East Cambridgeshire planning approval rate

East Cambridgeshire council approved 90.5% of planning applications and refused 9.5%, based on 10,928 decisions analysed. Ranked 109th out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

90.5%

overall approval rate

10,928

Decisions analysed

9,885

Approved

1,043

Refused

Wards covered

Planning in East Cambridgeshire? 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 East Cambridgeshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Full (5,550 decided)

88.1%

Trees (2,956 decided)

98.3%

Other (808 decided)

76.0%

Discharge of Conditions (649 decided)

94.1%

Listed Building (379 decided)

90.8%

Certificate of Lawfulness (307 decided)

87.0%

Advertisement (144 decided)

94.4%

Prior Approval (135 decided)

88.1%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in East Cambridgeshire — mined from 10,928 proposal descriptions.

Garage / Parking (1,980 decided)

86.7%

Rear Extension (1,288 decided)

94.2%

Extension (General) (855 decided)

90.8%

Outbuilding (680 decided)

88.7%

Side Extension (626 decided)

91.9%

Change of Use (Residential) (549 decided)

82.3%

New Build (458 decided)

77.7%

Front Extension (211 decided)

91.9%

Conservatory (206 decided)

98.1%

Loft Conversion (197 decided)

87.8%

Annex (183 decided)

85.2%

Dormer (163 decided)

90.2%

Wraparound Extension (96 decided)

91.7%

Flat Conversion (16 decided)

87.5%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within East Cambridgeshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Woodditton (1,114 decided)

89.0%

Ely West (1,014 decided)

93.3%

Bottisham (885 decided)

93.3%

Burwell (885 decided)

92.3%

Ely East (876 decided)

93.0%

Fordham And Isleham (841 decided)

88.5%

Stretham (793 decided)

89.2%

Soham South (683 decided)

91.5%

Sutton (608 decided)

90.0%

Soham North (562 decided)

87.2%

Littleport (507 decided)

88.4%

Haddenham (493 decided)

89.2%

Downham (430 decided)

87.0%

Ely North (427 decided)

92.5%

Downham Villages (152 decided)

86.8%

Cheveley (140 decided)

92.1%

Fordham Villages (127 decided)

82.7%

The Swaffhams (79 decided)

89.9%

Isleham (76 decided)

90.8%

Littleport East (75 decided)

88.0%

Wards in East Cambridgeshire

Woodditton

89.0% approval · 1,114 decisions

Ely West

93.3% approval · 1,014 decisions

Bottisham

93.3% approval · 885 decisions

Burwell

92.3% approval · 885 decisions

Ely East

93.0% approval · 876 decisions

Fordham And Isleham

88.5% approval · 841 decisions

Stretham

89.2% approval · 793 decisions

Soham South

91.5% approval · 683 decisions

Sutton

90.0% approval · 608 decisions

Soham North

87.2% approval · 562 decisions

Littleport

88.4% approval · 507 decisions

Haddenham

89.2% approval · 493 decisions

Downham

87.0% approval · 430 decisions

Ely North

92.5% approval · 427 decisions

Downham Villages

86.8% approval · 152 decisions

Cheveley

92.1% approval · 140 decisions

Fordham Villages

82.7% approval · 127 decisions

The Swaffhams

89.9% approval · 79 decisions

Isleham

90.8% approval · 76 decisions

Littleport East

88.0% approval · 75 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in East Cambridgeshire, showing how the council decides real applications.

25/01379/FUL

Replacement cladding of existing front extension and garage · Downham · Wed 04 Mar 2026

Approved

25/01091/FUL

Installation of 2 double gates and fencing to the front of the property · Ely North · Tue 03 Mar 2026

Approved

26/00007/FUL

Convert an existing class E unit into C3 dwelling. Single storey rear extension, · Ely East · Mon 02 Mar 2026

Refused

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In East Cambridgeshire, 1 in 11 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:

✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in East Cambridgeshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get East Cambridgeshire Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 10,928 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

Cambridge North Norfolk Norwich King's Lynn & West Norfolk

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