Hertsmere Council approves 87.8% of planning applications, based on 4,144 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Hertsmere is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 443 decided applications, Hertsmere Council approved 90.7% of planning applications in 2025. Across 4,144 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Hertsmere is 87.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Hertsmere council planning portal records · Updated August 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 Hertsmere.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 997 | 78 | 1,075 | 92.7% |
| Other | 749 | 164 | 913 | 82.0% |
| Trees | 631 | 81 | 712 | 88.6% |
| Prior Approval | 551 | 126 | 677 | 81.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 557 | 52 | 609 | 91.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 94 | 2 | 96 | 97.9% |
| Advertisement | 38 | 2 | 40 | 95.0% |
| Listed Building | 21 | 1 | 22 | 95.5% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldenham West | 369 | 43 | 412 | 89.6% |
| Aldenham East | 332 | 54 | 386 | 86.0% |
| Shenley | 267 | 33 | 300 | 89.0% |
| Potters Bar Parkfield | 260 | 35 | 295 | 88.1% |
| Borehamwood Hillside | 253 | 38 | 291 | 86.9% |
| Borehamwood Cowley Hill | 245 | 19 | 264 | 92.8% |
| Bushey Heath | 226 | 36 | 262 | 86.3% |
| Bushey St James | 221 | 32 | 253 | 87.4% |
| Borehamwood Brookmeadow | 211 | 20 | 231 | 91.3% |
| Potters Bar Furzefield | 195 | 28 | 223 | 87.4% |
| Bushey Park | 184 | 28 | 212 | 86.8% |
| Elstree | 186 | 25 | 211 | 88.2% |
| Bushey North | 181 | 26 | 207 | 87.4% |
| Potters Bar Oakmere | 142 | 32 | 174 | 81.6% |
| Borehamwood Kenilworth | 151 | 18 | 169 | 89.3% |
| Bentley Heath & The Royds | 131 | 27 | 158 | 82.9% |
| Not Applicable - Adj Authorityl | 25 | 2 | 27 | 92.6% |
How Hertsmere’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 10.1pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Hertsmere council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/0850/HSE Potters Bar Oakmere | Demolition of existing rear conservatory and detached garage, and construction o | Approved |
| 26/0797/HSE Elstree | Construction of first floor rear enclosed terrace with 1.7m privacy screen follo | Approved |
| 26/0795/HSE Bushey St James | Demolition of existing garage and utility room and construction of single storey | Approved |
| 24/0487/FUL Aldenham West | Retrospective application for change of use of residential dwelling to guest acc | Approved |
| 26/0982/TPO Aldenham East | Tree: TPO/125/1987 Mature Cedar (Cedrus spp.) situated in the front garden of 52 | Approved |
| 26/0846/HSE Bentley Heath & The Royds | Conversion of garage to a habitable room with a window replacing the garage door | Approved |
| 26/0845/CLP Bushey St James | Conversion of loft to habitable space to include rear dormer, 2x front rooflight | Approved |
| 26/0842/HSE Potters Bar Parkfield | Conversion of loft to to habitable space to include front and rear dormer and al | Approved |
| 26/0364/FUL Bushey St James | Erection of two portacabins within the existing overflow carpark for use as a st | Approved |
| 26/1028/TPO Aldenham East | T22. Silver Maple - Left side of the front garden on the boundary. Pollard back | 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 Hertsmere's 4,144 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Hertsmere's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Hertsmere'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 Hertsmere. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 4,144 real decisions from Hertsmere 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 Hertsmere'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 4,144 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Hertsmere is 87.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 4,144 planning decisions from Hertsmere council. 3,638 were approved and 506 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Hertsmere is 87.8%, 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 Hertsmere? 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.