Babergh Mid Suffolk planning approval rate
Babergh Mid Suffolk council approved 91.9% of planning applications and refused 8.1%, based on 10,898 decisions analysed. Ranked 156th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
91.9%
overall approval rate
10,898
Decisions analysed
10,017
Approved
881
Refused
53
Wards covered
Planning in Babergh Mid Suffolk? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Babergh Mid Suffolk. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
89.4%
96.3%
88.0%
98.8%
93.7%
72.7%
87.6%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Babergh Mid Suffolk, mined from 10,898 proposal descriptions.
88.8%
81.1%
91.8%
88.4%
89.7%
93.4%
95.7%
85.3%
94.7%
90.4%
89.0%
93.1%
84.2%
68.8%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Babergh Mid Suffolk. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Lavenham
91.4%
Thurston
90.9%
Chadacre
88.3%
Long Melford
94.1%
Brett Vale
93.1%
Bures St Mary & Nayland
94.9%
Box Vale
95.0%
Needham Market
88.9%
Palgrave
91.9%
Rickinghall
96.5%
Elmswell & Woolpit
92.9%
Haughley, Stowupland & Wetherden
90.0%
Claydon & Barham
88.9%
South East Cosford
93.7%
Stradbroke & Laxfield
93.3%
Copdock & Washbrook
88.0%
Rattlesden
91.7%
Walsham-le-Willows
88.2%
Hadleigh South
94.1%
Fressingfield
92.0%
Wards in Babergh Mid Suffolk
Lavenham
91.4% approval · 498 decisions
Thurston
90.9% approval · 438 decisions
Chadacre
88.3% approval · 358 decisions
Long Melford
94.1% approval · 340 decisions
Brett Vale
93.1% approval · 334 decisions
Bures St Mary & Nayland
94.9% approval · 331 decisions
Box Vale
95.0% approval · 317 decisions
Needham Market
88.9% approval · 314 decisions
Palgrave
91.9% approval · 297 decisions
Rickinghall
96.5% approval · 285 decisions
Elmswell & Woolpit
92.9% approval · 281 decisions
Haughley, Stowupland & Wetherden
90.0% approval · 281 decisions
Claydon & Barham
88.9% approval · 280 decisions
South East Cosford
93.7% approval · 270 decisions
Stradbroke & Laxfield
93.3% approval · 269 decisions
Copdock & Washbrook
88.0% approval · 267 decisions
Rattlesden
91.7% approval · 264 decisions
Walsham-le-Willows
88.2% approval · 263 decisions
Hadleigh South
94.1% approval · 253 decisions
Fressingfield
92.0% approval · 251 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Babergh Mid Suffolk, showing how the council decides real applications.
Householder Application - Erection of a single storey extension · Stradbroke & Laxfield · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Application for Listed Building Consent - Internal and external alterations to t · Haughley, Stowupland & Wetherden · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Application for Listed Building Consent - Remove and replace front door · Haughley, Stowupland & Wetherden · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Babergh Mid Suffolk, 1 in 12 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Babergh Mid Suffolk
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Babergh Mid Suffolk →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Babergh Mid Suffolk
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 10,898 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Babergh Mid Suffolk
What is the planning approval rate in Babergh Mid Suffolk?
Based on 10,898 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Babergh Mid Suffolk approved 91.9% of applications and refused 8.1%. The council is ranked 156th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Babergh Mid Suffolk?
Babergh Mid Suffolk refuses 8.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 12. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 10,898 decided applications since 2020, 881 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Babergh Mid Suffolk have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Babergh Mid Suffolk are in Rickinghall (96.5%), Stow Thorney (96.2%), and Gislingham (95.8%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Babergh Mid Suffolk?
The most common planning application types in Babergh Mid Suffolk are: Full (4,205 decisions, 89.4% approved), Discharge of Conditions (2,738, 96.3%), and Other (1,364, 88.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Babergh Mid Suffolk?
Planning applications in Babergh Mid Suffolk take an average of 8.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 10,858 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Babergh Mid Suffolk decides approximately 1,816 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Babergh Mid Suffolk?
You can search planning applications in Babergh Mid Suffolk directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 10,898 historical decisions in Babergh Mid Suffolk to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Babergh Mid Suffolk calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Babergh Mid Suffolk's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.