King's Lynn & West Norfolk Council approves 90.6% of planning applications, based on 1,980 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. King's Lynn & West Norfolk sits 5.6 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,980 decided applications on record (January 2020 to September 2026), King's Lynn & West Norfolk Council approved 90.6% of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of King's Lynn & West Norfolk council planning portal records · Data to 17 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 King's Lynn & West Norfolk.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,593 | 125 | 1,718 | 92.7% |
| Trees | 482 | 11 | 493 | 97.8% |
| Other | 255 | 73 | 328 | 77.7% |
| Listed Building | 124 | 1 | 125 | 99.2% |
| Advertisement | 46 | 2 | 48 | 95.8% |
| Change of Use | 42 | 4 | 46 | 91.3% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 25 | 19 | 44 | 56.8% |
| Prior Approval | 15 | 2 | 17 | 88.2% |
| 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 | 217 | 24 | 241 | 90.0% |
| Burnham Market And Docking | 194 | 10 | 204 | 95.1% |
| Upwell And Delph | 152 | 17 | 169 | 89.9% |
| St. Margarets With St. Nicholas | 140 | 6 | 146 | 95.9% |
| Gayton And Grimston | 114 | 15 | 129 | 88.4% |
| The Woottons | 118 | 6 | 124 | 95.2% |
| Massingham With Castle Acre | 117 | 6 | 123 | 95.1% |
| Heacham | 96 | 20 | 116 | 82.8% |
| Bircham With Rudhams | 95 | 10 | 105 | 90.5% |
| Dersingham | 96 | 7 | 103 | 93.2% |
| Walsoken, West Walton And Walpole | 87 | 16 | 103 | 84.5% |
| Terrington | 92 | 8 | 100 | 92.0% |
| Airfield | 92 | 5 | 97 | 94.8% |
| Tilney, Mershe Lande And Wiggenhall | 78 | 14 | 92 | 84.8% |
| West Winch | 74 | 8 | 82 | 90.2% |
| Emneth And Outwell | 74 | 7 | 81 | 91.4% |
| Feltwell | 67 | 11 | 78 | 85.9% |
| Hunstanton | 73 | 3 | 76 | 96.1% |
| Methwold | 66 | 8 | 74 | 89.2% |
| Snettisham | 61 | 4 | 65 | 93.8% |
| Downham Old Town | 62 | 1 | 63 | 98.4% |
| Wissey | 59 | 2 | 61 | 96.7% |
| South And West Lynn | 49 | 4 | 53 | 92.5% |
| Clenchwarton | 48 | 5 | 53 | 90.6% |
| Denver | 38 | 5 | 43 | 88.4% |
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 3.3pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01244/LDE Methwold | Lawful Development: The dwelling has been occupied by persons not employed or la | Approved |
| 26/01188/F Gayton And Grimston | HOUSEHOLDER: Proposed single storey extension to existing bungalow | Approved |
| 26/01175/F Brancaster | HOUSEHOLDER: New window at first floor level of South (Front) Elevation. New ext | Approved |
| 26/01127/F Brancaster | RETROSPECTIVE: Change of Use of private dwelling to Use Class C1 | Approved |
| 26/01089/F Upwell And Delph | SELF BUILD: Proposed Self Build Dwelling House | Approved |
| 24/02087/NMA_2 Hunstanton | NON MATERIAL AMENDMENT TO PLANNING CONSENT 24/02087/F: Extension and alterations | Approved |
| 26/01102/F Tilney, Mershe Lande And Wiggenhall | HOUSEHOLDER: Proposed extensions and alteration to existing dwelling | Approved |
| 25/01363/F Walsoken, West Walton And Walpole | 1 Pair of semi detached affordable houses and 4 detached dwelling houses and gar | Approved |
| 26/01209/F Walsoken, West Walton And Walpole | HOUSEHOLDER: Proposed single story extension to dwelling and flue | Approved |
| 26/00110/TREECA Burnham Market And Docking | TREE IN A CONSERVATION AREA: T1 - Large Holme Oak tree in rear garden to thin an | 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 1,980 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 1,980 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 1,980 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in King's Lynn & West Norfolk is 90.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,980 planning decisions from King's Lynn & West Norfolk council. 1,794 were approved and 186 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in King's Lynn & West Norfolk is 90.6%, 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.