Councils dealing with more planning applications say figures

Councils are dealing with more planning applications in less time, according to figures published last week. In the year ending September 2004, local planning authorities determined an average 55 per cent of major planning applications within 13 weeks, the Government's Best Value target. Research carried out by the Government also failed to find evidence of councils abusing the system to meet official targets. The Planning Performance Checklist can be viewed at www.odpm.gov.uk.