Newark & Sherwood planning approval rate
Newark & Sherwood council approved 88.0% of planning applications and refused 12.0%, based on 10,831 decisions analysed. Ranked 87th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
88.0%
overall approval rate
10,831
Decisions analysed
9,529
Approved
1,302
Refused
22
Wards covered
Planning in Newark & Sherwood? 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 Newark & Sherwood. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
87.2%
98.1%
80.4%
93.6%
86.5%
66.1%
84.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Newark & Sherwood, mined from 10,831 proposal descriptions.
81.5%
86.8%
85.9%
85.6%
85.8%
74.0%
90.8%
83.9%
75.1%
80.0%
81.7%
77.1%
80.0%
83.3%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Newark & Sherwood. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Southwell
89.1%
Collingham
88.6%
Dover Beck
86.1%
Farndon And Fernwood
90.7%
Trent
85.4%
Castle
94.0%
Sutton On Trent
87.8%
Muskham
86.4%
Beacon
88.6%
Balderton North And Coddington
89.3%
Rainworth North And Rufford
87.3%
Edwinstowe And Clipstone
86.6%
Lowdham
85.4%
Ollerton
88.4%
Farnsfield
92.0%
Bridge
87.1%
Rainworth South And Blidworth
78.9%
Boughton
88.1%
Devon
83.4%
Balderton South
84.4%
Wards in Newark & Sherwood
Southwell
89.1% approval · 1,554 decisions
Collingham
88.6% approval · 1,116 decisions
Dover Beck
86.1% approval · 893 decisions
Farndon And Fernwood
90.7% approval · 777 decisions
Trent
85.4% approval · 724 decisions
Castle
94.0% approval · 567 decisions
Sutton On Trent
87.8% approval · 559 decisions
Muskham
86.4% approval · 523 decisions
Beacon
88.6% approval · 502 decisions
Balderton North And Coddington
89.3% approval · 478 decisions
Rainworth North And Rufford
87.3% approval · 472 decisions
Edwinstowe And Clipstone
86.6% approval · 425 decisions
Lowdham
85.4% approval · 369 decisions
Ollerton
88.4% approval · 327 decisions
Farnsfield
92.0% approval · 314 decisions
Bridge
87.1% approval · 263 decisions
Rainworth South And Blidworth
78.9% approval · 232 decisions
Boughton
88.1% approval · 193 decisions
Devon
83.4% approval · 187 decisions
Balderton South
84.4% approval · 180 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Newark & Sherwood, showing how the council decides real applications.
Demolition of a single storey rear extension and 2 garages and the construction · Boughton · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Proposed self build/custom build two bedroom dwelling and extension of dropped k · Beacon · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Householder Prior Approval for removal of an existing conservatory and erection · Collingham · Thu 13 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Newark & Sherwood, 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 Newark & Sherwood
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Newark & Sherwood →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Newark & Sherwood
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 10,831 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Newark & Sherwood
What is the planning approval rate in Newark & Sherwood?
Based on 10,831 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Newark & Sherwood approved 88.0% of applications and refused 12.0%. The council is ranked 87th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Newark & Sherwood?
Newark & Sherwood refuses 12.0% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is close to the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 10,831 decided applications since 2020, 1,302 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Newark & Sherwood have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Newark & Sherwood are in Castle (94.0%), Farnsfield (92.0%), and Farndon And Fernwood (90.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Newark & Sherwood?
The most common planning application types in Newark & Sherwood are: Other (4,284 decisions, 87.2% approved), Trees (3,081, 98.1%), and Full (2,441, 80.4%).
How long does a planning application take in Newark & Sherwood?
Planning applications in Newark & Sherwood take an average of 8.2 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 10,802 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. Newark & Sherwood decides approximately 1,805 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Newark & Sherwood?
You can search planning applications in Newark & Sherwood directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 10,831 historical decisions in Newark & Sherwood to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Newark & Sherwood calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Newark & Sherwood'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.