King's Lynn & West Norfolk Council approves 92.5% of planning applications, based on 2,312 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. King's Lynn & West Norfolk sits 4.2 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,312 decided applications published since January 2020, King's Lynn & West Norfolk Council approved 92.5% of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of King's Lynn & West Norfolk council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in King's Lynn & West Norfolk.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,330 | 99 | 1,429 | 93.1% |
| Trees | 407 | 7 | 414 | 98.3% |
| Other | 218 | 61 | 279 | 78.1% |
| Listed Building | 101 | 1 | 102 | 99.0% |
| Advertisement | 39 | 1 | 40 | 97.5% |
| Change of Use | 32 | 4 | 36 | 88.9% |
| Prior Approval | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 3 | 1 | 4 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brancaster | 169 | 17 | 186 | 90.9% |
| Burnham Market And Docking | 161 | 7 | 168 | 95.8% |
| Upwell And Delph | 131 | 12 | 143 | 91.6% |
| St. Margarets With St. Nicholas | 115 | 5 | 120 | 95.8% |
| Massingham With Castle Acre | 106 | 4 | 110 | 96.4% |
| Gayton And Grimston | 96 | 12 | 108 | 88.9% |
| The Woottons | 104 | 3 | 107 | 97.2% |
| Heacham | 81 | 14 | 95 | 85.3% |
| Dersingham | 84 | 5 | 89 | 94.4% |
| Airfield | 80 | 4 | 84 | 95.2% |
| Bircham With Rudhams | 76 | 7 | 83 | 91.6% |
| Terrington | 77 | 6 | 83 | 92.8% |
| Walsoken, West Walton And Walpole | 70 | 10 | 80 | 87.5% |
| West Winch | 66 | 8 | 74 | 89.2% |
| Emneth And Outwell | 64 | 6 | 70 | 91.4% |
| Feltwell | 55 | 10 | 65 | 84.6% |
| Tilney, Mershe Lande And Wiggenhall | 54 | 10 | 64 | 84.4% |
| Hunstanton | 59 | 3 | 62 | 95.2% |
| Downham Old Town | 55 | 1 | 56 | 98.2% |
| Wissey | 50 | 2 | 52 | 96.2% |
| Snettisham | 49 | 3 | 52 | 94.2% |
| Methwold | 47 | 3 | 50 | 94.0% |
| South And West Lynn | 38 | 3 | 41 | 92.7% |
| Clenchwarton | 35 | 4 | 39 | 89.7% |
| Springwood | 33 | 2 | 35 | 94.3% |
Showing top 25 of 34 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How King's Lynn & West Norfolk’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 5.1pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from King's Lynn & West Norfolk council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00721/F West Winch | HOUSEHOLDER: Proposed side and rear extension | Approved |
| 26/00634/F Methwold | Residential development of 2 single storey dwellings, demolition of various outb | Refused |
| 26/00708/CU Hunstanton | Change of Use from Studio/Play room to Work from Home Salon | Approved |
| 26/00052/TPO Gayton And Grimston | 2/TPO/00431: Large Oak tree at front left of driveway. Crown raise to 5m and thi | Approved |
| 26/00399/F Downham Old Town | Proposed block of flats following demolition of existing buildings on site. | Approved |
| 26/00040/F Airfield | Residential Development | Approved |
| 26/00710/O Walsoken, West Walton And Walpole | OUTLINE APPLICATION SOME MATTERS RESERVED: Proposed Self Build Dwellings | Refused |
| 26/00703/F The Woottons | Erection of storage shed | Approved |
| 26/00720/F Brancaster | Householder: Extensions and Alterations. | Approved |
| 26/00716/F Snettisham | Widening of dropped kerb and alteration to front boundary wall | 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 King's Lynn & West Norfolk's 2,312 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare King's Lynn & West Norfolk's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into King's Lynn & West Norfolk'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 King's Lynn & West Norfolk. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 2,312 real decisions from King's Lynn & West Norfolk 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 King's Lynn & West Norfolk'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 2,312 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in King's Lynn & West Norfolk is 92.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,312 planning decisions from King's Lynn & West Norfolk council. 2,138 were approved and 174 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in King's Lynn & West Norfolk is 92.5%, 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 King's Lynn & West Norfolk? 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.