Planning decisions in Sefton
How long Sefton takes to decide a planning application and how many it approves, from the 801 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.
53 daysmedian from validation to decision (UK 52); 53 from receipt
71%decided within eight weeks (UK 73%), 89% within thirteen
91%approved (UK 89%): 623 approved, 58 refused, 29 withdrawn
184 of 321UK rank for speed, down 123 places on last year; 153 of 321 for approvals
By kind of application
| Kind | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions | UK rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full applications (including householder) | 54 | 71% | 96% | 401 | 96 of 302 |
| Discharge of conditions | 54 | 61% | 91% | 92 | 129 of 175 |
| Tree works | 43 | 96% | 84% | 78 | 183 of 259 |
| Amendments | 53 | 67% | 85% | 63 | 224 of 263 |
| Prior approvals | 52 | 64% | 80% | 42 | 145 of 168 |
| Advertisement consent * | 55 | 70% | 75% | 23 | 102 of 190 |
| Listed building consent * | 71 | 33% | 100% | 15 | 181 of 200 |
Delegated or committee
| Route | Share | Median days | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delegated to officers | 99% | 53 | 92% | 793 |
| Planning committee | 1% | 88 | 60% | 5 |
Where the register states how the decision was made. 3 decisions did not say.
Appeals
35 appeals against Sefton decisions were decided by the Planning Inspectorate in the window, 60 for every 100 refusals; 40% were allowed. Every appeal in Sefton.
By year
| Year decided | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 * | 56 | 62% | 97% | 35 |
| 2017 * | 23 | 86% | 80% | 58 |
| 2018 * | 50 | 85% | 97% | 68 |
| 2019 * | 36 | 100% | 100% | 29 |
| 2020 * | 52 | 70% | 93% | 28 |
| 2021 * | 55 | 68% | 100% | 37 |
| 2022 * | 58 | 46% | 97% | 38 |
| 2023 * | 53 | 78% | 84% | 39 |
| 2024 * | 28 | 83% | 85% | 58 |
| 2025 * | 52 | 85% | 89% | 48 |
| 2026 so far | 53 | 71% | 91% | 801 |
* 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
- 45 Massams Lane Formby L37 7BDTree preservation order for the removal of ivy by means of severing and crown lift up to 6ms for 2.No Horse Chestnut (T2,T3) (TPO20).Approved11 Sept 2026
- 61 Larkhill Lane Formby L37 1LUErection of a single-storey extension to the front and side of the dwellinghouse following the demolition of existing conservatory at the siApproved10 Sept 2026
- Hadley And Co Accountants Adelphi Chambers 30 Hoghton Street Southport PR9 0NZPrior notification for the change of use of part of the first floor to provide two (2) flats of 39.5 and 39 sqm respectively.Approved10 Sept 2026
- 11A Welwyn Avenue Birkdale PR8 3BEVariation of condition 2 pursuant to planning permission DC/2025/00989 approved 07/08/2025 to allow for single storey rear extension to protApproved9 Sept 2026
- 57 Oxford Road Waterloo L22 8QEPrior approval submission for a proposed rear extension projecting 4.0 metres from the rear wall of the original dwellinghouse, a height ofRefused9 Sept 2026
- 7P Spooner Avenue Litherland L21 8NFSingle storey extension to the rear of detached propertyApproved9 Sept 2026
- Unit B 30 Hoghton Street Southport PR9 0NZPrior notification for the change of use of part of the first floor to 2no. self-contained flats of 63.1 and 40 sqm respectively.Refused9 Sept 2026
- 1 Tower End Formby L37 1LPreplacement of existing balcony.Approved9 Sept 2026
Built nightly from Sefton's planning register. Ranks are among the 321 published councils. See planning applications in Sefton, appeals, or get alerts for Sefton.
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.