Planning decisions in Birmingham
How long Birmingham takes to decide a planning application and how many it approves, from the 498 decisions it made in the twelve months to August 2026. Days run from validation to decision, the clock the council reports against; the wait from receipt is shown beside it. How the figures are made.
38 daysmedian from validation to decision (UK 52); 38 from receipt
79%decided within eight weeks (UK 73%), 91% within thirteen
87%approved (UK 89%): 405 approved, 58 refused, 23 withdrawn
14 of 321UK rank for speed, up 315 places on last year; 223 of 321 for approvals
By kind of application
| Kind | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions | UK rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prior approvals | 52 | 80% | 69% | 46 | 143 of 168 |
| Amendments * | 44 | 58% | 95% | 20 | 182 of 263 |
| Advertisement consent * | 68 | 29% | 86% | 15 | 180 of 190 |
Appeals
166 appeals against Birmingham decisions were decided by the Planning Inspectorate in the window, 286 for every 100 refusals; 26% were allowed. Every appeal in Birmingham.
By year
| Year decided | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 * | 56 | 58% | 90% | 180 |
| 2017 * | 37 | 87% | 97% | 38 |
| 2018 * | 57 | 50% | 87% | 219 |
| 2019 * | 16 | 91% | 97% | 361 |
| 2020 * | 31 | 90% | 97% | 30 |
| 2021 * | 48 | 64% | 93% | 28 |
| 2022 * | 93 | 15% | 87% | 137 |
| 2023 * | 84 | 22% | 91% | 148 |
| 2024 * | 72 | 33% | 91% | 166 |
| 2025 * | 92 | 17% | 85% | 185 |
| 2026 so far | 38 | 75% | 87% | 498 |
* Years from our archive, which carries no validation date: timed from receipt, so a few days longer than the live years above them.
Decided in the last three weeks
- 116 Shirley Road,Birmingham,B27 7NAErection of 5 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 3.9 metres, eaves height 2.8 metresApproved11 Sept 2026
- 313 Brook Lane,Birmingham,B13 0TSErection of 6 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 4 metres, eaves height 2.7 metresApproved11 Sept 2026
- 250 Jiggins Lane,Birmingham,B32 3HJErection of 6 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 3 metres, eaves height 2.7 metresApproved11 Sept 2026
- 69 Berkeley Road,Birmingham,B25 8NWErection of 4 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 4 metres, eaves height 3 metresApproved11 Sept 2026
- Aston Hall Road/Lichfield Road,Near the Junction of,Aston,Birmingham,B6 7FHApplication for a prior notification for the installation of 20m high telecommunications mast with associated antennas, transmission dishes,Approved11 Sept 2026
- 361 Sarehole Road,Birmingham,B28 0ALErection of 5 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 4 metres, eaves height 3 metresApproved10 Sept 2026
- 20 Dyott Road,Birmingham,B13 9QYReplacement roof and associated works.Approved9 Sept 2026
- The Borough Buildings 58-72 John Bright Street Birmingham B1 1BNPartial demolition and refurbishment of the existing building together with the erection of a three-storey roof extension for use as a hotelApproved9 Sept 2026
Built nightly from Birmingham's planning register. Ranks are among the 321 published councils. See planning applications in Birmingham, appeals, or get alerts for Birmingham.
About these figures
How are decision times measured?
Days from the date the council validated the application to the date it decided it, for applications approved or refused in the window. That is the clock councils report against and the official statistics use. Each council’s page also shows the count from receipt, which is what the applicant actually waited. Withdrawn and undecided applications are not timed.
Why do these figures differ from the council’s own?
Councils count an agreed extension of time as decided on time; we treat the calendar as the calendar. Our figures are also live and rolling, where official statistics are quarterly and annual. So a council’s own within-eight-weeks figure will usually sit a little above ours.
What counts as approved?
Approval rate is approvals divided by approvals plus refusals. Withdrawals, and decisions whose outcome the register does not state, are counted in the totals but not in the rate.
Why is a council missing?
A council is published when it has at least 25 timed decisions in the window and its register’s decision data passes our consistency checks. Councils that fail are listed with the reason rather than shown with a number that would mislead.
How often is this updated?
Nightly, from the decisions we collect from every council register we monitor. The window is the twelve months to the last complete month.