Babergh Mid Suffolk planning approval rate
Babergh Mid Suffolk council approved 91.2% of planning applications and refused 8.8%, based on 19,354 decisions analysed. Ranked 147th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
91.2%
overall approval rate
19,354
Decisions analysed
17,650
Approved
1,704
Refused
54
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.
88.3%
96.0%
86.6%
98.7%
92.6%
70.0%
86.8%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Babergh Mid Suffolk, mined from 19,354 proposal descriptions.
87.4%
79.2%
92.2%
89.3%
89.3%
93.0%
94.9%
85.3%
93.8%
90.4%
89.3%
92.0%
81.2%
72.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Babergh Mid Suffolk. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Thurston
91.5%
Lavenham
91.2%
Box Vale
93.3%
Chadacre
89.0%
Needham Market
89.2%
Bures St Mary & Nayland
94.4%
Brett Vale
91.2%
Claydon & Barham
89.3%
Long Melford
93.8%
Elmswell & Woolpit
93.5%
South East Cosford
91.5%
Palgrave
90.0%
Haughley, Stowupland & Wetherden
90.3%
Stradbroke & Laxfield
92.7%
Copdock & Washbrook
86.9%
Rickinghall
96.6%
Stonham
87.2%
Rattlesden
93.1%
Hadleigh South
90.0%
Walsham-le-Willows
90.0%
Wards in Babergh Mid Suffolk
Thurston
91.5% approval · 788 decisions
Lavenham
91.2% approval · 786 decisions
Box Vale
93.3% approval · 627 decisions
Chadacre
89.0% approval · 601 decisions
Needham Market
89.2% approval · 595 decisions
Bures St Mary & Nayland
94.4% approval · 587 decisions
Brett Vale
91.2% approval · 555 decisions
Claydon & Barham
89.3% approval · 551 decisions
Long Melford
93.8% approval · 546 decisions
Elmswell & Woolpit
93.5% approval · 540 decisions
South East Cosford
91.5% approval · 503 decisions
Palgrave
90.0% approval · 499 decisions
Haughley, Stowupland & Wetherden
90.3% approval · 497 decisions
Stradbroke & Laxfield
92.7% approval · 467 decisions
Copdock & Washbrook
86.9% approval · 466 decisions
Rickinghall
96.6% approval · 464 decisions
Stonham
87.2% approval · 452 decisions
Rattlesden
93.1% approval · 449 decisions
Hadleigh South
90.0% approval · 422 decisions
Walsham-le-Willows
90.0% approval · 422 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Babergh Mid Suffolk, showing how the council decides real applications.
Local Listed Building Consent Order - Class C - Ground floor casement window and · Fressingfield · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Application for Listed Building Consent. Safe removal of an established honey be · Mendlesham · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Application for Listed Building Consent - Remediation works to brick walls aroun · North Cosford · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Babergh Mid Suffolk, 1 in 11 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 19,354 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 19,354 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Babergh Mid Suffolk approved 91.2% of applications and refused 8.8%. The council is ranked 147th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Babergh Mid Suffolk?
Babergh Mid Suffolk refuses 8.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 11. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 19,354 decided applications since 2020, 1,704 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 Chilton (97.2%), Rickinghall (96.6%), and Stow Thorney (96.0%). 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 (7,413 decisions, 88.3% approved), Discharge of Conditions (5,061, 96.0%), and Other (2,337, 86.6%).
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 19,269 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 3,226 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 19,354 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.