Decision times · West Midlands
How long planning decisions take in South Staffordshire
70 days. Ranked 277 of 343.
In the year to September 2026, the median planning application decided by South Staffordshire took 70 days from submission to decision — 14 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 326 decisions where the council published both dates.
How South Staffordshire compares
Year to September 2026
South Staffordshire takes longer than the country as a whole: 14 days above the national median of 56 days. Nationally 55% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 32%.
The average here is 90 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 158 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 105 32%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 108 33%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 113 35%
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 | 70 | 277 of 343 |
| June 2026 | 63 | 259 of 328 |
| September 2025 | 62 | 238 of 324 |
| June 2025 | 61 | 197 of 313 |
| March 2025 | 61 | 203 of 315 |
| December 2024 | 61 | 211 of 319 |
Against the same twelve months a year earlier, when the median was 62 days, South Staffordshire has moved down 39 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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Amendments 17 decided 55 days
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Lawful development 31 decided 59 days
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Trees 46 decided 61 days
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Conditions 41 decided 71 days
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Householder 90 decided 71 days
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Full applications 68 decided 95 days
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Other 12 decided 123 days
What South Staffordshire decides
Year to September 2026
South Staffordshire issued 326 decisions in the year to September 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 84% were approvals: 255 granted against 49 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 Staffordshire?
The median planning application decided by South Staffordshire in the year to September 2026 took 70 days from submission to decision, 14 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 326 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date. It ranks 277 of 343 UK councils on decision speed.
Does South Staffordshire meet the eight week target?
32% of the 326 decisions South Staffordshire made in the year to September 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 65% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 158 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 Staffordshire faster or slower than average?
South Staffordshire is slower than average: its median of 70 days is 14 days above the national median of 56 days.
Is South Staffordshire getting faster or slower?
Against the same twelve month window a year earlier, when its median was 62 days, South Staffordshire has moved down 39 places in the table. Its median has risen by 8 days.
What proportion of applications does South Staffordshire approve?
84% of the clear-cut outcomes South Staffordshire issued in the year to September 2026 were approvals: 255 granted against 49 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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South Staffordshire planning decision times, year to September 2026: median 70 days from application to decision (14 days beyond the eight week target), across 326 decisions with both dates published. 32% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 65% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 158 days. Ranked 277 of 343 UK councils on decision speed (national median 56 days). 84% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.