How long does planning permission take in England?

Received and valid are different milestones

The received date records arrival of the application. Validation is the council’s check that the required application information is in place. The statutory decision period runs from a valid application, so receipt and validation may have different dates.

Look at the dates section on the official record and any correspondence from the council. If information was missing, establish what was requested and when it was supplied. Keep those messages with the application reference rather than trying to reconstruct the sequence from memory.

Decision periods by application type

Government guidance for England sets an eight-week period for most non-major planning applications and 13 weeks for major development. Applications subject to environmental impact assessment generally have a 16-week period. Other categories have different periods, and a longer period can be agreed in writing.

These are decision periods, not a promise that a particular project will receive permission on a particular Friday. Check the application type and the current council record before using a target date to arrange building work.

Ask what is outstanding

If you are the applicant, a specific question is more useful than another request for “an update”. Ask whether the council is waiting for a document, a consultation response, a design amendment or another step. Ask what you or your agent need to provide.

If an extension of time has been discussed, check the agreed date in the correspondence. A target displayed on a register may not explain why the timetable changed. Keep the original date and the revised date in your notes.

Neighbours should check consultation deadlines separately. A decision target is not an invitation to leave comments until that day. See how to comment before preparing a response.

Distinguish completed steps from target dates

A timeline is most useful when it separates what has happened from what is expected. “Validated” records a milestone. “Target decision” describes a target. “Last checked” tells you when PlanningTrack checked its source; it does not mean the council changed the application that day.

If a decision is overdue, applicants may have appeal options for non-determination. The route depends on the case, so check the official guidance and discuss the position with your agent before deciding what to do.

Find your case through the authority directory. Our status guide explains what to read alongside the dates.

Five dates that are easy to confuse

A planning record can show when an application was received, when it became valid, when consultation closes, a target decision date and the date a decision was issued. These fields do different jobs. Before calculating how long a case has taken, write down which two dates you are comparing. Otherwise a perfectly correct calculation can answer the wrong question.

Received-to-decision time describes the overall interval visible in those fields. Valid-to-decision time starts from a different milestone. A consultation deadline is about representations rather than the start of construction. A target is an expected or procedural date, while an issued decision records an event. Put the field names beside your notes instead of keeping an unexplained list of dates.

A collected service may also show when it checked the source or first discovered a record. Those are collection dates, not necessarily council milestones. An old application imported today has not become a new proposal. If you are reading a timeline, look for wording that distinguishes published events from observations made by the collection system.

For a practical question such as “when can I book a builder?”, the decision period is only one part of the answer. You also need to understand the actual decision, relevant conditions and other project requirements. Avoid turning a target date into a construction start date merely because both appear in the same project spreadsheet.

Worked example: submission and validation dates

Imagine an application sent on 3 March that becomes valid on 17 March after missing information is supplied. These dates are fictional and are used only to explain the sequence. If you count from the first date while the council’s timetable is based on the second, your expectations will differ by two weeks before the assessment has even begun.

Now suppose the register shows a consultation closing date during that assessment period. That deadline does not replace the validation date. It tells people when to submit comments under the arrangements shown for the case. Keep it in a separate calendar entry, especially if neighbours or a residents’ group are relying on you to pass on the information.

If the applicant later agrees a revised decision date with the authority, record that change and its source. Do not simply overwrite the earlier date without keeping the correspondence that explains it. A timeline with both entries can show why expectations moved. A spreadsheet that silently changes one cell makes the history much harder to understand.

Finally, distinguish the date of a recommendation or meeting from the date on the formal decision notice. Read the record rather than assuming that the first sign of progress is the final permission. For the details you need after a decision, see planning approved: what happens next.

Check which application procedure applies

A search for planning permission timescales often starts with a familiar household project, but a register can contain several procedures with different requirements. Read the application type in the record and the authority’s explanation of that type. A request to approve details, a certificate and an application for development should not be treated as identical because they share an address.

If the type is unclear, ask your agent or the council which process the reference concerns. Supply the reference and describe the question precisely. “Which decision period applies to this application type?” is easier to answer than “why is planning taking so long?”. It also reduces the chance of receiving a generic explanation for a different kind of case.

Keep related applications separate in your programme. A decision on the main scheme may be followed by submissions required for particular details, and those records can have their own dates. A project timeline can therefore contain several application timelines. Flattening them into one “planning complete” milestone can hide work that still needs to be organised.

For England, use the current official guidance linked below as the starting point for statutory periods. For another UK nation, use that nation’s guidance and the relevant authority’s instructions. Do not apply the English figures just because the online register uses the same software or a similar status label.

Find out whether an action is waiting on you

The most useful progress question often concerns a specific missing action. Check correspondence from the authority and your agent before sending another general request for an update. If a document was requested, establish what was asked for, who is preparing it and whether it has actually been submitted. A draft in someone’s inbox is different from information received by the council.

Give each outstanding item an owner and a next action. For example, a drawing revision may be with the designer, while a specialist report is awaiting a separate appointment. This is a practical management exercise, not a diagnosis of the council’s performance. It helps you distinguish tasks you can progress from matters being assessed by others.

When sending information, identify the application reference and document clearly. Ask your agent how revisions are being coordinated so that the authority receives a coherent set. Unexplained replacement drawings can create uncertainty about which version is intended. Keep the submission record with the document rather than relying on a remembered telephone conversation.

