UK planning application activity
How many planning applications councils decided each month, counted from published decisions across 141 councils with a complete history for this period. It is an early read on how busy the planning system is. It is not a complete national total, and not yet a reliable measure of change on its own (see below). Journalists are welcome to cite it with attribution to MyTrustedTraders.
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The number of councils and historical decisions available to us has grown over this period, so an unadjusted month-to-month comparison could mistake that growth for real activity. The headline therefore uses only councils with decisions throughout the full period. We mark newer months as being confirmed and publish a year-on-year change only when both months are comparable.
Last 12 months
* Still being confirmed. Recent months revise as more decisions arrive.
Method
We count planning applications by the month they were received, from published council decisions. To avoid mistaking an expanding council set for an economic signal, we include only the 141 councils with decisions throughout the full period; 263councils whose histories do not span it are left out. The most recent months are marked as still being confirmed while more decisions arrive, and we don't publish a year-on-year change unless both the current and year-ago month have settled and the change is within a plausible range. Aggregate figures only. Construction-sector company formations and permit activity are planned additions.