Every quarter, official data suggests the English planning system is hitting its targets, with over 90% of major applications decided "on time." But if you are a developer appraising a site, that doesn't match your reality on the ground.
This LandTech Research & Insights report pulls back the curtain on the performance gap between government compliance metrics and actual elapsed determination times. Driven by the widespread use of Extension of Time (EoT) agreements, a 40-week determination can legally be recorded as "on time," leaving developers exposed to hidden interest, holding costs, and systemic appraisal risk.
By analysing matched local planning authority (LPA) data across 2024 and 2025, this paper breaks down the true timelines by region and postcode, challenging the conventional wisdom of the UK planning landscape (including why London is actually the fastest region in England).
What you can expect if you download this guide:
The 43% Performance Gap: A clear, data-driven breakdown of how government statistics diverge from real-world validation-to-decision timelines.
Regional & LPA Postcode Spread: Hard metrics mapping out the fastest and slowest authorities across England so you can optimise your site selection and initial filtering.
Risk Decoupling: Insights on how to separately evaluate an authority's determination speed versus its actual grant rate.
A Three-Scenario Appraisal Framework: A practical modeling tool to help you move away from standard 13-week assumptions and build robust base, stress, and downside cases into your project finance calculations.
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