Planning applications fall to lowest level in over a decade – Landmark
Planning applications remained at their lowest level in over a decade, with 689,000 applications submitted in 2025.
Landmark Information Group reported that planning applications remained at their lowest level in over a decade, with 689,000 applications submitted in 2025.
This was the lowest annual total since 2012, and the national rate dropped to a record low of 995 applications per 100,000 people.
The average grant rate stayed high at 86%, but fewer applications came forward.
New build planning applications declined by 5.5% year-on-year to 198,240 in 2025.
Uncertainty within the system increased, with 19% of applications submitted without a decision, the highest proportion on record.
The slowdown was most visible in household-led projects.
Applications for extensions and home improvements fell 44% from their 2021 peak.
Alterations and conversions increased by 4.9% compared with 2024 and accounted for almost 40% of all planning activity, showing a shift towards refurbishment and change of use.
Local authorities experienced delays to construction projects, with 64% of senior council officers reporting funding uncertainty and skills shortages as barriers.
Josh Rains, managing director at Landmark Geodata, said: “While approval rates remain strong, fewer applications are coming forward in the first place.
“That points to deeper structural challenges in the planning system, particularly around uncertainty and the time it takes to reach a clear outcome.
“Planning reform has the potential to address these issues, but success will depend on improving decision-making earlier in the process.”
Rains added: “Better use of data can help identify risks sooner, make applications clearer and give developers greater confidence before submitting applications.
“However, delivery will ultimately depend on how effectively the three core pillars of the planning system, process, people and technology, work together.
“Reform may improve the mechanics of planning, but without the right planning capacity, specialist expertise and the effective use of data and technology, the system will continue to face friction.”
He said: “If these elements can be brought together more effectively, the planning process can operate with greater certainty and support long-term housing delivery.”
Martin Alderson, founder of GapSense, said: “The figures show that the central problem is not simply whether applications are approved, but whether applicants have enough certainty to bring proposals forward in the first place.
“An 86% grant rate can look positive, but it does not capture the cost, delay and uncertainty involved in reaching that point. When almost one in five applications remains undecided, developers and homeowners are being asked to commit time and money without a clear view of the likely outcome.
“Better access to the policies, evidence and local requirements that will determine an application can help identify risks before submission. Technology cannot replace planning expertise or local authority capacity, but it can make the system easier to navigate and give applicants a clearer understanding of where the decisive issues are likely to arise.”
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