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How long does it take to get a decision on an application?

Planning is not a quick process and often requires consultation with interested parties including members of the public potentially affected by the development, ward councillors, as well as, advice or input from various local, regional and national bodies.

Most planning applications are decided within eight weeks, unless they are unusually large or complex - in which case the time limit is extended to 13 weeks. The Council should be able to give you an idea on likely timeframes to determine an application and if it is unlikely a decision can be reached within these timeframes then it should obtain your written consent to extend the period. If it has not done so, you can appeal to the First Secretary of State but appeals can take several months to decide and it may be quicker to reach agreement with the Council. To find out more about the appeals process please use the following links

Please note that the Council has a statutory duty when undertaking consultation to allow for a reasonable time for interested parties to make representations on a planning application. This period of time is 21 days and therefore a decision on a planning application cannot be made within this timeframe.

If you seek further information concerning timeframes to determine your planning application, then please contact the Planning Officer assigned to your planning application who shall be better placed to give you an idea about the likely timetable and due process involved or alternatively find out more about your specific planning application.

General information on how planning applications are dealt with is also available.