Slowest Planning Councils in England

Which councils take the longest to decide planning applications? Average decision times ranked from slowest to fastest.

Data covers the most recent 24-month period. Rankings are based on 200 councils that meet minimum data thresholds for statistical significance. Last updated 25 July 2026.

#	Council	Avg Days	Median Days	Total Decided
1	Newry Mourne Down	217	212	160
2	Armagh Banbridge Craigavon	130	100	271
3	Lisburn and Castlereagh	129	103	167
4	Causeway and Glens	114	76	449
5	Derry and Strabane	108	77	189
6	Belfast	107	86	368
7	Scarborough	106	98	274
8	Bridgend	105	76	286
9	Stafford	104	85	493
10	Orkney	100	87	223
11	Ards and North Down	99	73	254
12	Mid Ulster	98	86	215
13	High Peak	96	74	206
14	Glasgow	96	81	881
15	Antrim and Newtownabbey	96	81	248
16	Moray	95	78	162
17	Loch Lomond	95	73	64
18	Havant	93	74	426
19	Staffordshire Moorlands	91	71	328
20	Barnsley	91	72	159
21	East Staffordshire	91	72	532
22	Hinckley and Bosworth	88	59	238
23	Conwy	87	65	297
24	Walsall	86	56	437
25	Hammersmith and Fulham	86	68	488
26	West Northamptonshire	85	64	2263
27	Tewkesbury	84	56	144
28	Rother	84	71	286
29	Melton	83	56	226
30	Snowdonia	83	65	185
31	Thanet	82	62	501
32	Bassetlaw	82	63	425
33	Guildford	81	58	1007
34	Mid East Antrim	79	53	242
35	Rushcliffe	79	61	484
36	Kensington	79	61	1289
37	East Dunbartonshire	79	64	176
38	Yorkshire Dales	79	56	345
39	Fylde	79	56	151
40	Birmingham	78	56	2522
41	Richmondshire	78	59	277
42	Chesterfield	78	61	378
43	Rochford	78	63	153
44	Brecon Beacons	78	56	266
45	Great Yarmouth	77	63	355
46	North Warwickshire	77	59	330
47	Wycombe	77	62	1036
48	Rugby	77	58	696
49	Selby	77	58	567
50	Anglesey	76	58	298

Planning Decision Timescales

Local planning authorities in England are expected to determine most planning applications within statutory timescales: 8 weeks for minor and householder applications, and 13 weeks for major applications. Extensions of time can be agreed with applicants, and complex applications may take considerably longer.

Decision speed is a key performance indicator monitored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Councils that consistently fail to meet targets may face designation as underperforming, potentially leading to applications being submitted directly to the Planning Inspectorate.

Factors contributing to slow decision times include staffing pressures, the complexity of applications, environmental constraints requiring specialist consultation, political sensitivity, and workload backlogs. Rural councils with smaller planning teams can be particularly affected.

Average vs Median Decision Times

The median decision time is often a better indicator of typical performance than the average (mean). A small number of very slow applications - such as major developments requiring environmental impact assessment or applications held in abeyance - can significantly inflate average figures.

We include both metrics to give a more complete picture. A large gap between average and median suggests the presence of outlier applications that are distorting the average.