Fenland Council approves 86.0% of planning applications, based on 3,331 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Fenland sits 1.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,008 decided applications, Fenland Council approved 88.1% of planning applications in 2025. Across 3,331 decisions on record (June 2021 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Fenland is 86.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Fenland 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 Fenland.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 2,120 | 263 | 2,383 | 89.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,039 | 53 | 1,092 | 95.1% |
| Other | 713 | 213 | 926 | 77.0% |
| Trees | 469 | 36 | 505 | 92.9% |
| Listed Building | 155 | 5 | 160 | 96.9% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 129 | 8 | 137 | 94.2% |
| Advertisement | 69 | 3 | 72 | 95.8% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatteris North And Manea | 278 | 41 | 319 | 87.1% |
| Doddington And Wimblington | 266 | 50 | 316 | 84.2% |
| Parson Drove And Wisbech St Mary | 250 | 46 | 296 | 84.5% |
| March North | 259 | 24 | 283 | 91.5% |
| Leverington And Wisbech Rural | 243 | 29 | 272 | 89.3% |
| Chatteris South | 233 | 18 | 251 | 92.8% |
| March East | 208 | 27 | 235 | 88.5% |
| Wisbech South | 210 | 15 | 225 | 93.3% |
| Roman Bank | 194 | 30 | 224 | 86.6% |
| Elm And Christchurch | 171 | 22 | 193 | 88.6% |
| Parson Drove/Wisbech St Mary | 175 | 18 | 193 | 90.7% |
| March West And Benwick | 163 | 24 | 187 | 87.2% |
| Whittlesey East And Villages | 168 | 15 | 183 | 91.8% |
| Doddington/Wimblington | 158 | 23 | 181 | 87.3% |
| March West | 143 | 14 | 157 | 91.1% |
| Whittlesey South | 136 | 20 | 156 | 87.2% |
| Elm/Christchurch | 120 | 20 | 140 | 85.7% |
| March South | 119 | 17 | 136 | 87.5% |
| Benwick/Coates/Eastrea | 116 | 18 | 134 | 86.6% |
| Wisbech Riverside | 123 | 9 | 132 | 93.2% |
| Medworth Wisbech | 105 | 12 | 117 | 89.7% |
| Peckover Wisbech | 83 | 12 | 95 | 87.4% |
| Whittlesey North West | 84 | 10 | 94 | 89.4% |
| Bassenhally Whittlesey | 79 | 6 | 85 | 92.9% |
| Manea | 67 | 14 | 81 | 82.7% |
Showing top 25 of 40 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Fenland’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 4.0pp since 2021.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Fenland council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| F/YR26/0595/F Parson Drove And Wisbech St Mary | Erect 1 x dwelling involving the demolition of existing buildings within a conse | Refused |
| F/YR25/0307/F Chatteris North And Manea | Change of use of land to form extension to Industrial Estate (B2 use); Erect 1 x | Approved |
| F/YR26/0344/FDC Wisbech South | Erect 1 x block of 6 x flats with commercial use at ground level | Approved |
| F/YR25/0089/F March West And Benwick | Erect x 1 self-build/custom build dwelling in association with a new builders ya | Approved |
| F/YR26/0080/PIP Chatteris North And Manea | Permission in principle to erect 1 x self-build dwelling | Approved |
| F/YR26/0581/F Wisbech Riverside | Erect 2 x outbuildings in rear garden, and an extension and porch to side of exi | Approved |
| F/YR26/0577/LB March East | Internal works to a listed building including removing walls and installation of | Approved |
| F/YR26/0575/F Doddington And Wimblington | Erect a part 2-storey side extension, part single storey rear extension to exist | Refused |
| F/YR26/0572/F Whittlesey South | Erect a single-storey rear extension and raise roof height to create a second fl | Refused |
| F/YR26/0521/F Chatteris North And Manea | Conversion of garage/workshop to form a 1-bed annexe ancillary to existing dwell | 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 Fenland's 3,331 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Fenland's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
Dig deeper into Fenland'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 Fenland. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 3,331 real decisions from Fenland 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 Fenland'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 3,331 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Fenland is 86.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 3,331 planning decisions from Fenland council. 2,865 were approved and 466 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, June 2021 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Fenland is 86.0%, 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 Fenland? 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.