Half of councils failing to hit deadline for approving planning conditions, says HBF

Half of councils are taking longer than the statutory 8-week limit to determine if developers have met planning conditions, according to research by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Paragon Bank Development Finanace.

The HBF collected data relating to more than 14,000 applications from councils using the Freedom of Information Act.

It found many councils are struggling to hit the eight-week target for discharge of condition applications. Planning conditions are requirements attached to a permission that oblige developers to submit additional information for approval by the local authority at specified stages of a development.

They are intended to enable a development to proceed by mitigating adverse impacts. They include pre-commencement condition which need to be formally discharged prior to construction, meaning if they are not approved starts can be delayed.

The HBF found 50.8% of discharge of condition applications were determined within eight weeks in 2024/25. It also found the problem has got worse, falling from 55.6% in 2023/24.

It found considerable variation between local authorities. While some local authorities performed strongly against statutory targets, with more than 75% of discharge applications determined on time, others met the deadline in just 18% of cases.

The report said: “Although developers of all sizes are affected, the impact is often particularly acute for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) home builders with limited financial resources, fewer sites under construction at any one time and less flexibility to absorb unexpected delays.

“Additional time spent waiting for approvals can tie up capital, increase financing and holding costs, disrupt construction schedules and undermine the viability of individual developments.”

HBF said the government should introduce a national framework for tracking and reporting the performance of local planning authorities (LPAs) in discharging conditions and to monitor the impact of the introduction of the national default fee on LPA performance. It said LPAs must also be adequately staffed and resourced and introduce a set of standardised model conditions at pace.

Neil Jefferson, chief executive at Home Builders Federation said: “Securing planning permission should be a major step towards getting homes built, yet our research shows that almost half of applications to discharge planning conditions are not being determined within the statutory eight-week timeframe, with performance deteriorating year on year. These delays create unnecessary cost, uncertainty and risk for home builders, particularly smaller businesses without the reserves to absorb them.

“Government’s planning reforms have so far been positive but will not alone unlock the delivery of homes at the pace and scale needed. Addressing the root cause of planning delays must also be part of the solution, including capacity, local planning staffing shortages, and ensuring greater transparency and accountability with consistent reporting so that performance can be properly monitored.”