Chelmsford planning approval rate
Chelmsford council approved 85.7% of planning applications and refused 14.3%, based on 505 decisions analysed. Ranked 52nd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
85.7%
overall approval rate
Planning in Chelmsford?
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 Chelmsford. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Chelmsford, mined from 505 proposal descriptions.
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Chelmsford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Wards in Chelmsford
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Chelmsford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Single storey rear extension · · Thu 26 Feb 2026
Extension of close boarded fence · · Thu 26 Feb 2026
Conversion of a rural outbuilding to form a single dwelling with new bike store. · · Thu 26 Feb 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Chelmsford, 1 in 7 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 Chelmsford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Chelmsford →
Free. Based on 505 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Chelmsford
What is the planning approval rate in Chelmsford?
Based on 505 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Chelmsford approved 85.7% of applications and refused 14.3%. The council is ranked 52nd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Chelmsford?
Chelmsford refuses 14.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 7. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 505 decided applications since 2020, 72 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Chelmsford have the highest planning approval rates?
Approval rates in Chelmsford vary by ward, see the ward breakdown above for detailed figures for each area.
What types of planning application are most common in Chelmsford?
The most common planning application types in Chelmsford are: Other (505 decisions, 85.7% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Chelmsford?
Most planning applications in Chelmsford are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 505 decisions analysed since 2020, Chelmsford processes approximately 84 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Chelmsford?
You can search planning applications in Chelmsford directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 505 historical decisions in Chelmsford to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Chelmsford calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Chelmsford'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.