King's Lynn & West Norfolk planning approval rate
King's Lynn & West Norfolk council approved 92.5% of planning applications and refused 7.5%, based on 2,312 decisions analysed. Ranked 172nd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
92.5%
overall approval rate
2,312
Decisions analysed
2,138
Approved
174
Refused
34
Wards covered
Planning in King's Lynn & West Norfolk? 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 King's Lynn & West Norfolk. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.1%
98.3%
78.1%
99.0%
97.5%
88.9%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in King's Lynn & West Norfolk, mined from 2,312 proposal descriptions.
95.0%
92.4%
96.6%
96.3%
89.8%
99.0%
84.1%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
94.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within King's Lynn & West Norfolk. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Brancaster
90.9%
Burnham Market And Docking
95.8%
Upwell And Delph
91.6%
St. Margarets With St. Nicholas
95.8%
Massingham With Castle Acre
96.4%
Gayton And Grimston
88.9%
The Woottons
97.2%
Heacham
85.3%
Dersingham
94.4%
Airfield
95.2%
Bircham With Rudhams
91.6%
Terrington
92.8%
Walsoken, West Walton And Walpole
87.5%
West Winch
89.2%
Emneth And Outwell
91.4%
Feltwell
84.6%
Tilney, Mershe Lande And Wiggenhall
84.4%
Hunstanton
95.2%
Downham Old Town
98.2%
Wissey
96.2%
Wards in King's Lynn & West Norfolk
Brancaster
90.9% approval · 186 decisions
Burnham Market And Docking
95.8% approval · 168 decisions
Upwell And Delph
91.6% approval · 143 decisions
St. Margarets With St. Nicholas
95.8% approval · 120 decisions
Massingham With Castle Acre
96.4% approval · 110 decisions
Gayton And Grimston
88.9% approval · 108 decisions
The Woottons
97.2% approval · 107 decisions
Heacham
85.3% approval · 95 decisions
Dersingham
94.4% approval · 89 decisions
Airfield
95.2% approval · 84 decisions
Bircham With Rudhams
91.6% approval · 83 decisions
Terrington
92.8% approval · 83 decisions
Walsoken, West Walton And Walpole
87.5% approval · 80 decisions
West Winch
89.2% approval · 74 decisions
Emneth And Outwell
91.4% approval · 70 decisions
Feltwell
84.6% approval · 65 decisions
Tilney, Mershe Lande And Wiggenhall
84.4% approval · 64 decisions
Hunstanton
95.2% approval · 62 decisions
Downham Old Town
98.2% approval · 56 decisions
Wissey
96.2% approval · 52 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in King's Lynn & West Norfolk, showing how the council decides real applications.
HOUSEHOLDER: Proposed side and rear extension · West Winch · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Residential development of 2 single storey dwellings, demolition of various outb · Methwold · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Change of Use from Studio/Play room to Work from Home Salon · Hunstanton · Fri 19 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In King's Lynn & West Norfolk, 1 in 13 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 King's Lynn & West Norfolk
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for King's Lynn & West Norfolk →
✓ Common refusal reasons in King's Lynn & West Norfolk
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 2,312 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in King's Lynn & West Norfolk
What is the planning approval rate in King's Lynn & West Norfolk?
Based on 2,312 planning decisions analysed since 2020, King's Lynn & West Norfolk approved 92.5% of applications and refused 7.5%. The council is ranked 172nd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in King's Lynn & West Norfolk?
King's Lynn & West Norfolk refuses 7.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 13. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 2,312 decided applications since 2020, 174 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of King's Lynn & West Norfolk have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in King's Lynn & West Norfolk are in Downham Old Town (98.2%), The Woottons (97.2%), and Massingham With Castle Acre (96.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in King's Lynn & West Norfolk?
The most common planning application types in King's Lynn & West Norfolk are: Full (1,429 decisions, 93.1% approved), Trees (414, 98.3%), and Other (279, 78.1%).
How long does a planning application take in King's Lynn & West Norfolk?
Planning applications in King's Lynn & West Norfolk take an average of 10.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 2,309 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. King's Lynn & West Norfolk decides approximately 385 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in King's Lynn & West Norfolk?
You can search planning applications in King's Lynn & West Norfolk directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 2,312 historical decisions in King's Lynn & West Norfolk to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for King's Lynn & West Norfolk calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes King's Lynn & West Norfolk'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.