52,075 applications submitted through Planning Portal in April 2022

There has been a total of 52,075 applications submitted through the Planning Portal in April 2022. This is a reduction of 20% in application submissions when compared to 2021. This is culminating in a 16% total reduction for the year to date.

Seasonal trends over the last five years have shown April to be a quieter month and we would typically expect to see things pick up next month ahead of the summer period.

The regional view

As expected, all regions throughout England and Wales have seen a reduction when compared to April 2021. The biggest reductions can be seen in Yorkshire and The Humber at -27%. The Northwest follows closely at -25% and the West Midlands has seen the third-largest reduction at -23%.

The South East and London remain as the regions with the highest volumes of applications, however, still lower than last year at -19% and -20% respectively.

There has been a decline in online application submissions across all regions throughout April 2022 when compared to 2021.

Applications by type

Following very little difference with year-on-year comparison last month, advertising consent is the only main type to rise between April 2021 and April 2022.

Telecoms applications have dropped by 50%, following the similar trend we have seen throughout 2022.

Full planning Applications

Applications for Full Planning and associated consents have dropped a further 15% year-on-year, but this is better than the baseline of a 20% reduction against all application types.

Householder Applications

Householder applications have fallen by 25% with Lawful Development consents dropping 23%. Larger Home Prior Approval Applications have reduced 33% and we are continuing to see these numbers still fall from the high levels in late 2020/early 2021.

Planning fee income for online applications

£24,529,539 of planning fees were processed throughout April 2022. This is a 13% reduction on last April, even though the total number of applications has seen a 20% reduction. This may indicate a shift in application types from the trends of the past year, with larger, more expansive applications being submitted rather than the vast number of Householder applications seen throughout the pandemic.

Planning Portal have access to online application data exclusively available at the point of submission to Local Authorities. The insights this data provides allows you to gain an early insight of what’s being applied for throughout England and Wales. If you would like to access this data on a more granular level, please email communications@planningportal.co.uk.  

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