Hertsmere planning approval rate
Hertsmere council approved 87.8% of planning applications and refused 12.2%, based on 4,144 decisions analysed. Ranked 83rd out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
87.8%
overall approval rate
4,144
Decisions analysed
3,638
Approved
506
Refused
17
Wards covered
Planning in Hertsmere? 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 Hertsmere. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
92.7%
82.0%
88.6%
81.4%
97.9%
95.0%
95.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Hertsmere, mined from 4,144 proposal descriptions.
86.6%
91.4%
91.2%
87.2%
87.9%
95.0%
89.1%
92.9%
94.8%
82.5%
83.2%
89.3%
93.8%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Hertsmere. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Aldenham West
89.6%
Aldenham East
86.0%
Shenley
89.0%
Potters Bar Parkfield
88.1%
Borehamwood Hillside
86.9%
Borehamwood Cowley Hill
92.8%
Bushey Heath
86.3%
Bushey St James
87.4%
Borehamwood Brookmeadow
91.3%
Potters Bar Furzefield
87.4%
Bushey Park
86.8%
Elstree
88.2%
Bushey North
87.4%
Potters Bar Oakmere
81.6%
Borehamwood Kenilworth
89.3%
Bentley Heath & The Royds
82.9%
Not Applicable - Adj Authorityl
92.6%
Wards in Hertsmere
Aldenham West
89.6% approval · 412 decisions
Aldenham East
86.0% approval · 386 decisions
Shenley
89.0% approval · 300 decisions
Potters Bar Parkfield
88.1% approval · 295 decisions
Borehamwood Hillside
86.9% approval · 291 decisions
Borehamwood Cowley Hill
92.8% approval · 264 decisions
Bushey Heath
86.3% approval · 262 decisions
Bushey St James
87.4% approval · 253 decisions
Borehamwood Brookmeadow
91.3% approval · 231 decisions
Potters Bar Furzefield
87.4% approval · 223 decisions
Bushey Park
86.8% approval · 212 decisions
Elstree
88.2% approval · 211 decisions
Bushey North
87.4% approval · 207 decisions
Potters Bar Oakmere
81.6% approval · 174 decisions
Borehamwood Kenilworth
89.3% approval · 169 decisions
Bentley Heath & The Royds
82.9% approval · 158 decisions
Not Applicable - Adj Authorityl
92.6% approval · 27 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Hertsmere, showing how the council decides real applications.
Demolition of existing rear conservatory and detached garage, and construction o · Potters Bar Oakmere · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Construction of first floor rear enclosed terrace with 1.7m privacy screen follo · Elstree · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Demolition of existing garage and utility room and construction of single storey · Bushey St James · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Hertsmere, 1 in 8 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 Hertsmere
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Hertsmere →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Hertsmere
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 4,144 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Hertsmere
What is the planning approval rate in Hertsmere?
Based on 4,144 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Hertsmere approved 87.8% of applications and refused 12.2%. The council is ranked 83rd out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Hertsmere?
Hertsmere refuses 12.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is close to the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 4,144 decided applications since 2020, 506 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Hertsmere have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Hertsmere are in Borehamwood Cowley Hill (92.8%), Borehamwood Brookmeadow (91.3%), and Aldenham West (89.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Hertsmere?
The most common planning application types in Hertsmere are: Full (1,075 decisions, 92.7% approved), Other (913, 82.0%), and Trees (712, 88.6%).
How long does a planning application take in Hertsmere?
Planning applications in Hertsmere take an average of 13.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,047 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. Hertsmere decides approximately 691 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Hertsmere?
You can search planning applications in Hertsmere directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 4,144 historical decisions in Hertsmere to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Hertsmere calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Hertsmere'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.