Decision times · North West
How long planning decisions take in West Lancashire
70 days.
In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by West Lancashire took 70 days from submission to decision — 14 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 353 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.
How West Lancashire compares
Year to December 2026
West Lancashire takes longer than the country as a whole: 13 days above the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 31%.
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, 203 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 110 31%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 137 39%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 106 30%
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.
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Prior approval 15 decided 39 days
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Trees 34 decided 47 days
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Lawful development 44 decided 62 days
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Outline 10 decided 64 days
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Full applications 187 decided 80 days
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Conditions 19 decided 84 days
What West Lancashire decides
Year to December 2026
West Lancashire issued 353 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 86% were approvals: 284 granted against 45 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 Lancashire?
The median planning application decided by West Lancashire in the year to December 2026 took 70 days from submission to decision, 14 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 353 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.
Does West Lancashire meet the eight week target?
31% of the 353 decisions West Lancashire made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 70% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 203 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 Lancashire faster or slower than average?
West Lancashire is slower than average: its median of 70 days is 13 days above the national median of 57 days.
What proportion of applications does West Lancashire approve?
86% of the clear-cut outcomes West Lancashire issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 284 granted against 45 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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West Lancashire planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 70 days from application to decision (14 days beyond the eight week target), across 353 decisions with both dates published. 31% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 70% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 203 days. 86% 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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<p>Data: <a href="https://planindex.co.uk/planning-decision-times/west-lancashire">Planning decision times, from PlanIndex</a></p>