How long does planning permission take in London?
A council must decide an application that is not major development within 8 weeks, and a major one within 13 weeks, counted from the day after it receives the application. Across London's 33 councils, 93% of householder decisions in the four quarters to 2026 Q2 were made within 8 weeks (our analysis of MHCLG statistics, table PS2).
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Eight weeks or thirteen: which clock applies
Article 34(2) of the Development Management Procedure Order 2015 sets the statutory decision periods. For an application that is not major development, the period is 8 weeks beginning with the day immediately following the day the application is received. For major development, it is 13 weeks counted the same way. The Order is on legislation.gov.uk.
A house extension, a loft conversion or a change to a single home falls in the first group. Major development is a defined, larger category, and the council decides the class when it registers the application. Either period can be extended if you agree in writing, which is how a case that needs more discussion ends up past the headline date.
How London councils actually perform
A statutory period tells you the limit, not the typical result. We summed the quarterly figures for all 33 London councils from 2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2: 93% of householder decisions, leaving out prior approvals, were made within 8 weeks (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2, released 24 September 2026).
That is a London-wide figure, so individual councils will sit above or below it. Our planning permission service page covers the application itself, from drawings to submission.
If a householder application is refused, you can appeal for up to 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter (GOV.UK, Appeal a householder planning decision).
The 21 days inside the clock
Neighbours get a chance to comment during the decision period. Under article 15(5) of the same Order, an application is publicised by a site display or by notice to adjoining owners or occupiers, for not less than 21 days. The 8 weeks keep running while they do.
In practice the case officer reads the comments and writes a recommendation in the weeks that follow. Drawings that answer the likely objections up front, such as a section showing the neighbour's window and the new roof, are what reduce the back and forth. Our step-by-step guide to getting planning permission walks through each stage.
A shorter wait: larger home extension prior approval
A single-storey rear extension that goes beyond the normal permitted development limits can go through the prior approval route instead of a full application. Under Class A.4(10)(c) of Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the General Permitted Development Order 2015, the extension may go ahead if the council has not notified its decision within 42 days of receiving the information.
Read the conditions before relying on a silent council, because the route has its own tests. Our guide to prior approval for a larger home extension sets them out.
After the decision: appeals and how long permission lasts
If a householder application is refused, you can appeal for up to 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter (GOV.UK, Appeal a householder planning decision). The planning appeal guide explains what an appeal involves.
Permission itself does not last forever. The decision notice carries a condition giving the time within which work must begin, so read yours rather than relying on a general rule. Whether work has begun in time can turn on conditions that had to be discharged first, which is covered in our guide to discharging planning conditions.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | DMPO 2015 art 34(2)(b): decision period for an application that is not major development (source wording: "8 weeks beginning with the day immediately following that on which the application is received") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 13 weeks | DMPO 2015 art 34(2)(a): decision period for major development (source wording: "13 weeks beginning with the day immediately following that on which the application is received") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 21 days | DMPO 2015 art 15(5): an application is publicised by site display for not less than 21 days or by notice to adjoining owners or occupiers (source wording: "for not less than 21 days") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 42 days | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class A.4(10)(c): a larger home extension may go ahead if the council has not notified its decision within 42 days of receiving the information (source wording: "the expiry of 42 days following the date on which the information ... was received") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 12 weeks | GOV.UK, Appeal a householder planning decision: you can appeal up to 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter (source wording: "you can appeal for up to 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter") | www.gov.uk |
| 93% | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |