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Decision times · East of England

How long planning decisions take in South Norfolk

54 days.

In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by South Norfolk took 54 days from submission to decision — 2 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 2,334 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.

54 days
Median decision 2 days inside the eight week target
56%
Within eight weeks 78% within thirteen
147 days
Nine in ten decided by The wait to budget for

How South Norfolk compares

Year to December 2026

South Norfolk decides faster than the country as a whole: 3 days below the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 56%.

The average here is 75 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.

  1. Within eight weeks the statutory target 1,313 56%
  2. Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 514 22%
  3. Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 507 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.

  1. Other 43 decided 29 days
  2. Trees 588 decided 29 days
  3. Prior approval 24 decided 40 days
  4. Conditions 319 decided 50 days
  5. Amendments 208 decided 51 days
  6. Lawful development 76 decided 55 days
  7. Advertising 13 decided 60 days
  8. Householder 569 decided 62 days
  9. Heritage and listed buildings 152 decided 71 days
  10. Full applications 267 decided 119 days
  11. Outline 58 decided 145 days
  12. Reserved matters 11 decided 272 days

How these types compare nationally

What South Norfolk decides

Year to December 2026

South Norfolk issued 2,334 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 95% were approvals: 1,979 granted against 113 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 Norfolk?

The median planning application decided by South Norfolk in the year to December 2026 took 54 days from submission to decision, 2 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 2,334 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.

Does South Norfolk meet the eight week target?

56% of the 2,334 decisions South Norfolk 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 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 South Norfolk faster or slower than average?

South Norfolk is faster than average: its median of 54 days is 3 days below the national median of 57 days.

What proportion of applications does South Norfolk approve?

95% of the clear-cut outcomes South Norfolk issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 1,979 granted against 113 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.

Cite these figures

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South Norfolk planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 54 days from application to decision (2 days inside the eight week target), across 2,334 decisions with both dates published. 56% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 78% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 147 days. 95% 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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