Planning application submissions fall due to COVID-19

A recent Planning Portal Report shows that planning applications of all types in England and Wales fell on average by 3.5% in March and 18.5% in April.

Planning Portal said the restrictions placed on personal movement and businesses to stem the spread of coronavirus have had a "significant impact" on the planning and construction industries.

The report comes as the construction industry has started to go back to work following Boris Johnson's announcement on Sunday 10 May, and measures announced by housing secretary Robert Jenrick, regarding flexible working hours and staggered travel.

Other key findings in the report include:

• applications have fallen most in the worst affected COVID-19 regions: London, the South East and the North West;
• outline planning applications declined by 9% in March and 10% in April;
• applications related to advertising have been hardest hit, with a 60% decline;
• applications related to telecoms infrastructure are up, demonstrating the continuing investment in 5G networks in particular.

April submission data from the report show the following percentage difference between April 2019 and April 2020 in the following regions:

• North East: -16%;
• North West: -22%;
• Yorkshire and the Humber: -17%;
• East Midlands: -19;
• West Midlands: -10%;
• East of England: -20%;
• London: -23%;
• South East: -20%;
• South West: -12%;
• Wales: -18%.

Sarah Chilcott, managing director at the Planning Portal, said: "Obtaining market data to inform business planning has never been more critical than it is today and we are therefore delighted to be able to release this data publicly and comprehensively for the first time. We welcome feedback on what else organisations may find useful to add into future reports".

For more information on this subject, see:

• Planning Market Insight Report from the Planning Portal.