Updated September 2026 · Data
UK planning statistics: volumes, approval rates and decision times by council
A live snapshot of UK planning activity, built from the public planning registers SiteLens tracks across the country. Figures cover roughly the last 90 days and update as the data refreshes. Free to cite with a link to this page.
Busiest UK planning authorities
The councils receiving the most planning applications over the last 90 days. Volume is the clearest signal of where construction and development activity is concentrated.
Highest approval rates
Among councils with a meaningful volume of decisions (20+ decided in the window), where a planning application is most likely to be approved. Approval rate is the share of decided applications that were granted.
| # | Council | Region | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moray Council | North East Scotland | 100% |
| 2 | Broads Authority | East of England | 100% |
| 3 | Bristol City Council | South West | 100% |
| 4 | Falkirk Council | Central Scotland | 100% |
| 5 | Preston City Council | North West | 100% |
| 6 | Stirling Council | Central Scotland | 100% |
| 7 | Canterbury City Council | South East | 100% |
| 8 | Inverclyde Council | West Scotland | 100% |
| 9 | Herefordshire Council | West Midlands | 100% |
| 10 | Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council | South Wales | 100% |
| 11 | North Kesteven District Council | East Midlands | 100% |
| 12 | Bracknell Forest Council | South East | 100% |
Lowest approval rates
The councils where applications are most likely to be refused, again among those with 20+ decisions. A lower rate can reflect local policy, greenbelt or conservation constraints, or the mix of applications received.
| # | Council | Region | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stafford Borough Council | West Midlands | 71% |
| 2 | Oadby and Wigston Borough Council | East Midlands | 71% |
| 3 | Slough Borough Council | South East | 72% |
| 4 | Hastings Borough Council | South East | 72% |
| 5 | London Borough of Newham | London | 73% |
| 6 | Burnley Borough Council | North West | 73% |
| 7 | Pembrokeshire County Council | West Wales | 73% |
| 8 | London Borough of Harrow | London | 74% |
| 9 | Buckinghamshire Council | South East | 74% |
| 10 | Birmingham City Council | West Midlands | 75% |
| 11 | Brent Council | London | 76% |
| 12 | Torbay Council | South West | 76% |
Slowest councils to decide
Median time from receipt to decision, among councils with 20+ recent decisions. Knowing where decisions run long helps the supply chain time its approach to a project.
| # | Council | Region | Median decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Borough of Newham | London | 823 days |
| 2 | London Borough of Tower Hamlets | London | 550 days |
| 3 | Cheltenham Borough Council | South West | 148 days |
| 4 | Stafford Borough Council | West Midlands | 119 days |
| 5 | Hastings Borough Council | South East | 84 days |
| 6 | East Hertfordshire District Council | East of England | 83 days |
| 7 | North Northamptonshire Council | East Midlands | 79 days |
| 8 | Glasgow City Council | Central Scotland | 76 days |
| 9 | Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council | Yorkshire | 76 days |
| 10 | Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council | South East | 76 days |
| 11 | Fenland District Council | East of England | 75 days |
| 12 | Cherwell District Council | South East | 75 days |
Fastest councils to decide
| # | Council | Region | Median decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Borough of Hounslow | London | 7 days |
| 2 | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | Highlands And Islands | 8 days |
| 3 | Herefordshire Council | West Midlands | 11 days |
| 4 | Kirklees Metropolitan Council | Yorkshire | 18 days |
| 5 | Charnwood Borough Council | East Midlands | 24 days |
| 6 | Oxford City Council | South East | 31 days |
| 7 | Tendring District Council | East of England | 31 days |
| 8 | London Borough of Redbridge | London | 32 days |
| 9 | South Hams District Council | South West | 32 days |
| 10 | New Forest National Park Authority | South East | 33 days |
| 11 | Cardiff Council | South Wales | 34 days |
| 12 | East Ayrshire Council | South West Scotland | 34 days |
Methodology
Figures are derived from the public planning registers SiteLens monitors across UK local planning authorities, covering roughly the last 90 days. Volumes count applications active (validated or received) in the period. Approval rate is the share of applications decided in the period that were granted. Decision time is the median span from receipt to decision over those decisions. Rankings of approval rate and decision time are limited to councils with at least 50 applications and 20 decisions in the window, so small-sample noise does not distort them. Coverage expands as more registers are tracked, so totals are a floor, not a complete national count. You can explore any council in detail on its SiteLens council page.
Track the applications behind these numbers
SiteLens classifies every new UK planning application by trade, project type and estimated value, then emails you the matches each morning. Free to start, no card.
Start for free