East Hertfordshire Council approves 73.2% of planning applications, based on 16,563 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. East Hertfordshire sits 14.7 percentage points below the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — 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 | 8,024 | 2,754 | 10,778 | 74.4% |
| Other | 1,969 | 789 | 2,758 | 71.4% |
| Listed Building | 1,159 | 211 | 1,370 | 84.6% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 423 | 519 | 942 | 44.9% |
| Advertisement | 207 | 45 | 252 | 82.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 188 | 34 | 222 | 84.7% |
| Prior Approval | 134 | 84 | 218 | 61.5% |
| Change of Use | 17 | 6 | 23 | 73.9% |
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.
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 | 707 | 267 | 974 | 72.6% |
| Hertford - Castle | 596 | 254 | 850 | 70.1% |
| Hertford - Bengeo | 566 | 160 | 726 | 78.0% |
| Buntingford | 520 | 187 | 707 | 73.6% |
| Much Hadham | 491 | 214 | 705 | 69.6% |
| 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% |
| Thundridge And Standon | 328 | 130 | 458 | 71.6% |
| Hunsdon | 299 | 143 | 442 | 67.6% |
| 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 | 208 | 151 | 359 | 57.9% |
| Ware - Christchurch | 258 | 94 | 352 | 73.3% |
| Hertford Heath | 230 | 121 | 351 | 65.5% |
| Hertford - Sele | 249 | 77 | 326 | 76.4% |
| Walkern | 211 | 89 | 300 | 70.3% |
| Hertford - Kingsmead | 230 | 64 | 294 | 78.2% |
| Hertford Bengeo | 216 | 62 | 278 | 77.7% |
| Hertford Rural | 184 | 88 | 272 | 67.6% |
Showing top 25 of 50 wards by volume. Your Pro Report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →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 |
|---|---|---|
| 3/25/1919/HH Hertford Bengeo | Construction of part single/part two storey rear extension with rooflights, part | Refused |
| 3/25/1795/HH Bishop's Stortford Parsonage | Construction of replacement double carport with accommodation over | Approved |
| 3/25/2021/HH Hertford - Sele | Part double storey, part single storey side extension following the demolition o | Refused |
| 3/25/1967/HH Much Hadham | Construction of single storey side extension following demolition of shed. Repla | Approved |
| 3/25/1838/HH Hertford Heath & Brickendon | Part single, part two storey rear extension with single storey side extension | Refused |
| 3/25/1559/HH Hertford Rural | Single-storey infill side extension, conversion of the garage into habitable spa | Refused |
| 3/25/1855/HH Hertford Bengeo | Alterations to the fenestration including the replacement of two ground floor wi | Approved |
| 3/25/1856/LBC Hertford Bengeo | Alterations to the fenestration including the replacement of two ground floor wi | Approved |
| 3/25/1945/FUL Hertford Heath & Brickendon | Erection of agricultural barn on existing hardstanding | Approved |
| 3/25/1924/HH Aston, Datchworth & Walkern | Replacement of pitched roof with flat roof incorporating roof lights. Constructi | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on East Hertfordshire's 16,563 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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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:
Based on 16,563 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in East Hertfordshire is 73.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 16,563 planning decisions from East Hertfordshire council. 12,121 were approved and 4,442 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in East Hertfordshire is 73.2%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.