Planning decisions by authority

How long Wales's 25 planning authorities take to decide planning applications, and how often they approve them, worked out from each authority's register. Every authority is listed in alphabetical order. Where the figures can't be worked out fairly, the table says why.

Each authority's figures cover applications received from the day OpenCouncil began collecting its register up to 6 August 2026, so every one has had at least three months to be decided. Applications for discharge of conditions, tree works, amendments and Developments of National Significance are left out.

This is OpenCouncil's own measure, worked out from the dates in each register. The usual legal time limit is eight weeks, or sixteen weeks for developments that need an environmental impact assessment, and applicants can agree more time. The Welsh Government's official figures count agreed extensions as on time, so they are higher than these. Authorities differ in size and in the kinds of application they get, so a difference between two authorities doesn't on its own show that one is doing better. Data collected by UK PlanIt from each authority's register. Official planning performance figures from the Welsh Government

All planning authorities

16 authorities

Planning authority	Decided within 8 weeks	Typical time to a decision	Approved	Applications	Still waiting	No decision date recorded	Collected since	Held against the official count
Bridgend	22%	12 weeks	97%	140	64	0	8 May 2026	–
Caerphilly	63%	8 weeks	71%	98	11	0	11 May 2026	–
Cardiff	54%	8 weeks	94%	1,398	168	0	6 Aug 2025	587 of 526January to March 2026
Carmarthenshire	50%	8 weeks	80%	210	71	0	6 May 2026	–
Conwy	30%	11 weeks	79%	163	37	2	27 Apr 2026	–
Flintshire	58%	8 weeks	91%	222	6	23	27 Apr 2026

Decided within 8 weeks:: Of applications with a recorded decision, the share decided within eight weeks of being received.
Typical time to a decision:: Of applications with a recorded decision, half were decided faster than this and half slower.
Approved:: Of new proposals (full and outline applications) approved or refused, the share approved. Withdrawn applications are left out.
Still waiting:: Applications received in the period that the register still shows as undecided.
No decision date recorded:: Applications that should have an outcome by now, but whose register shows no decision date.
Held against the official count:: How many applications we hold for the latest quarter we have collected in full, against the number the authority told the Welsh Government it received (its development management quarterly survey, leaving out pre-application cases). Registers usually list more applications than the official count, because they include types the survey leaves out, such as tree works. Holding fewer means applications are missing from our copy of the register.
Notes:: Why some figures are shown as a dash. The table sorts alphabetically; select a column heading to sort by it.