Decision times · East Midlands
How long planning decisions take in West Northamptonshire
75 days.
In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by West Northamptonshire took 75 days from submission to decision — 19 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 2,809 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 Northamptonshire compares
Year to December 2026
West Northamptonshire takes longer than the country as a whole: 18 days above the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 37%.
The average here is 101 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 185 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.
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Within eight weeks the statutory target 1,038 37%
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Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 690 25%
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Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 1,081 38%
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 152 decided 43 days
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Trees 462 decided 43 days
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Outline 57 decided 55 days
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Amendments 178 decided 58 days
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Lawful development 180 decided 63 days
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Conditions 481 decided 66 days
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Householder 77 decided 76 days
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Advertising 67 decided 85 days
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Full applications 966 decided 109 days
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Heritage and listed buildings 147 decided 119 days
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Reserved matters 14 decided 177 days
What West Northamptonshire decides
Year to December 2026
West Northamptonshire issued 2,809 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 92% were approvals: 2,467 granted against 211 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 Northamptonshire?
The median planning application decided by West Northamptonshire in the year to December 2026 took 75 days from submission to decision, 19 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 2,809 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.
Does West Northamptonshire meet the eight week target?
37% of the 2,809 decisions West Northamptonshire made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 62% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 185 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 Northamptonshire faster or slower than average?
West Northamptonshire is slower than average: its median of 75 days is 18 days above the national median of 57 days.
What proportion of applications does West Northamptonshire approve?
92% of the clear-cut outcomes West Northamptonshire issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 2,467 granted against 211 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.
Cite these figures
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West Northamptonshire planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 75 days from application to decision (19 days beyond the eight week target), across 2,809 decisions with both dates published. 37% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 62% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 185 days. 92% 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-northamptonshire">Planning decision times, from PlanIndex</a></p>