If the authority says an item is outstanding but you believe it was supplied, respond with the date, route and confirmation of submission. That gives both sides something to check. Avoid assuming either that the council lost it or that a colleague sent it correctly. Establish the evidence first, then agree the practical next step.

How to ask for an update that produces useful information

A concise enquiry should contain the reference, site and the date you last received an update. Say what you understand is outstanding, then ask whether that is still correct. If you need to make a project decision, explain the information you need rather than demanding an exact completion date the officer may not be able to give.

For example: “Our understanding is that the revised access drawing submitted on Tuesday is the remaining information requested from us. Please confirm whether any further applicant information is needed and whether the target date displayed on the register remains current.” This fictional wording is specific without assuming that submission immediately completes the assessment.

If you have an agent, agree who will communicate with the authority. Several people sending slightly different questions can create confusion and make it harder to keep a reliable record. That does not mean you cannot ask questions; it means organising correspondence so everyone is working from the same information and knows who is following up.

After a telephone conversation, make a dated note of the substantive points and any actions agreed. Where timing is important, seek written confirmation through the appropriate route. Do not treat an informal indication as a guaranteed decision date. A good record distinguishes an expectation, an agreement and a completed event.

Record agreed extensions of time

When a timetable changes, find the evidence for the change. Look for correspondence between the applicant or agent and the authority, and check what date was agreed. An extension of time is not the same as a permission being granted, nor does it reveal the likely outcome of the application. It concerns the timetable for reaching a decision.

If you are the applicant, consider the reason given and discuss the position with your adviser. A public guide cannot decide whether agreeing an extension is the right choice for a particular case. Your circumstances, outstanding information and procedural options matter. Avoid making the decision solely because another applicant reports a very different experience online.

For neighbours, a revised decision target does not automatically tell you whether further comments are invited. Check consultation information separately. If revised plans are the reason you are concerned, focus on which documents changed and what the council says about responding. The commenting guide explains how to organise that response.

For researchers, preserve original and revised dates rather than presenting only the longest interval you can calculate. A comparison that ignores extensions, application types or incomplete records can be misleading. Describe the measure you are using and the limits of the data. That is especially important if you are comparing councils or publishing a chart.

What an overdue target does and does not tell you

A target passing tells you that the displayed date has passed. It does not, by itself, establish the current procedural position, the cause of delay or the eventual outcome. First check the official record and any relevant correspondence. The online target may need context, particularly if an extension has been agreed or the collected data has not refreshed.

If you are the applicant and no decision has been issued, ask your adviser about the options that apply to the actual case. Government guidance describes appeal possibilities for non-determination, but choosing a route requires more than comparing today’s date with a badge on a website. Check current requirements and obtain appropriate advice before taking a consequential step.

If you are a neighbour, avoid assuming that a delayed decision means your objection has succeeded or failed. There may be several reasons the case remains under consideration. Read any new documents and keep your comments focused on the proposal. A lack of a visible update is not evidence of a private agreement or a hidden outcome.

Keep your own planning decisions proportionate to uncertainty. If you are considering spending money because you expect an approval next week, separate that expectation from the evidence available now. The appropriate level of professional advice depends on what you are committing to, but the basic research habit is always the same: name the uncertainty rather than disguising it as a date.

Plan for tasks that depend on approval

A useful project programme records what must happen before the next step can start. Put the application decision in that sequence alongside design work, any required approvals of details and other project arrangements. Do not assume all of those tasks run automatically or that they are all handled by the same professional.

For each step, record the responsible person, required information and evidence of completion. A status of “with designer” or “submitted for approval” describes progress; it does not mean the requirement is complete. This is particularly important when different people use the word “approved” for planning, technical drawings and other approvals.

Use date ranges or clearly labelled assumptions for uncertain stages rather than giving every task a false precision. A builder can understand that a proposed start is provisional if you say so. Problems arise when a tentative planning estimate is passed through several conversations and eventually appears as a firm commitment without its original qualification.

Once a decision arrives, replace assumptions with the actual notice and read what follows from it. Update the programme around the permission that was issued, not the scheme you expected to receive. Conditions, approved plans and later changes can all affect the practical sequence. Keep those documents accessible to the people organising the work.

• Record received, valid, consultation, target and decision dates separately.
• Distinguish council milestones from collection and last-checked dates.
• Assign an owner to each outstanding document or action.
• Confirm changed timetables in the relevant correspondence and keep the earlier record.
• Read the formal decision and project requirements before treating planning as complete.

Does a quick decision mean a simple project?

Not necessarily. Decision time describes the interval between particular milestones; it does not measure every difficulty a project may encounter. A short application process can still be followed by detailed design, procurement or conditions requiring attention. A longer process may include periods waiting for information or an agreed timetable. Without the case context, speed alone is a weak basis for judging either the project or the authority.

If you are comparing examples to plan your own work, record application type, the dates used and any published explanation of the timetable. Do not take the fastest nearby approval as the likely programme for your scheme. Ask your adviser which steps are known, which depend on others and which remain uncertain. A realistic sequence of tasks with named responsibilities is more useful than an optimistic date copied from a different application, even when the two proposal descriptions appear similar.