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How long does planning take?

Slower every year, faster never

System
Illustration for: How long does planning take?

Summary

Planning applications take roughly 10–12 months on average to get a decision, and processing times have been getting slower over the past decade despite no increase in application volumes.

Key findings

Average processing time (reception → decision, PA applications)

YearDecided casesAvg days~Months
20006,6022317.7
20026,7041695.6 ← fastest
20057,7592327.7
20077,13130710.2
20105,00733811.3
20133,54230410.1
20166,2682709.0
20186,6142779.2
20205,81031710.6
20225,54037012.3 ← slowest
20235,31436512.2
20245,47331410.5

Two eras

  • 2000–2006: Processing averaged 170–250 days (6–8 months)
  • 2007–present: Processing jumped to 270–370 days (9–12 months)

The system roughly doubled its processing time around 2007–2008 and has never recovered.

2022–2023: the peak

The slowest years on record were 2022–2023, averaging 365–370 days — a full year from submission to decision. This despite handling fewer cases (~5,500) than the mid-2000s (~7,000+).

Outliers

Some cases have taken close to 10 years to resolve (max ~3,600 days in several years), though these extremes have reduced in recent years.

Why this matters

For residents and developers, a year-long wait for a planning decision is a significant burden. The system is processing fewer cases more slowly than it did 20 years ago.

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