Planning decisions in Wiltshire
How long Wiltshire takes to decide a planning application and how many it approves, from the 3,099 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.
49 daysmedian from validation to decision (UK 52); 49 from receipt
71%decided within eight weeks (UK 73%), 91% within thirteen
95%approved (UK 89%): 2,638 approved, 150 refused, 166 withdrawn
100 of 321UK rank for speed, down 31 places on last year; 84 of 321 for approvals
By kind of application
| Kind | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions | UK rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full applications (including householder) | 56 | 57% | 94% | 1,137 | 216 of 302 |
| Tree works | 38 | 95% | 99% | 936 | 124 of 259 |
| Discharge of conditions | 51 | 59% | 98% | 288 | 109 of 175 |
| Listed building consent | 56 | 54% | 97% | 246 | 117 of 200 |
| Prior approvals | 46 | 78% | 55% | 160 | 119 of 168 |
| Lawful development certificates | 50 | 81% | 80% | 129 | 117 of 253 |
| Amendments | 56 | 54% | 96% | 96 | 248 of 263 |
| Advertisement consent | 55 | 71% | 94% | 34 | 113 of 190 |
| Outline applications * | 36 | 59% | 27% | 31 | 5 of 39 |
Appeals
145 appeals against Wiltshire decisions were decided by the Planning Inspectorate in the window, 97 for every 100 refusals; 37% were allowed. Every appeal in Wiltshire.
By year
| Year decided | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 * | 53 | 76% | 94% | 156 |
| 2017 * | 56 | 56% | 93% | 225 |
| 2018 * | 56 | 58% | 88% | 66 |
| 2019 * | 54 | 50% | 100% | 35 |
| 2020 * | 50 | 67% | 82% | 280 |
| 2021 * | 53 | 57% | 86% | 134 |
| 2022 * | 60 | 41% | 99% | 75 |
| 2023 * | 42 | 68% | 100% | 36 |
| 2024 * | 48 | 61% | 96% | 30 |
| 2025 * | 56 | 54% | 87% | 72 |
| 2026 so far | 49 | 71% | 95% | 3,099 |
* Years from our archive, which carries no validation date: timed from receipt, so a few days longer than the live years above them.
Past their target date now
- 67, MONKTON FARLEIGH, BRADFORD ON AVON, BA15 2QJChange of Window Specification from Previous Consent (PL/2024/05336)due 11 Feb 2026
- Northgate Brewery, Northgate Street, Devizes, SN10 1JWDischarge of condition 18 (ASHP) relating to application PL/2023/03573.due 12 Feb 2026
- Peregrine House, 35 Rollestone Street, SalisburyDismantling a section of boundary wall, which also forms the side wall of a building to allow it to be reconstructed as the side wall of a ndue 12 Feb 2026
- Northgate Brewery, Northgate Street, Devizes, SN10 1JWDischarge of condition 6 (Surface water drainage) of PL/2023/03573due 12 Feb 2026
- Victory House, Unit 1, Cotswold Business Park, Kemble, Cirencester, GL7 6BQPlant and machinery storage areadue 16 Feb 2026
- Northgate Brewery, Northgate Street, Devizes, SN10 1JWDischarge of condition 34 (Energy Statement) relating to application PL/2023/03573.due 16 Feb 2026
- Clarks Mill and Mill House, 58 Stallard Street, Trowbridge, Wilts, BA14 8HHConvert and extend Mill House to create 10 dwellings (5x3bedroom houses and 4x1 bedroom flats and 1x2 bedroom flat), an increase in 6 dwellidue 4 Mar 2026
- Fairwinds, 51 Brinkworth Road, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, SN4 8DTReplacement to Existing Garagedue 4 Mar 2026
Decided in the last three weeks
- TILIA COTTAGE, 255 THE GREEN, EAST GRAFTON, MARLBOROUGH, SN8 3DBT2 Lime - Prune branches overhanging the carriageway to achieve 5.2 m clearance above the road surfaceApproved11 Sept 2026
- 12 WORDSWORTH WAY, DEVIZES, SN10 5FNG1 Maple trees - Crown lift by 2 metres, reduce back from property by 2 metres, reduce from neighbours garden by 2 metres and thin by 10%.Approved11 Sept 2026
- 2 NORBORNE ROAD, BROAD HINTON, SWINDON, SN4 9PT2 Sycamore trees - 20% side reduction to reduce their imposition upon the garden.Approved11 Sept 2026
- NORTH BRADLEY HOUSE, CHURCH LANE, NORTH BRADLEY, TROWBRIDGE, BA14 0TAG1 - Two Yew trees overhanging the neighbouring boundary are to be pruned back close to boundary, leaving tertiary growth as the overhang. UApproved11 Sept 2026
- 9 THE LIMES, HIGH STREET, SHREWTON, SALISBURY, SP3 4BWHorse Chestnut - Removal of all epicormic growth up to 5 m is required to manage the significant reactionary growth produced following the pApproved11 Sept 2026
- The Old Chalk Pit, Old Malthouse Lane, FordCertificate of Lawfulness (Existing Use) to confirm that the container, its containment area, and associated access have been in continuousApproved11 Sept 2026
- Chirton Cottage, 56 The Street, Chirton, Devizes, SN10 3QSAddition Of New Window And Doors; And Enlargement Of Existing WindowsApproved11 Sept 2026
- 31 Marsh Street, Warminster, BA12 9PGProposed two storey side extension and single storey front extension and associated landscaping.Approved11 Sept 2026
Built nightly from Wiltshire's planning register. Ranks are among the 321 published councils. See planning applications in Wiltshire, appeals, or get alerts for Wiltshire.
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.