Decision times · East Midlands
How long planning decisions take in West Lindsey
53 days. Ranked 75 of 343.
In the year to September 2026, the median planning application decided by West Lindsey took 53 days from submission to decision — 3 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 214 decisions where the council published both dates.
How West Lindsey compares
Year to September 2026
West Lindsey 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 57%.
The average here is 70 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 145 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 123 57%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 54 25%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 37 17%
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 | 53 | 75 of 343 |
| June 2026 | 55 | 143 of 328 |
| September 2025 | 64 | 253 of 324 |
| June 2025 | 64 | 228 of 313 |
| March 2025 | 64 | 236 of 315 |
| December 2024 | 63 | 232 of 319 |
Against the same twelve months a year earlier, when the median was 64 days, West Lindsey has moved up 178 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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Telecoms 11 decided 19 days
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Other 11 decided 27 days
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Trees 25 decided 38 days
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Conditions 38 decided 53 days
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Householder 45 decided 59 days
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Full applications 36 decided 84 days
What West Lindsey decides
Year to September 2026
West Lindsey issued 214 decisions in the year to September 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 92% were approvals: 141 granted against 12 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 Lindsey?
The median planning application decided by West Lindsey in the year to September 2026 took 53 days from submission to decision, 3 days inside the eight week target. That is measured across 214 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date. It ranks 75 of 343 UK councils on decision speed.
Does West Lindsey meet the eight week target?
57% of the 214 decisions West Lindsey made in the year to September 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 83% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 145 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 Lindsey faster or slower than average?
West Lindsey is faster than average: its median of 53 days is 3 days below the national median of 56 days.
Is West Lindsey getting faster or slower?
Against the same twelve month window a year earlier, when its median was 64 days, West Lindsey has moved up 178 places in the table. Its median has fallen by 11 days.
What proportion of applications does West Lindsey approve?
92% of the clear-cut outcomes West Lindsey issued in the year to September 2026 were approvals: 141 granted against 12 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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West Lindsey planning decision times, year to September 2026: median 53 days from application to decision (3 days inside the eight week target), across 214 decisions with both dates published. 57% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 83% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 145 days. Ranked 75 of 343 UK councils on decision speed (national median 56 days). 92% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.