East Cambridgeshire Council approves 90.7% of planning applications, based on 11,402 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. East Cambridgeshire sits 2.1 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,125 decided applications, East Cambridgeshire Council approved 89.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 11,402 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in East Cambridgeshire is 90.7%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of East Cambridgeshire council planning portal records · Updated August 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in East Cambridgeshire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 5,084 | 667 | 5,751 | 88.4% |
| Trees | 3,058 | 51 | 3,109 | 98.4% |
| Other | 635 | 199 | 834 | 76.1% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 638 | 42 | 680 | 93.8% |
| Listed Building | 368 | 35 | 403 | 91.3% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 283 | 44 | 327 | 86.5% |
| Advertisement | 144 | 8 | 152 | 94.7% |
| Prior Approval | 128 | 18 | 146 | 87.7% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodditton | 1,044 | 124 | 1,168 | 89.4% |
| Ely West | 987 | 68 | 1,055 | 93.6% |
| Bottisham | 875 | 62 | 937 | 93.4% |
| Ely East | 871 | 61 | 932 | 93.5% |
| Burwell | 859 | 70 | 929 | 92.5% |
| Fordham And Isleham | 780 | 101 | 881 | 88.5% |
| Stretham | 735 | 86 | 821 | 89.5% |
| Soham South | 659 | 58 | 717 | 91.9% |
| Sutton | 574 | 64 | 638 | 90.0% |
| Soham North | 504 | 73 | 577 | 87.3% |
| Littleport | 466 | 59 | 525 | 88.8% |
| Haddenham | 455 | 54 | 509 | 89.4% |
| Downham | 393 | 59 | 452 | 86.9% |
| Ely North | 411 | 33 | 444 | 92.6% |
| Downham Villages | 132 | 20 | 152 | 86.8% |
| Cheveley | 129 | 11 | 140 | 92.1% |
| Fordham Villages | 105 | 22 | 127 | 82.7% |
| The Swaffhams | 71 | 8 | 79 | 89.9% |
| Isleham | 69 | 7 | 76 | 90.8% |
| Littleport East | 66 | 9 | 75 | 88.0% |
| Dullingham Villages | 57 | 3 | 60 | 95.0% |
| Ely South | 53 | 2 | 55 | 96.4% |
| Littleport West | 34 | 6 | 40 | 85.0% |
How East Cambridgeshire’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 3.4pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from East Cambridgeshire council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00585/FUL Ely West | Replacement windows & doors, replacement roof covering and internal & external a | Approved |
| 26/00780/AGN Fordham And Isleham | A steel framed portal shed which is to be used for hay and straw storage on an a | Approved |
| 26/00757/TRE Ely East | T1 Cherry tree, Tree is located in neighbouring garden (45 Deacons Lane) - Cut b | Approved |
| 26/00693/TPO Woodditton | T1 Ash - pollard to 8 meters to maintain tree as close to house | Approved |
| 26/00682/TPO Ely North | T139 Lime: Crown lift to a height of 3m from ground level over gardens only | Approved |
| 26/00470/VAR Fordham And Isleham | To vary conditions 2 (materials), 3 (boundary treatments) and 10 (approved plans | Approved |
| 26/00509/FUL Ely North | Demolition of an existing barn and the erection of a residential dwelling and st | Approved |
| 26/00762/AGN Fordham And Isleham | Side extension to the west side of existing portal framed barn | Approved |
| 26/00589/FUL Haddenham | Change of use from residential use to a small-scale education centre within Use | Approved |
| 26/00697/HEN Woodditton | Erection of single storey rear extension which extends beyond the rear wall by 6 | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on East Cambridgeshire's 11,402 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare East Cambridgeshire's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into East Cambridgeshire's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for East Cambridgeshire. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 11,402 real decisions from East Cambridgeshire council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on East Cambridgeshire's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 11,402 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in East Cambridgeshire is 90.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 11,402 planning decisions from East Cambridgeshire council. 10,338 were approved and 1,064 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in East Cambridgeshire is 90.7%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in East Cambridgeshire? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.