Planning applications and enforcement statistics

Annual reports are published, in June/July each year, containing various statistics in relation to applications and enforcement cases dealt with by East Suffolk Council.

These reports, to the Strategic Planning Committee, are accompanied by various appendices which include graphs displaying the data for the preceding financial year and in some cases comparisons with previous years.

Planning Application, Enforcement and Appeals Performance Reports

The Planning Performance Report sets out and analyses various data relating to applications including the overall numbers and types of applications, the timeliness of decision making, the outcomes of applications and appeals, and various data relating to enforcement cases including the number or cases received/closed and the number of enforcement notices served.

The following planning performance reports and appendices have been published:

April 2025 to March 2026 – Strategic Planning Committee July 2026

April 2024 to March 2025 – Strategic Planning Committee July 2025

April 2023 to March 2023 – Strategic Planning Committee July 2024

April 2022 to March 2023 – Strategic Planning Committee July 2023

April 2021 to March 2022 – Strategic Planning Committee June 2022

April 2020 – March 2021 – Strategic Planning Committee June 2021

April 2019 – March 2020 – Strategic Planning Committee June 2020

Review of the Planning Committees and the work of the Referral Panel

The Review of the North, South and Strategic Planning Committees and the work of the Referral PanelReport provides analysis in relation to statistics relating to the Planning Referral Panel and the work of the Planning Committees.

In terms of the Planning Referral Panel, the report includes the numbers of applications and the reasons why they triggered the process (i.e. comments from town/parish councils, ward member(s) or statutory consultees) the outcomes of applications following the Planning Referral Panel, and more recently Ward Member attendance at Referral Panel meetings.

In terms of Planning Committee, the report includes the number applications being determined by the Planning Committees, and the proportion of applications at Planning Committee for each trigger reason, the numbers of applications on which the public/parish councils/ward members attended to speak at Planning Committee, the outcomes of applications determined at planning committees, and the timeliness of decisions based upon determination process route.

The following Review of the North, South and Strategic Planning Committees and the work of the Referral Panel, Reports and appendices have been published:

April 2025 to March 2026 – Strategic Planning Committee July 2026

April 2024 to March 2025 – Strategic Planning Committee July 2025

April 2023 to March 2023 – Strategic Planning Committee July 2024

April 2022 to March 2023 – Strategic Planning Committee July 2023

April 2021 to March 2022 – Strategic Planning Committee June 2022

April 2020 – March 2021 – Strategic Planning Committee June 2021

April 2019 – March 2020 – Strategic Planning Committee June 2020

Quarterly reports

The following reports are also published to Strategic Planning Committee on a quarterly basis:

  • The Planning Performance Report - setting out the performance of the Local Planning Authority in terms of the numbers and proportions of Planning Applications determined within/beyond time during the last completed quarter.
  • The Enforcement Performance Report – providing a summary of the number of enforcement cases report, number of cases closed and the reasons for closure, and the number of notices served during the last completed quarter.
  • The Appeals Performance Reportand Appendix - provide summaries of all of the appeal decisions received since the previous report was published and any key learning points.

Bi-weekly/monthly reports

An update on Planning Enforcement Action is also provided to every Planning Committee North meeting and every Planning Committee South meeting through a report titled ‘East Suffolk Enforcement Action – Case Update’. This report provides a status update on all Planning Enforcement cases on which formal action has taken place (e.g. those on which notices have been served and/or other legal action is taking place).

Finding further statistical information

If you are seeking further information/data in specifically relation to application numbers and/or types received and/or determined by East Suffolk Council as Local Planning Authority, and/or their outcomes, and/or those relating to a particular geographical area of the district, then much of this information is already publicly available via Public Access, using the Public Access Advanced Search and completing the relevant dropdown options. Guidance on how to use the Advanced Search function of public access can be found in the Public Access User Guide.

Information on Developer Contributions received are published at East Suffolk PFM - Home (exacom.co.uk) and in Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) » East Suffolk Council.

There is also a wide range of data on planning related matters for the East Suffolk Council area published in the Open Data Portal, Authority Monitoring Report, and other reports published by the Planning Policy Team at Open data, monitoring and housing supply .

Planning Application Statistics for all Local Planning Authorities across England are also published on a quarterly basis by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) also publishes statistics in relation to their timeliness with Planning Appeals etc, which can be found via Welcome to GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and using the search function to look for ‘Planning Inspectorate Statistical’.