Planning decisions in Chester
How long Chester takes to decide a planning application and how many it approves, from the 1,370 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.
51 daysmedian from validation to decision (UK 52); 55 from receipt
69%decided within eight weeks (UK 73%), 88% within thirteen
94%approved (UK 89%): 976 approved, 62 refused, 58 withdrawn
143 of 321UK rank for speed, up 178 places on last year; 101 of 321 for approvals
By kind of application
| Kind | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions | UK rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full applications (including householder) | 52 | 65% | 95% | 493 | 56 of 302 |
| Tree works | 52 | 93% | 99% | 249 | 226 of 259 |
| Lawful development certificates | 45 | 84% | 90% | 107 | 79 of 253 |
| Discharge of conditions | 57 | 50% | 98% | 94 | 162 of 175 |
| Amendments | 45 | 73% | 95% | 93 | 188 of 263 |
| Listed building consent | 59 | 47% | 100% | 51 | 141 of 200 |
| Prior approvals * | 46 | 100% | 83% | 41 | 118 of 168 |
| Advertisement consent * | 91 | 24% | 94% | 18 | 188 of 190 |
Delegated or committee
| Route | Share | Median days | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delegated to officers | over 99% | 51 | 94% | 1,115 |
| Planning committee | under 1% | 56 | 100% | 1 |
Where the register states how the decision was made. 254 decisions did not say.
By year
| Year decided | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 * | 43 | 77% | 97% | 156 |
| 2017 * | 25 | 91% | 92% | 100 |
| 2018 * | 34 | 74% | 85% | 107 |
| 2019 * | 50 | 53% | 80% | 169 |
| 2020 * | 96 | 37% | 88% | 73 |
| 2021 * | 130 | 6% | 81% | 39 |
| 2022 * | 108 | 14% | 95% | 84 |
| 2023 * | 168 | 28% | 86% | 379 |
| 2024 * | 63 | 43% | 98% | 53 |
| 2025 * | 88 | 20% | 97% | 30 |
| 2026 so far | 55 | 56% | 94% | 1,369 |
* 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
- 17 Melrose Avenue Great Boughton Chester CH3 5JAT1- Weeping Willow, crown raise to 6m to ensure safe passage for refuse collection vehicles. T2- Weeping Willow, crown raise to 6m to ensureApproved10 Sept 2026
- 22 Shavington Avenue Chester CH2 3RDCopper Beech in the rear garden of 24 Shavington Avenue - Reduce the lower overhanging branches by up to 4 metres, including one branch exteApproved9 Sept 2026
- Ivy Cottage and 2 Meadow View Hill Lane Brown Knowl Broxton Chester Cheshire CH3 9HTTwo storey rear and side extension to Ivy Cottage with first floor extension to No 2 Meadow ViewApproved8 Sept 2026
- Land At Sutton New Hall Farm Ledsham Road Little Sutton Ellesmere PortDischarge of condition 18 (landscaping) under 25/02453/NMA (Non Material Amendment to update drawings under condition 2 of reserved mattersApproved8 Sept 2026
- Heath House Hatton Hall Lane Hatton Chester CH3 9APSingle storey side extension and rear dormer windows (to replace rooflights)Approved8 Sept 2026
- 6 Grovemount Davenham Northwich CW9 8LYDemolition of existing single storey rear extension. Construction of new single storey rear extension adjoining existing two storey side extApproved8 Sept 2026
- Playing Field Weaverham Road Cuddington NorthwichOak (T3) - Reduce the length of the lateral branches by up to 2 metres, pruning back to suitable secondary growth pointsApproved8 Sept 2026
- 55 Pooltown Road Whitby Ellesmere Port CH65 7ADSingle storey and part two storey side extensionApproved7 Sept 2026
Built nightly from Chester's planning register. Ranks are among the 321 published councils. See planning applications in Chester, appeals, or get alerts for Chester.
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.