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Decision times · South West

How long planning decisions take in West Devon

53 days. Ranked 68 of 343.

In the year to September 2026, the median planning application decided by West Devon took 53 days from submission to decision — 3 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 2,253 decisions where the council published both dates.

53 days
Median decision 3 days inside the eight week target
68 of 343
UK rank up 44 places in a year
60%
Within eight weeks 87% within thirteen
105 days
Nine in ten decided by The wait to budget for

How West Devon compares

Year to September 2026

West Devon decides faster than the country as a whole: 3 days below the national median of 56 days. Nationally 55% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 60%.

The average here is 60 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 105 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.

  1. Within eight weeks the statutory target 1,356 60%
  2. Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 597 26%
  3. Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 300 13%

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.

West Devon: median days from application to decision, by rolling twelve month window. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.
Twelve months to Median days UK rank
September 2026 53 68 of 343
June 2026 52 68 of 328
March 2026 50 60 of 243
December 2025 47 67 of 236
September 2025 53 112 of 324
June 2025 55 91 of 313
March 2025 55 95 of 315
December 2024 55 94 of 319

Against the same twelve months a year earlier, when the median was 53 days, West Devon has moved up 44 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.

  1. Outline 171 decided 15 days
  2. Other 123 decided 26 days
  3. Conditions 243 decided 36 days
  4. Trees 320 decided 38 days
  5. Amendments 180 decided 51 days
  6. Prior approval 93 decided 53 days
  7. Heritage and listed buildings 179 decided 58 days
  8. Lawful development 131 decided 60 days
  9. Householder 428 decided 62 days
  10. Advertising 13 decided 66 days
  11. Full applications 332 decided 74 days

How these types compare nationally

What West Devon decides

Year to September 2026

West Devon issued 2,253 decisions in the year to September 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 90% were approvals: 1,681 granted against 193 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 September 2026 took 53 days from submission to decision, 3 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 2,253 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date. It ranks 68 of 343 UK councils on decision speed.

Does West Devon meet the eight week target?

60% of the 2,253 decisions West Devon made in the year to September 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 87% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 105 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 53 days is 3 days below the national median of 56 days.

Is West Devon getting faster or slower?

Against the same twelve month window a year earlier, when its median was 53 days, West Devon has moved up 44 places in the table. Its median has not changed.

What proportion of applications does West Devon approve?

90% of the clear-cut outcomes West Devon issued in the year to September 2026 were approvals: 1,681 granted against 193 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 September 2026: median 53 days from application to decision (3 days inside the eight week target), across 2,253 decisions with both dates published. 60% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 87% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 105 days. Ranked 68 of 343 UK councils on decision speed (national median 56 days). 90% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.