 9 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 364 decisions where the council published both dates.
How South Kesteven compares
Year to September 2026
South Kesteven takes longer than the country as a whole: 9 days above the national median of 56 days. Nationally 55% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 42%.
The average here is 87 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 175 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 154 42%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 101 28%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 109 30%
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 | 65 | 260 of 343 |
| June 2026 | 56 | 188 of 328 |
| September 2025 | 56 | 174 of 324 |
| June 2025 | 56 | 138 of 313 |
| March 2025 | 56 | 138 of 315 |
| December 2024 | 56 | 139 of 319 |
Against the same twelve months a year earlier, when the median was 56 days, South Kesteven has moved down 86 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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Trees 66 decided 26 days
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Outline 18 decided 32 days
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Amendments 18 decided 40 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 43 decided 70 days
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Householder 63 decided 77 days
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Lawful development 17 decided 82 days
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Conditions 34 decided 91 days
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Full applications 60 decided 117 days
What South Kesteven decides
Year to September 2026
South Kesteven issued 364 decisions in the year to September 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 92% were approvals: 264 granted against 24 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 South Kesteven?
The median planning application decided by South Kesteven in the year to September 2026 took 65 days from submission to decision, 9 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 364 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date. It ranks 260 of 343 UK councils on decision speed.
Does South Kesteven meet the eight week target?
42% of the 364 decisions South Kesteven made in the year to September 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 70% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 175 days. Councils can agree an extension of time with an applicant, so a decision past eight weeks is not necessarily a missed deadline.
Is South Kesteven faster or slower than average?
South Kesteven is slower than average: its median of 65 days is 9 days above the national median of 56 days.
Is South Kesteven getting faster or slower?
Against the same twelve month window a year earlier, when its median was 56 days, South Kesteven has moved down 86 places in the table. Its median has risen by 9 days.
What proportion of applications does South Kesteven approve?
92% of the clear-cut outcomes South Kesteven issued in the year to September 2026 were approvals: 264 granted against 24 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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South Kesteven planning decision times, year to September 2026: median 65 days from application to decision (9 days beyond the eight week target), across 364 decisions with both dates published. 42% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 70% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 175 days. Ranked 260 of 343 UK councils on decision speed (national median 56 days). 92% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.