East Cambridgeshire Council approves 87.5% of planning applications, based on 7,430 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. East Cambridgeshire sits 2.5 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 7,430 decisions on record (January 2018 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in East Cambridgeshire is 87.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of East Cambridgeshire council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
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 | 5,135 | 670 | 5,805 | 88.5% |
| Trees | 3,099 | 51 | 3,150 | 98.4% |
| Other | 637 | 199 | 836 | 76.2% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 643 | 43 | 686 | 93.7% |
| Listed Building | 375 | 35 | 410 | 91.5% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 291 | 46 | 337 | 86.4% |
| Advertisement | 147 | 9 | 156 | 94.2% |
| Prior Approval | 130 | 18 | 148 | 87.8% |
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 | 1,064 | 125 | 1,189 | 89.5% |
| Ely West | 1,000 | 68 | 1,068 | 93.6% |
| Ely East | 883 | 62 | 945 | 93.4% |
| Bottisham | 882 | 63 | 945 | 93.3% |
| Burwell | 873 | 70 | 943 | 92.6% |
| Fordham And Isleham | 797 | 101 | 898 | 88.8% |
| Stretham | 740 | 86 | 826 | 89.6% |
| Soham South | 667 | 60 | 727 | 91.7% |
| Sutton | 578 | 64 | 642 | 90.0% |
| Soham North | 504 | 74 | 578 | 87.2% |
| Littleport | 471 | 59 | 530 | 88.9% |
| Haddenham | 458 | 54 | 512 | 89.5% |
| Downham | 400 | 59 | 459 | 87.1% |
| Ely North | 414 | 34 | 448 | 92.4% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00925/TRE Burwell | T1 Birch - Reduce crown spread on all sides by 2 -2.5m, reduce height by 1.5 - 2 | Approved |
| 26/00919/TRE Burwell | T1 Conifer - Fell. Tree growing too close to the wall between propertiesT2 Judas | Approved |
| 26/00906/TRE Bottisham | T1 Cherry prunus mature in front garden near house - Fell tree to ground level. | Approved |
| 26/00889/TRE Ely West | T1 Walnut - Reduce north/northwest limb extending over neighbours boundary up to | Approved |
| 26/00873/TPO Woodditton | T1 Ash (nearest house) - Reduce boughs over the house laterally by up to 2m; pru | Approved |
| 26/00860/TPO Sutton | T1 Weeping Willow in the right-hand corner of the rear garden - Re-pollard to pr | Approved |
| 26/00833/FUL Soham South | Proposed first floor rear extension, roof alterations to existing flat roof, fen | Approved |
| 26/00683/FUL Woodditton | Single storey rear extension | Refused |
| 26/00900/CLP Stretham | Erection of single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/00851/FUL Fordham And Isleham | Change of Use from Utility/Shower Room to Hair Salon | 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 7,430 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 7,430 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 7,430 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in East Cambridgeshire is 87.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 7,430 planning decisions from East Cambridgeshire council. 6,504 were approved and 926 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in East Cambridgeshire is 87.5%, 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.