In 2023 developers will need to work even harder to find and validate the most profitable development sites.  This includes finding those that are most likely to achieve planning permission, historically a barrier to development. With access to all UK planning data directly through our platform, we’ve compiled statistics for all the individual regions, to see how they compare.

Three Year Planning Approval Ratings: Whole of UK

Our data includes the results of 163k residential planning applications submitted across the UK since December 2019. Average approval rates over the last three years are 78.73%, with planning applications taking an average of 117 days from submission to decision date.

‍Regional Planning Approval Rates 2022

A review of the data for 2022 confirms a disparity in approval rates across the UK. It is overall much easier to get planning in the north than in the south and southeast, despite (or perhaps due to) the relatively high levels of applications in these areas.

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Regions with the lowest approval ratings include the greater London area, which is constrained by Green Belt, and various LPAs along the south and east coast which have nutrient neutrality obligations. 

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‍Application Approval Ratings: Changes 2021-2022

Our data shows that, across the UK, it is getting harder overall to achieve planning permission for developments. That said, approval ratings can (and do) also fluctuate within local authority areas. Searchland’s planning filters allow you to drill down and analyse the data at local council or even street by street level.

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(Searchland: Planning application rates: 2021 v 2022)

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‍Making the most of Searchland’s planning data

Did we mention that you can use Searchland to calculate planning approval rates in your own local authority area? We also have over 25 years’ worth of planning application history, which you can access via the platform. If you haven't had an opportunity to see it, why not reach out for a one to one demonstration? 

Meantime, our top tips to make the most of the planning data:

• Search for successful applications, for insights into the decision making process to turn to your advantage.
• Look at the reasons behind failed applications, and pre-empt these issues in your own submission.
• Look out for updates in local planning policy. Changes such as settlement boundaries (more on this HERE) may offer you an opportunity to revisit any failed applications.

Average Time Taken For Council Decisions

How fast is your LPA moving applications through the planning process? The speed at which you are likely to get planning approval will affect both your cash flow, and project timelines. We’ve averaged out the data on time taken in days from application date to decision notice. This, happily, shows a substantial reduction overall in the last year.

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‍What’s next? Use Searchland to build your pipeline in 2023

In 2023 it is going to be even more important to find the most viable and profitable sites that fit your specific criteria. That’s where Searchland comes into its own, with detailed land and property data across the UK for more strategic, and data driven decision making. If you haven’t already done so, why not go online and find out more about planning in your own local authority area? Contact us, if needed, for a free trial and demonstration.