A householder planning application in England normally has an eight-week statutory decision period once valid. That is not the total time from your first sketch to starting construction, and it is not a promise that every council will decide within eight weeks.
When does the decision clock start?
The council must have a valid application. Missing information can hold up validation, so distinguish the submission date, valid date and target decision date in your project record.
The government's determination guidance sets out eight weeks for most applications and thirteen weeks for major development, with other periods for specified categories. A longer period can be agreed in writing. These are statutory periods, not measured local averages.
What happens before submission?
Allow time to define the brief, prepare drawings and assemble the information required for your proposal. If the project changes during design, update the documents together so the application describes one consistent scheme.
Find your council's planning website and use its current validation requirements. Before submission, agree who checks the application, who receives correspondence and who responds if further information is requested. This prevents an avoidable delay being mistaken for time spent assessing the proposal.
Is permitted development quicker?
It depends on the route. A project that needs no application is different from one requiring a certificate or prior approval. Larger home extension prior approval has a 42-day procedure, but this is not the deadline for every permitted development route. Read the official householder guidance and our prior approval guide.
Use the permitted development checker to start investigating the route, rather than selecting one solely because its advertised timescale is shorter.
What if the council misses its target?
Ask for the application's status, outstanding issues and any agreed extension of time. Keep the response with your application documents. An appeal against non-determination may be available, but the applicable deadline and route must be checked in the government's appeal guidance.
For your programme, separate design, validation, determination and preparation for construction. Review the decision and its conditions before scheduling building work. Our application costs guide helps keep the corresponding payments and later work visible as well.