East Hertfordshire planning approval rate
East Hertfordshire council approved 73.6% of planning applications and refused 26.4%, based on 17,302 decisions analysed. Ranked 2nd out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
73.6%
overall approval rate
17,302
Decisions analysed
12,728
Approved
4,574
Refused
52
Wards covered
Planning in East Hertfordshire? 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 Hertfordshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
74.9%
71.7%
85.1%
45.2%
82.8%
62.6%
75.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in East Hertfordshire, mined from 17,302 proposal descriptions.
78.8%
71.3%
74.2%
73.9%
74.5%
62.5%
75.0%
82.8%
75.4%
75.5%
78.3%
63.9%
72.6%
70.9%
63.4%
70.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within East Hertfordshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Sawbridgeworth
73.2%
Hertford - Castle
70.1%
Buntingford
74.3%
Hertford - Bengeo
78.0%
Much Hadham
69.6%
Bishops Stortford - Meads
73.6%
Braughing
69.9%
Bishops Stortford - All Saints
76.0%
Bishops Stortford - Central
73.3%
Bishops Stortford - South
78.8%
Hertford - Rural South
63.0%
Little Hadham
70.3%
Hunsdon
69.0%
Thundridge And Standon
71.8%
Bishops Stortford - Silverleys
81.5%
Hertford - Rural North
65.1%
Mundens And Cottered
69.1%
Datchworth And Aston
58.1%
Ware - Christchurch
73.3%
Hertford Heath
65.7%
Wards in East Hertfordshire
Sawbridgeworth
73.2% approval · 1,001 decisions
Hertford - Castle
70.1% approval · 850 decisions
Buntingford
74.3% approval · 748 decisions
Hertford - Bengeo
78.0% approval · 726 decisions
Much Hadham
69.6% approval · 721 decisions
Bishops Stortford - Meads
73.6% approval · 633 decisions
Braughing
69.9% approval · 518 decisions
Bishops Stortford - All Saints
76.0% approval · 505 decisions
Bishops Stortford - Central
73.3% approval · 495 decisions
Bishops Stortford - South
78.8% approval · 495 decisions
Hertford - Rural South
63.0% approval · 486 decisions
Little Hadham
70.3% approval · 475 decisions
Hunsdon
69.0% approval · 462 decisions
Thundridge And Standon
71.8% approval · 457 decisions
Bishops Stortford - Silverleys
81.5% approval · 426 decisions
Hertford - Rural North
65.1% approval · 392 decisions
Mundens And Cottered
69.1% approval · 363 decisions
Datchworth And Aston
58.1% approval · 360 decisions
Ware - Christchurch
73.3% approval · 352 decisions
Hertford Heath
65.7% approval · 350 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in East Hertfordshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Prior approval application (Part 1, Class A) for construction of single storey r · Bishop's Stortford Parsonage · Fri 07 Aug 2026
Continuous use of ground floor restaurant and first and loft floors as residenti · Hertford Bengeo · Fri 07 Aug 2026
Listed building consent for installation of blue plaque to front elevation to co · Bishop's Stortford North · Fri 07 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In East Hertfordshire, 1 in 4 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 Hertfordshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for East Hertfordshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in East Hertfordshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 17,302 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in East Hertfordshire
What is the planning approval rate in East Hertfordshire?
Based on 17,302 planning decisions analysed since 2020, East Hertfordshire approved 73.6% of applications and refused 26.4%. The council is ranked 2nd out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in East Hertfordshire?
East Hertfordshire refuses 26.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 4. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 17,302 decided applications since 2020, 4,574 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of East Hertfordshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in East Hertfordshire are in Ware Trinity (89.2%), Bishop's Stortford Thorley Manor (88.1%), and Hertford Kingsmead (84.8%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in East Hertfordshire?
The most common planning application types in East Hertfordshire are: Full (11,226 decisions, 74.9% approved), Other (2,918, 71.7%), and Listed Building (1,425, 85.1%).
How long does a planning application take in East Hertfordshire?
Planning applications in East Hertfordshire take an average of 11.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 17,205 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 Hertfordshire decides approximately 2,884 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in East Hertfordshire?
You can search planning applications in East Hertfordshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 17,302 historical decisions in East Hertfordshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for East Hertfordshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes East Hertfordshire'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.