East Hertfordshire Council approves 74.6% of planning applications, based on 14,346 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. East Hertfordshire sits 10.4 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,614 decided applications, East Hertfordshire Council approved 75.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 14,346 decisions on record (January 2018 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in East Hertfordshire is 74.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of East Hertfordshire 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 Hertfordshire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 8,484 | 2,837 | 11,321 | 74.9% |
| Other | 2,129 | 838 | 2,967 | 71.8% |
| Listed Building | 1,231 | 213 | 1,444 | 85.2% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 461 | 554 | 1,015 | 45.4% |
| Advertisement | 221 | 45 | 266 | 83.1% |
| Prior Approval | 144 | 85 | 229 | 62.9% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 188 | 34 | 222 | 84.7% |
| Change of Use | 18 | 6 | 24 | 75.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sawbridgeworth | 736 | 268 | 1,004 | 73.3% |
| Hertford - Castle | 596 | 254 | 850 | 70.1% |
| Buntingford | 567 | 194 | 761 | 74.5% |
| Hertford - Bengeo | 566 | 160 | 726 | 78.0% |
| Much Hadham | 504 | 219 | 723 | 69.7% |
| Bishops Stortford - Meads | 466 | 167 | 633 | 73.6% |
| Braughing | 362 | 156 | 518 | 69.9% |
| Bishops Stortford - All Saints | 384 | 121 | 505 | 76.0% |
| Bishops Stortford - Central | 363 | 132 | 495 | 73.3% |
| Bishops Stortford - South | 390 | 105 | 495 | 78.8% |
| Hertford - Rural South | 306 | 180 | 486 | 63.0% |
| Little Hadham | 334 | 141 | 475 | 70.3% |
| Hunsdon | 322 | 143 | 465 | 69.2% |
| Thundridge And Standon | 328 | 129 | 457 | 71.8% |
| Bishops Stortford - Silverleys | 347 | 79 | 426 | 81.5% |
| Hertford - Rural North | 255 | 137 | 392 | 65.1% |
| Mundens And Cottered | 251 | 112 | 363 | 69.1% |
| Datchworth And Aston | 209 | 151 | 360 | 58.1% |
| Ware - Christchurch | 258 | 94 | 352 | 73.3% |
| Hertford Heath | 230 | 120 | 350 | 65.7% |
| Hertford Bengeo | 263 | 71 | 334 | 78.7% |
| Hertford Rural | 220 | 108 | 328 | 67.1% |
| Hertford - Sele | 249 | 77 | 326 | 76.4% |
| Hertford Castle | 260 | 57 | 317 | 82.0% |
| Little Hadham & The Pelhams | 210 | 107 | 317 | 66.2% |
Showing top 25 of 52 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How East Hertfordshire’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 8.1pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from East Hertfordshire council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 3/26/1036/LBC Hertford Bengeo | Remove external render from rear elevation and apply replacement three coat hair | Approved |
| 3/26/1005/HH Hertford Heath & Brickendon | Construction of single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 3/26/0981/HH Hertford Sele | Construction of single storey rear extension and patio | Approved |
| 3/26/1050/CLPO The Mundens | Erection of front porch extension, installation of front and rear roof lights, a | Approved |
| 3/26/0973/LBC Buntingford | Removal and replacement of modern Cottage Chimney and Farmhouse Bay | Approved |
| 3/26/0972/HH Buntingford | Removal and replacement of Cottage Chimney and Farmhouse Bay | Approved |
| 3/26/0980/LBC The Mundens | Internal alterations: removal of ground floor partition and bathroom fittings; i | Approved |
| 3/26/0865/HH Bishop's Stortford North | Single storey rear and side extension, part conversion of garage into living roo | Approved |
| 3/26/0848/HH Hertford Rural | Demolition of porch, single storey extension and conservatory. Erection of singl | Approved |
| 3/26/0782/LBC Hunsdon | Replacement window frames and replacement double doors and threshold | 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 Hertfordshire's 14,346 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare East Hertfordshire's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into East Hertfordshire'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 Hertfordshire. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 14,346 real decisions from East Hertfordshire 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 Hertfordshire'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 14,346 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in East Hertfordshire is 74.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 14,346 planning decisions from East Hertfordshire council. 10,705 were approved and 3,641 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in East Hertfordshire is 74.6%, 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 Hertfordshire? 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.