Decision times · Scotland
How long planning decisions take in West Dunbartonshire
63 days. Ranked 247 of 343.
In the year to September 2026, the median planning application decided by West Dunbartonshire took 63 days from submission to decision — 7 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 200 decisions where the council published both dates.
How West Dunbartonshire compares
Year to September 2026
West Dunbartonshire takes longer than the country as a whole: 7 days above the national median of 56 days. Nationally 55% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 38%.
The average here is 77 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 124 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 75 38%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 79 40%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 46 23%
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 | 63 | 247 of 343 |
| June 2026 | 60 | 232 of 328 |
| March 2026 | 59 | 189 of 243 |
| December 2025 | 53 | 141 of 236 |
| September 2025 | 69 | 273 of 324 |
| June 2025 | 70 | 264 of 313 |
| March 2025 | 70 | 266 of 315 |
| December 2024 | 70 | 273 of 319 |
Against the same twelve months a year earlier, when the median was 69 days, West Dunbartonshire has moved up 26 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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Lawful development 13 decided 49 days
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Trees 14 decided 59 days
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Full applications 129 decided 65 days
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Advertising 20 decided 68 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 12 decided 69 days
What West Dunbartonshire decides
Year to September 2026
West Dunbartonshire issued 200 decisions in the year to September 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 98% were approvals: 154 granted against 3 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 Dunbartonshire?
The median planning application decided by West Dunbartonshire in the year to September 2026 took 63 days from submission to decision, 7 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 200 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date. It ranks 247 of 343 UK councils on decision speed.
Does West Dunbartonshire meet the eight week target?
38% of the 200 decisions West Dunbartonshire made in the year to September 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 77% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 124 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 Dunbartonshire faster or slower than average?
West Dunbartonshire is slower than average: its median of 63 days is 7 days above the national median of 56 days.
Is West Dunbartonshire getting faster or slower?
Against the same twelve month window a year earlier, when its median was 69 days, West Dunbartonshire has moved up 26 places in the table. Its median has fallen by 6 days.
What proportion of applications does West Dunbartonshire approve?
98% of the clear-cut outcomes West Dunbartonshire issued in the year to September 2026 were approvals: 154 granted against 3 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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West Dunbartonshire planning decision times, year to September 2026: median 63 days from application to decision (7 days beyond the eight week target), across 200 decisions with both dates published. 38% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 77% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 124 days. Ranked 247 of 343 UK councils on decision speed (national median 56 days). 98% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.