A ready-to-publish local data pack on planning decision times in Barnet. Everything on this page is free to use with attribution to PlanningLens.
Figures from the 9 July 2026 data export·
7.4 wks
Average decision time, 2025
14th
fastest of 146 ranked
16%
took over 8 weeks
2,212
Decisions analysed
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Local figures
Householder planning applications in Barnet took an average of 7.4 weeks to decide in 2025, according to analysis of council planning records by the planning data firm PlanningLens. That makes it the 14th fastest of the 146 British councils with enough decisions to rank, and one of only 26 to decide inside the statutory eight weeks on average. The figures cover 2,212 decided applications. The picture is improving: in 2020 the average was 8.0 weeks.
National context
Across England, the average planning application takes 10.7 weeks from validation to decision, according to PlanningLens analysis of 2,094,240 decided applications across 209 English councils, and 90% of councils (189 of 209) take longer than the statutory eight weeks on average. Official figures look healthier because an application still counts as decided on time if the council persuades the applicant to sign an extension of time agreement first. The full analysis, with league tables for every council and project type, is free at planninglens.co.uk/how-long-does-planning-permission-take.html.
Quote
“Most of Britain runs past the statutory eight weeks, so a council deciding in 7.4 weeks deserves to be noticed. The figures are not ours: they come from Barnet’s own planning portal, application by application. We have simply added them up,” said Mark Broome, founder of PlanningLens.
May be used as supplied.
Decision times by project type
Application type
Average
Over 8 weeks
Decisions
Two-storey extensions
10.7 wks
32%
209
Rear extensions
7.6 wks
14%
93
Single-storey extensions
7.1 wks
13%
1,044
Loft conversions
6.8 wks
16%
866
Householder application types with at least 50 decided applications in 2025. Averages are validation date to decision date.
Notes for editors
How these figures are produced
PlanningLens measures validation date to decision date, per application, from each council’s own planning portal. Named local figures cover householder applications (extensions, lofts and similar) decided in 2025; councils are ranked only where at least 50 such decisions were available. National context figures cover all application types. Full method: planninglens.co.uk/how-long-does-planning-permission-take.html#method.
Using this pack
Everything on this page is free to publish with attribution to PlanningLens and a link to the full analysis. Text and data are licensed CC BY 4.0. The quote from Mark Broome may be used as supplied.
Interviews, custom data cuts or checks: hello@planninglens.co.uk. Figures from the 9 July 2026 data export; the live analysis regenerates with every data update.
Barnet decides planning applications inside the statutory eight weeks, averaging 7.4
Householder planning applications in Barnet took an average of 7.4 weeks to decide in 2025, according to analysis of council planning records by the planning data firm PlanningLens. That makes it the 14th fastest of the 146 British councils with enough decisions to rank, and one of only 26 to decide inside the statutory eight weeks on average. The figures cover 2,212 decided applications. The picture is improving: in 2020 the average was 8.0 weeks.
Across England, the average planning application takes 10.7 weeks from validation to decision, according to PlanningLens analysis of 2,094,240 decided applications across 209 English councils, and 90% of councils (189 of 209) take longer than the statutory eight weeks on average. Official figures look healthier because an application still counts as decided on time if the council persuades the applicant to sign an extension of time agreement first. The full analysis, with league tables for every council and project type, is free at planninglens.co.uk/how-long-does-planning-permission-take.html.
“Most of Britain runs past the statutory eight weeks, so a council deciding in 7.4 weeks deserves to be noticed. The figures are not ours: they come from Barnet’s own planning portal, application by application. We have simply added them up,” said Mark Broome, founder of PlanningLens.