St Albans is one of the slowest councils in England for householder decisions, ranking #285 out of 296. The council extends the time limit on 64% of applications - one of the highest rates in England. Expect your application to take longer than the standard deadline. Householder applications are slightly less likely to be approved here (88%) than the national average (90%).

Among the slowest councils in England

for householder decisions

These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance

St Albans decision performance

Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026

87%

Overall approval rate

Above avg (87%) #180 of 296

88%

Householder approved

Below avg (90%) #226 of 296

29%

Decided in 8 weeks

Below avg (63%) #285 of 296

64%

Extended time limit

Above avg (41%) #278 of 296

74%

Minor dwellings approved

130 decided (1-9 homes)

61%

Major dwellings approved

18 decided (10+ homes)

77%

Change of use approved

26 decided

1,411

Total decisions

184 refused in the year to March 2026