Percentage of major planning applications decided within statutory 13-week period increases

The percentage of planning applications that were decided within the 13-week statutory time period was 21% in the quarter between July and September 2023, up two percentage points compared to the same period last year.

Out of all major planning applications - defined as more than 10 homes or bigger than 0.5 hectares - 88% were decided within 13 weeks or the agreed time, up one percentage point from the same quarter last year.

Once a planning application is validated, the local planning authority must make a decision “as quickly as possible”, and within a maximum of 8 weeks for a minor application and 13 weeks for a major application, unless a longer period is agreed in writing with the applicant.

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On 7 December, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) released data on the number of planning applications received and decisions made by English local authorities undertaking district level planning between July and September this year.

During the third quarter of this year, planning authorities in England received 87,800 applications for planning permission, down 12% from the same quarter a year earlier.

Planning applications were down by 13% in the year ending September 2023, with planning authorities receiving a total of 369,990 planning applications.

In the year ending September 2023, 245,000 housing units were granted planning permission, down 15% from the 290,000 homes granted permission in the year to September 2022.

Compared to the year ending September 2021, the number of housing units granted planning permission has decreased by 24.6%.

The report states “when considering the figures in relation to the central government ambition of raising housing supply to 300,000 homes per year on average by the mid-2020s, it should be noted that many permissions do not result in a home being delivered in practice”.