East Cambridgeshire planning approval rate
East Cambridgeshire council approved 90.7% of planning applications and refused 9.3%, based on 11,402 decisions analysed. Ranked 139th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
90.7%
overall approval rate
11,402
Decisions analysed
10,338
Approved
1,064
Refused
23
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.
88.4%
98.4%
76.1%
93.8%
91.3%
94.7%
87.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in East Cambridgeshire, mined from 11,402 proposal descriptions.
87.0%
94.3%
90.8%
89.0%
92.1%
77.9%
98.2%
92.1%
88.3%
85.3%
90.6%
91.8%
88.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within East Cambridgeshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Woodditton
89.4%
Ely West
93.6%
Bottisham
93.4%
Ely East
93.5%
Burwell
92.5%
Fordham And Isleham
88.5%
Stretham
89.5%
Soham South
91.9%
Sutton
90.0%
Soham North
87.3%
Littleport
88.8%
Haddenham
89.4%
Downham
86.9%
Ely North
92.6%
Downham Villages
86.8%
Cheveley
92.1%
Fordham Villages
82.7%
The Swaffhams
89.9%
Isleham
90.8%
Littleport East
88.0%
Wards in East Cambridgeshire
Woodditton
89.4% approval · 1,168 decisions
Ely West
93.6% approval · 1,055 decisions
Bottisham
93.4% approval · 937 decisions
Ely East
93.5% approval · 932 decisions
Burwell
92.5% approval · 929 decisions
Fordham And Isleham
88.5% approval · 881 decisions
Stretham
89.5% approval · 821 decisions
Soham South
91.9% approval · 717 decisions
Sutton
90.0% approval · 638 decisions
Soham North
87.3% approval · 577 decisions
Littleport
88.8% approval · 525 decisions
Haddenham
89.4% approval · 509 decisions
Downham
86.9% approval · 452 decisions
Ely North
92.6% approval · 444 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.
Replacement windows & doors, replacement roof covering and internal & external a · Ely West · Fri 14 Aug 2026
A steel framed portal shed which is to be used for hay and straw storage on an a · Fordham And Isleham · Thu 13 Aug 2026
T1 Cherry tree, Tree is located in neighbouring garden (45 Deacons Lane) - Cut b · Ely East · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In East Cambridgeshire, 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 East Cambridgeshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for East Cambridgeshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in East Cambridgeshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 11,402 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in East Cambridgeshire
What is the planning approval rate in East Cambridgeshire?
Based on 11,402 planning decisions analysed since 2020, East Cambridgeshire approved 90.7% of applications and refused 9.3%. The council is ranked 139th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in East Cambridgeshire?
East Cambridgeshire refuses 9.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 11. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 11,402 decided applications since 2020, 1,064 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of East Cambridgeshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in East Cambridgeshire are in Ely South (96.4%), Dullingham Villages (95.0%), and Ely West (93.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in East Cambridgeshire?
The most common planning application types in East Cambridgeshire are: Full (5,751 decisions, 88.4% approved), Trees (3,109, 98.4%), and Other (834, 76.1%).
How long does a planning application take in East Cambridgeshire?
Planning applications in East Cambridgeshire take an average of 10.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 11,348 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. East Cambridgeshire decides approximately 1,900 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in East Cambridgeshire?
You can search planning applications in East Cambridgeshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 11,402 historical decisions in East Cambridgeshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for East Cambridgeshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes East Cambridgeshire'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.