Planning permission in Epsom and Ewell
What actually happens to planning applications decided by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council: approval rates, decision times, appeal odds and the development plan they are judged against. Figures cover 2,214 applications decided in the two years to July 2026, from the council's public planning register.
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How long does planning permission take in Epsom and Ewell?
Half of decided applications took 51 days or less from validation to decision. The middle 50% of applications took between 38 and 56 days, and 80.0% were decided inside the 8-week statutory target for minor applications. Complex or contested schemes take longer.
The Epsom and Ewell local plan
The development plan is the Core Strategy (2007) with the Development Management Policies document (2015), the Plan E town centre area action plan (2011) and the Stoneleigh and Auriol Neighbourhood Plan (2026).
A new Local Plan for 2022 to 2040 was submitted in 2025 and is at examination, so it is further advanced than most emerging plans but not yet adopted.
What tends to shape decisions here: Around two fifths of the borough is Metropolitan Green Belt, and the borough has one of the weakest housing land supply positions in England (around 1.5 years against a five year requirement), so the NPPF tilted balance features in most housing decisions.
If Epsom and Ewell says no: appeal odds
Between 2021 and 2025 the Planning Inspectorate overturned 28.5% of appealed Epsom and Ewell refusals (45 of 158 decided appeals). The national average is 31.1%. More detail, including how Epsom and Ewell ranks nationally: planning appeals in Epsom and Ewell.
Source: decisions published on the Epsom and Ewell Borough Council public planning register, two years to July 2026. Approval rate = approvals divided by approvals plus refusals; withdrawn applications and other outcomes are excluded. We track 8,450 Epsom and Ewell applications in total. Plan facts as of July 2026; always check the council's own pages for the latest position.
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