Planning delays for housing schemes surged by over 75% in the past decade – Searchland
Searchland reported that average decision times for major housing applications increased from 181 days in 2011 to more than 318 days in 2025.
Planning delays for major housing schemes have risen by over 75% in the past decade, data from Searchland has found.
The land and planning intelligence platform reported that average decision times for major housing applications increased from 181 days in 2011 to more than 318 days in 2025.
Approval rates for planning applications remained steady at around 80% during this period, showing that delays, not rejections, are the main obstacle for development.
At the same time, planning application numbers have fallen, with volumes dropping from more than 900,000 in 2021 to under 700,000 in 2025.
Hugh Gibbs, co-founder of Searchland, said: “There’s a common perception that the planning system is holding back development because too many applications are being refused – but the data shows that’s not the case.
“Approval rates have remained broadly consistent for over a decade.
“What has changed significantly is the time it takes to get a decision, particularly for major housing schemes.”
Gibbs added: “These are the sites that deliver the majority of new homes, yet they’re now taking over 300 days on average to progress.
“If we’re serious about increasing housing delivery, the focus needs to shift from simply granting permission to improve the speed and capacity of the system.”
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