It now takes an average of 42 weeks to get planning permission in England – longer than it took to build the Empire State Building. A small café wanting to add a 50 m² kitchen extension waits nine months for a decision. A builder wanting to convert a garage into a workshop faces the same endless delays. The result? £14 billion of private investment stuck in limbo every year, according to the Home Builders Federation 2025 report.
Local authorities are overwhelmed, understaffed, and terrified of appeals. One missed bat survey or heritage statement and the application is rejected. Meanwhile, the government boasts about housing targets while choking the very extensions and conversions that keep high streets alive and families in work.
The fix is straightforward and costs nothing: automatic deemed consent for any commercial or residential extension under 100 m² (or 25 % of existing floorspace) provided it meets basic building regulations and is more than 10 metres from a listed building or SSSI. No committee, no consultation, no 8-week clock – just upload the plans and start building 28 days later if no valid objection is raised.
This is not deregulation; it is common sense. Germany grants permission for small extensions in days. The Netherlands has a 4-week statutory deadline. Britain treats a 60 m² workshop extension as if it were a nuclear power station.
Every delayed project means lost jobs, lost VAT, and lost business rates. A restaurant in Bristol abandoned a £120,000 extension because the council took 14 months to decide. That’s £120,000 not spent with local builders, electricians, and suppliers.
Fast-track under-100 m² extensions and we unlock thousands of small projects immediately. Cafés can seat more customers. Factories can add production lines. Families can create home offices. All without touching the green belt or harming heritage.
Britain’s planning system is strangling the very growth politicians claim to want. Set small projects free.
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