Did you know? We're delivering planning decisions faster than most councils
Arun District Council continues to be one of the best-performing planning authorities in the country when it comes to determining planning applications.
At the start of the year, Government data covering the two-year period up to September 2025 showed Arun was the highest-performing authority in England for determining non-major planning applications within the target timescale, with 92% decided within eight weeks.
The latest quarterly figures, covering the two-year period up to March 2026, show that Arun has maintained its position at the top of the national performance table for more than six months. During this period, the council determined more than 1,300 non-major planning applications, with 91% decided within eight weeks, compared with a national average of 55%.
Performance on major planning applications is also above the national average. The latest data shows that 32% of major applications were determined within 13 weeks, compared with a national average of 20%. Improvements have also been made in managing agreed extensions of time, helping to ensure decisions are recorded within agreed timescales.
These achievements reflect years of hard work, process improvements and cultural change across the Planning Service, helping to deliver a faster and more efficient service for residents, businesses and applicants across the district.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this success possible.