Guide

How long does planning permission actually take?

The statutory eight weeks, what really happens, and where the time goes on a householder application.

Four houses in a row showing a project progressing from bare house to completed extension
Where the weeks actually go

Eight weeks, and what really happens

The statutory target for a householder application is eight weeks from validation. Most authorities hit it. The reason projects feel slow is that the eight weeks is the smallest part of the timeline.

The honest sequence

  • Measured survey and design, three to six weeks. Two or three options, then refining the one you like.
  • Drawings and validation, one to two weeks. An invalid submission does not start the clock.
  • Consultation, three weeks. Neighbours are notified and can comment.
  • Determination, eight weeks. Running concurrently with the above, not after it.
  • Conditions, two to four weeks. Approval usually comes with conditions to discharge.

Realistically, fourteen to eighteen weeks from first call to a decision you can build from.

What actually causes delay

Not the council. Incomplete submissions, late decisions on the client side, and the discovery midway through that an Article 4 direction applies. All three are avoidable before you start.

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More guides

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Your planning application was refused. What now?

Why householder applications get refused, whether to appeal or resubmit, and how long each route takes.

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Article 4 directions, and why they matter to you

How councils remove permitted development rights, how to find out if yours is affected, and what it changes.

Read it →Two adjoining houses with the shared party wall highlighted and notice zones marked on the groundGuide

Party wall agreements without the jargon

When you need one, what it costs, how long it takes, and what happens if your neighbour objects.

Read it →The same extension drawn twice, once as an outer shell and once cut open to show structure and servicesGuide

Building regulations and planning permission are not the same thing

Two separate approvals, two separate risks. What each one covers and why passing one does not help with the other.

Read it →
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