Planning decisions in West Sussex County Council
How long West Sussex County Council takes to decide a planning application and how many it approves, from the 55 decisions it made in the twelve months to September 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.
49 daysmedian from validation to decision (UK 54); 49 from receipt
75%decided within eight weeks (UK 66%), 89% within thirteen
100%approved (UK 90%): 53 approved, 0 refused, 2 withdrawn
75 of 388UK rank for speed; 1 of 388 for approvals
By kind of application
| Kind | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions | UK rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discharge of conditions * | 40 | 85% | 100% | 13 | 36 of 310 |
| Prior approvals * | 42 | 100% | 100% | 13 | 263 of 340 |
By year
| Year decided | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far | 49 | 71% | 100% | 46 |
Decided in the last three weeks
- Storrington County Primary School, Spierbridge Road, Storrington, Pulborough, RH20 4PGInstallation of a temporary modular classroom building, with associated works including the installation of fencing (Variation of ConditionApproved9 Oct 2026
- Manor Green Primary School, Lady Margaret Road, Crawley, RH11 0DUDischarge of Statutory ‘Biodiversity Gain Condition’ of Planning Permission WSCC/040/25Approved8 Oct 2026
- The Windmills Junior School, Dale Avenue, Hassocks, West Sussex, BN6 8LSInstallation of guardrails to roof perimeters and associated access ladders.Approved7 Oct 2026
Built nightly from West Sussex County Council's planning register. Ranks are among the 388 published councils. See planning applications in West Sussex County Council, appeals, or get alerts for West Sussex County Council.
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 Withdrawn and undecided applications are not timed.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.