Decision times · North West
How long planning decisions take in West Lancashire
80 days. Ranked 307 of 343.
In the year to September 2026, the median planning application decided by West Lancashire took 80 days from submission to decision — 24 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 215 decisions where the council published both dates.
How West Lancashire compares
Year to September 2026
West Lancashire takes longer than the country as a whole: 24 days above the national median of 56 days. Nationally 55% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 23%.
The average here is 116 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 215 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 50 23%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 85 40%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 80 37%
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 | 80 | 307 of 343 |
| June 2026 | 72 | 283 of 328 |
| September 2025 | 63 | 243 of 324 |
| June 2025 | 62 | 210 of 313 |
| March 2025 | 63 | 224 of 315 |
| December 2024 | 62 | 222 of 319 |
Against the same twelve months a year earlier, when the median was 63 days, West Lancashire has moved down 64 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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Trees 11 decided 51 days
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Prior approval 13 decided 53 days
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Outline 10 decided 64 days
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Lawful development 22 decided 65 days
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Conditions 19 decided 84 days
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Full applications 126 decided 90 days
What West Lancashire decides
Year to September 2026
West Lancashire issued 215 decisions in the year to September 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 84% were approvals: 166 granted against 32 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 September 2026 took 80 days from submission to decision, 24 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 215 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date. It ranks 307 of 343 UK councils on decision speed.
Does West Lancashire meet the eight week target?
23% of the 215 decisions West Lancashire made in the year to September 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 63% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 215 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 80 days is 24 days above the national median of 56 days.
Is West Lancashire getting faster or slower?
Against the same twelve month window a year earlier, when its median was 63 days, West Lancashire has moved down 64 places in the table. Its median has risen by 17 days.
What proportion of applications does West Lancashire approve?
84% of the clear-cut outcomes West Lancashire issued in the year to September 2026 were approvals: 166 granted against 32 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 September 2026: median 80 days from application to decision (24 days beyond the eight week target), across 215 decisions with both dates published. 23% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 63% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 215 days. Ranked 307 of 343 UK councils on decision speed (national median 56 days). 84% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.