About 200 fewer development applications were lodged in the ACT in 2015 compared with 2014, year-end government figures show.
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The shortfall resulted mainly from fewer single residential buildings, though 2015 saw a greater number of multi-use building applications and longer average decision times.
Some 1018 applications were lodged during the last calendar year, below the 1237 developments applied for during 2014.
Of those applications, 431 were classified as single residential, 176 were multiple residential and 264 were counted as "other", which includes commercial, industrial, public works and signs.
Mixed-use applications were lodged 28 times in 2015, 12 more than in the 12 months prior.
Single residential and "other" applications were far more popular in 2014 at 675 and 358 respectively, but multiple residential was lower with only 134 applications lodged.
The greatest difference in the volume of applications happened towards the end of the year: while November and December in 2014 saw the highest number of development applications at 130 and 139 respectively, only 76 and 79 were lodged during the same months in 2015.
May and June were the most popular months in 2015 for lodging applications, tied at 102 each. February was the quietest with only 71 lodged.
While there were fewer applications, the average number of days it took the Planning and Land Authority to decide on approval blew out from 45.4 in 2014 to 50.3 in 2015.
However, the median days to make a decision were far closer to 2014's results. The monthly median for December 2015 was 31 days, compared with 30 for the same period in 2014.
The greatest difference in medians was in November, with 46 days in 2015 and 30 in 2014.
The Planning and Land Authority has a 20 working day statutory time frame for assessing code track applications.
Merit and impact tracks have a 30-day statutory timeframe for assessment, though that extends to 45 working days if representations are sent in about the application.
Since 2009 many single dwelling applications have been fast tracked, with many of those decisions made within six working days.
The 2014-15 financial year figures show 421 exemption declarations processed for houses designed to comply with the Single Dwelling Housing Development Code.
