East Hertfordshire Council approves 73.5% of planning applications, based on 17,065 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. East Hertfordshire sits 14.8 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,615 decided applications, East Hertfordshire Council approved 75.5% of planning applications in 2025. Across 17,065 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in East Hertfordshire is 73.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of East Hertfordshire council planning portal records · Updated June 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 | 8,292 | 2,797 | 11,089 | 74.8% |
| Other | 2,053 | 815 | 2,868 | 71.6% |
| Listed Building | 1,190 | 211 | 1,401 | 84.9% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 439 | 537 | 976 | 45.0% |
| Advertisement | 214 | 45 | 259 | 82.6% |
| Prior Approval | 141 | 85 | 226 | 62.4% |
| 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 | 720 | 268 | 988 | 72.9% |
| Hertford - Castle | 596 | 254 | 850 | 70.1% |
| Buntingford | 545 | 191 | 736 | 74.0% |
| Hertford - Bengeo | 566 | 160 | 726 | 78.0% |
| Much Hadham | 499 | 217 | 716 | 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% |
| Thundridge And Standon | 328 | 130 | 458 | 71.6% |
| Hunsdon | 309 | 143 | 452 | 68.4% |
| 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% |
| Hertford Bengeo | 245 | 65 | 310 | 79.0% |
| Hertford Rural | 203 | 103 | 306 | 66.3% |
| Walkern | 211 | 89 | 300 | 70.3% |
| Hertford - Kingsmead | 230 | 64 | 294 | 78.2% |
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 9.6pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 3/26/0618/HH Hertford Bengeo | Garage conversion into habitable space incorporating one roof light | Approved |
| 3/26/0536/HH Hertford Sele | Demolition of garage, chimney removal and erection of part double/part single st | Approved |
| 3/26/0507/HH Bishop's Stortford North | Single storey rear extension, loft conversion incorporating roof lights and gara | Approved |
| 3/26/0470/CLPO Ware St Mary's | Garage conversion and infill extension to incorporate front porch. | Approved |
| 3/26/0456/LBC Hertford Rural | Replacement roof lantern | Approved |
| 3/26/0439/HH Braughing & Standon | Construction of two storey rear extension and open-sided porch. Insertion of 1 x | Refused |
| 3/25/1230/LBC Bishop's Stortford Parsonage | Install CosyGlazing to six casement windows, including concealed draught-proof b | Approved |
| 3/26/0592/HH Sawbridgeworth | First floor rear extension | Refused |
| 3/26/0504/HH Bishop's Stortford North | Single storey rear extension and solar panels to garage | Approved |
| 3/26/0436/FUL Little Hadham & The Pelhams | Installation of roof mounted solar PV panels (retrospective) | 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 17,065 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 17,065 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 17,065 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in East Hertfordshire is 73.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 17,065 planning decisions from East Hertfordshire council. 12,535 were approved and 4,530 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in East Hertfordshire is 73.5%, 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.