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Decision times · South West

How long planning decisions take in West Devon

54 days.

In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by West Devon took 54 days from submission to decision — 2 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 1,955 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 83% within thirteen
120 days
Nine in ten decided by The wait to budget for

How West Devon compares

Year to December 2026

West Devon 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 65 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 120 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.

  1. Within eight weeks the statutory target 1,093 56%
  2. Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 535 27%
  3. Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 327 17%

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. Outline 165 decided 16 days
  2. Other 92 decided 25 days
  3. Conditions 210 decided 38 days
  4. Trees 251 decided 40 days
  5. Amendments 132 decided 52 days
  6. Prior approval 76 decided 53 days
  7. Heritage and listed buildings 159 decided 59 days
  8. Lawful development 112 decided 60 days
  9. Householder 391 decided 63 days
  10. Advertising 10 decided 68 days
  11. Full applications 323 decided 75 days

How these types compare nationally

What West Devon decides

Year to December 2026

West Devon issued 1,955 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 91% were approvals: 1,561 granted against 154 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 West Devon?

The median planning application decided by West Devon in the year to December 2026 took 54 days from submission to decision, 2 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 1,955 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.

Does West Devon meet the eight week target?

56% of the 1,955 decisions West Devon made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 83% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 120 days. Councils can agree an extension of time with an applicant, so a decision past eight weeks is not necessarily a missed deadline.

Is West Devon faster or slower than average?

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

What proportion of applications does West Devon approve?

91% of the clear-cut outcomes West Devon issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 1,561 granted against 154 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.

Cite these figures

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West Devon planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 54 days from application to decision (2 days inside the eight week target), across 1,955 decisions with both dates published. 56% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 83% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 120 days. 91% 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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