London restaurant planning speed is a narrow but useful gauge of how quickly councils approve the projects that need formal permission. The London restaurant planning speed index from Authority Inc scored 49.8 out of 100 for the 12 months to February 2026. That means 240 of 482 observed applications received a favourable decision within 180 days. It is a planning measure, not a count of openings, and mixing the two up leads to poor conclusions about the market.
Quick Answer
London restaurant planning speed was 49.8 out of 100 in the latest mature cohort tracked by Authority Inc, up 4.9 points from 44.9 a year earlier. Roughly half of comparable restaurant, café, pub and takeaway applications now receive a favourable decision within 180 days. The score covers planning cases only. It does not measure restaurant openings, closures or trading performance.
What London Restaurant Planning Speed Actually Measures
Planning speed is the share of qualifying applications that receive a favourable recorded decision within 180 days of validation. A qualifying application is a full planning case that explicitly concerns a restaurant, café, pub, takeaway or food and drink use.
Authority Inc’s London restaurant planning speed index adds two rules that keep the number honest. A case only counts as observable if it has a dated decision, or if no decision is recorded and the public source was checked after the 180-day deadline. A monthly cohort is only published when at least 90% of outcomes are observable. The latest cohort reached 95.6% coverage, and unresolved cases are never counted as failures.
The evidence base is large for a niche measure. The index draws on 9,244 inspected source records, and the headline score rests on 482 observed applications from March 2025 to February 2026.
Why Restaurant Openings and Planning Data Are Different Measures
Restaurant opening activity and restaurant planning activity are not the same measure. This is the most important point for anyone reading London restaurant planning speed data.
The reason is Class E. This broad commercial use class allows some changes between shops, restaurants and other commercial uses without a full planning application. A simple conversion of a former shop into a restaurant may never appear in planning records at all.
The applications that remain tend to involve extraction systems, terraces, pubs, takeaways or substantial building work. Authority Inc therefore describes its index as a reading of the harder end of London restaurant development, not of the whole restaurant economy.
A favourable planning decision also does not mean a venue will open or survive. Fit-out, licensing, finance, staffing and trading conditions all sit outside the index.
How London Restaurant Planning Speed Has Changed Since 2021
The series tells a clear story of decline and partial recovery. The rolling score was 46.9 in December 2021 and peaked at 47.2 in January 2022. It then slid to a low of 40.8 in January 2024, before climbing to 49.8 by February 2026.
Authority Inc flags two likely contributors and is careful not to claim proof of cause. The first is the post-pandemic surge in applications, which planning teams absorbed with fewer staff. The second is the 2024 recovery, which coincided with higher planning fees and a tighter decision guarantee.
An independent reviewer cited by Authority Inc, a senior land and development specialist at AtkinsRéalis, adds a useful reading. She points to Class E changing the mix of applications that still need permission, alongside a partial recovery of the wider planning system. She sees no obvious missing restaurant-market shock behind the movement.
One caution applies to any rolling series. Because the score uses a trailing 12-month window, changes appear gradually. A one-point move rarely signals a sudden shift in council behaviour.
How Planning Outcomes Differ Across London Boroughs
A citywide average hides large local differences. Authority Inc publishes borough scores only where the sample and coverage rules are met, and the spread is wide.
- Brent:4, from 19 observed applications
- Ealing:0, from 20 observed applications
- Southwark:8, from 26 observed applications
- Westminster:2, from 63 observed applications
- Tower Hamlets:4, from 27 observed applications
- Croydon:0, from 20 observed applications
These figures should be read as comparisons, not permanent league tables. Several boroughs rest on fewer than 30 cases, so a handful of decisions can move the score.
The practical lesson is that a named site should be judged against its own borough and application type. A ventilation-heavy Westminster proposal and a small terrace alteration in Ealing face different policy contexts.
What the London Restaurant Opening Pipeline Shows
The opening pipeline in August 2026 was active and varied. Time Out Market London was confirmed for 55 Regent Street, a 26,400 sq ft site with about 15 operators across three floors, expected in the first half of 2028. Caravan announced its largest site, its 10th restaurant, at the Southbank Centre. Beefbar announced a Soho flagship in an existing hospitality space.
Authority Inc reads these signals with restraint. Large multi-operator formats show that long-term capital is still flowing into prime central locations. A replacement within an existing hospitality property, such as Beefbar’s Soho move, is not proof that the wider market is expanding at the same rate.
Compact formats add another wrinkle. Harry Ramsden’s new London format shows how some expansion can proceed with little or no full planning process, which keeps it outside the planning index entirely.
How Operators and Investors Should Use Planning Speed Data
Planning speed is most useful as a risk benchmark for projects that genuinely need permission. Three habits make it more reliable.
First, check whether the project needs planning at all. If a scheme involves only a Class E change with no extraction, terrace or structural work, the index may say little about it.
Second, compare the site’s borough and application type with the citywide score. A 49.8 average is a starting point, not a prediction for any single application.
Third, treat forecasts carefully. Authority Inc tracks six unresolved named London applications alongside the index, with approval probabilities ranging from 38% to 61%. Authority Inc labels these as raw O3 shadow forecasts, not validated forecasts, and they do not change the index score. That labelling is a good model for how any forecast should be presented.
The Practical Takeaway
London restaurant planning speed shows a market where roughly half of qualifying applications succeed within 180 days, and where the trend has improved by 4.9 points in a year. The data says nothing about demand, rent, insolvencies or survival, and Authority Inc is explicit about that boundary.
Reliable industry data earns its value by stating what it does not measure. Anyone using London restaurant planning speed to judge the market should pair it with separate evidence on openings, licensing and trading.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get restaurant planning approval in London?
There is no single timeline, but Authority Inc measures outcomes within 180 days of validation. In the latest cohort, 240 of 482 observed applications, or 49.8%, received a favourable decision inside that window. Timing varies by borough, application type and project complexity.
Do all new London restaurants need planning permission?
No. Some changes between shops, restaurants and other commercial uses fall under Class E and can proceed without a full planning application. Planning is more often needed for extraction systems, terraces, pubs, takeaways or substantial building work.
Is London restaurant planning speed improving?
Yes, in the measured data. The rolling score rose from 44.9 in February 2025 to 49.8 in February 2026, a gain of 4.9 points. The score had fallen to 40.8 in January 2024, so the recovery follows a weak period.
Does a favourable planning decision mean a restaurant will open?
No. Planning is one hurdle among many. Fit-out, licensing, finance, staffing and commercial survival all sit outside a planning index and must be assessed separately.
