Updated November 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 | City of London Corporation | London | 100% |
| 2 | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | Highlands and Islands | 100% |
| 3 | Exmoor National Park Authority | South West | 100% |
| 4 | Falkirk Council | Central Scotland | 100% |
| 5 | Renfrewshire Council | West Scotland | 100% |
| 6 | Stirling Council | Central Scotland | 100% |
| 7 | West Northamptonshire Council | East Midlands | 100% |
| 8 | Moray Council | North East Scotland | 99% |
| 9 | Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority | Yorkshire | 99% |
| 10 | Aberdeenshire Council | North East Scotland | 98% |
| 11 | Argyll and Bute Council | West Scotland | 98% |
| 12 | Blaby District Council | East Midlands | 98% |
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 | London Borough of Enfield | London | 65% |
| 2 | London Borough of Waltham Forest | London | 65% |
| 3 | Elmbridge Borough Council | South East | 68% |
| 4 | Birmingham City Council | West Midlands | 70% |
| 5 | Burnley Borough Council | North West | 70% |
| 6 | Oadby and Wigston Borough Council | East Midlands | 71% |
| 7 | Gloucester City Council | South West | 76% |
| 8 | Slough Borough Council | South East | 76% |
| 9 | Bassetlaw District Council | East Midlands | 77% |
| 10 | Dartford Borough Council | South East | 77% |
| 11 | London Borough of Harrow | London | 77% |
| 12 | Newport City Council | South Wales | 77% |
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 | Stafford Borough Council | West Midlands | 132 days |
| 2 | Cheshire East Council | North West | 94 days |
| 3 | Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council | Yorkshire | 82 days |
| 4 | Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council | West Midlands | 82 days |
| 5 | London Borough of Merton | London | 81 days |
| 6 | Bridgend County Borough Council | South Wales | 80 days |
| 7 | East Hertfordshire District Council | East of England | 80 days |
| 8 | London Borough of Hackney | London | 80 days |
| 9 | Sevenoaks District Council | South East | 80 days |
| 10 | Warwick District Council | West Midlands | 77 days |
| 11 | Glasgow City Council | Central Scotland | 76 days |
| 12 | Cherwell District Council | South East | 74 days |
Fastest councils to decide
| # | Council | Region | Median decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herefordshire Council | West Midlands | 8 days |
| 2 | Central Bedfordshire Council | East of England | 16 days |
| 3 | West Northamptonshire Council | East Midlands | 20 days |
| 4 | Ashford Borough Council | South East | 27 days |
| 5 | Essex County Council | East of England | 28 days |
| 6 | Cardiff Council | South Wales | 29 days |
| 7 | Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames | London | 36 days |
| 8 | London Borough of Redbridge | London | 36 days |
| 9 | Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | North West | 38 days |
| 10 | Melton Borough Council | East Midlands | 38 days |
| 11 | Monmouthshire County Council | South Wales | 40 days |
| 12 | East Renfrewshire Council | West Scotland | 42 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, shown for a council only where at least 20 of them, and at least half of them, carry a received date. 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 and project type, lets you filter by estimated value, then emails you the matches each morning. Free to start, no card.
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