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Decision times · East of England

How long planning decisions take in St Albans

76 days.

In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by St Albans took 76 days from submission to decision — 20 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 1,405 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.

76 days
Median decision 20 days beyond the eight week target
36%
Within eight weeks 62% within thirteen
182 days
Nine in ten decided by The wait to budget for

How St Albans compares

Year to December 2026

St Albans takes longer than the country as a whole: 19 days above the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 36%.

The average here is 100 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 182 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.

  1. Within eight weeks the statutory target 510 36%
  2. Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 359 26%
  3. Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 536 38%

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. Prior approval 51 decided 39 days
  2. Amendments 23 decided 48 days
  3. Trees 337 decided 49 days
  4. Conditions 156 decided 70 days
  5. Lawful development 139 decided 71 days
  6. Heritage and listed buildings 34 decided 92 days
  7. Advertising 14 decided 105 days
  8. Householder 420 decided 110 days
  9. Full applications 16 decided 295 days

How these types compare nationally

What St Albans decides

Year to December 2026

St Albans issued 1,405 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 88% were approvals: 1,147 granted against 155 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 St Albans?

The median planning application decided by St Albans in the year to December 2026 took 76 days from submission to decision, 20 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 1,405 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.

Does St Albans meet the eight week target?

36% of the 1,405 decisions St Albans made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 62% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 182 days. Councils can agree an extension of time with an applicant, so a decision past eight weeks is not necessarily a missed deadline.

Is St Albans faster or slower than average?

St Albans is slower than average: its median of 76 days is 19 days above the national median of 57 days.

What proportion of applications does St Albans approve?

88% of the clear-cut outcomes St Albans issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 1,147 granted against 155 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.

Cite these figures

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St Albans planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 76 days from application to decision (20 days beyond the eight week target), across 1,405 decisions with both dates published. 36% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 62% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 182 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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