Number of submissions to local authorities in third quarter of 2022 was the lowest for more than two years
English district councils received 13% fewer planning applications in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, official statistics have shown.
Of the 99,200 applications received between July and September 2022, 85,700 were granted decisions. The number of granted decisions dropped by 14% compared with the same quarter the year before.
The number of applications submitted in the third quarter is the lowest since April to June 2020, when it was 88,000. Since then applications have exceeded 100,000 each quarter, the statistics from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show.
Eighty seven per cent of major applications were decided on within 13 weeks or the agreed time, which is one percentage point down on the same quarter in 2021. However, this is a slightly higher percentage than April to June 2022, when 86% of major applications were decided on within 13 weeks of the agreed time.
In the year to September 2022, 4,400 applications for major residential developments in England were granted, down by 10% on the year ending September 2021.
For the year to September 2022, English planning authorities decided on 397,900 planning applications, down 6% from the year before. They also received fewer applications in the year - 422,300, a drop of 12% from the year ending September 2021.
Planning departments have been struggling with a lack of resources and work overload for years, a situation made worse by the covid pandemic. Housing Today highlighted the issues in a special long-read piece this year.
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