North Hertfordshire Council approves 93.5% of planning applications, based on 1,459 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. North Hertfordshire sits 8.5 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 867 decided applications, North Hertfordshire Council approved 95.5% of planning applications in 2025. Across 1,459 decisions on record (July 2025 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in North Hertfordshire is 93.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of North Hertfordshire council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 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 North Hertfordshire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 825 | 73 | 898 | 91.9% |
| Trees | 485 | 6 | 491 | 98.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 402 | 12 | 414 | 97.1% |
| Other | 186 | 19 | 205 | 90.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 127 | 26 | 153 | 83.0% |
| Listed Building | 135 | 8 | 143 | 94.4% |
| Advertisement | 25 | 2 | 27 | 92.6% |
| Prior Approval | 16 | 4 | 20 | 80.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letchworth South West | 173 | 7 | 180 | 96.1% |
| Ermine | 175 | 4 | 179 | 97.8% |
| Hitchin Priory | 158 | 10 | 168 | 94.0% |
| Hitchin Bearton | 133 | 14 | 147 | 90.5% |
| Graveley, St Ippolyts And Wymondley | 135 | 8 | 143 | 94.4% |
| Arbury | 127 | 9 | 136 | 93.4% |
| Knebworth | 108 | 14 | 122 | 88.5% |
| Letchworth Norton | 117 | 1 | 118 | 99.2% |
| Hitchin Highbury | 96 | 12 | 108 | 88.9% |
| Offa | 96 | 10 | 106 | 90.6% |
| Codicote And Kimpton | 96 | 6 | 102 | 94.1% |
| Baldock West | 96 | 5 | 101 | 95.0% |
| Hitchin Walsworth | 91 | 7 | 98 | 92.9% |
| Weston And Sandon | 92 | 5 | 97 | 94.8% |
| Hitchwood | 86 | 7 | 93 | 92.5% |
| Letchworth South East | 89 | 3 | 92 | 96.7% |
| Royston Heath | 65 | 6 | 71 | 91.5% |
| Cadwell | 59 | 6 | 65 | 90.8% |
| Hitchin Oughton | 47 | 4 | 51 | 92.2% |
| Royston Palace | 42 | 5 | 47 | 89.4% |
| Letchworth Wilbury | 34 | 1 | 35 | 97.1% |
| Royston Meridian | 26 | 1 | 27 | 96.3% |
| Baldock East | 20 | 1 | 21 | 95.2% |
| Great Ashby | 17 | 1 | 18 | 94.4% |
| Letchworth Grange | 14 | 2 | 16 | 87.5% |
How North Hertfordshire’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 3.0pp since 2025.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from North Hertfordshire council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01588/FPH Hitchin Priory | Two storey with Juliet balcony and single storey rear extension following demoli | Approved |
| 26/02080/NCS Royston Palace | Single storey rear extension with the following dimension:Length as measured fro | Approved |
| 26/01655/FPH Letchworth South West | Replacement of existing front and side windows (as amended by plan received on 1 | Approved |
| 26/01944/LDCP Hitchwood | Replace existing front door and insertion of rear window to existing garage to f | Refused |
| 26/01964/FPH Knebworth | Single storey rear extension following demolition of existing side/rear element. | Approved |
| 26/01798/FP Codicote And Kimpton | Change of use and conversion of existing building (use class E) to create one dw | Approved |
| 26/01513/LDCP Letchworth South West | Siting of caravan for ancillary use in rear garden | Refused |
| 26/01147/DOC Ermine | Details reserved by BNG Condition (Fence and Access Details) of planning permiss | Approved |
| 26/01991/FPH Hitchin Priory | Single storey front extension following demolition of existing front porch. Clad | Approved |
| 26/01817/LBC Weston And Sandon | Removal of C20th Kitchen ceiling and modern partitions in room above to reinstat | 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 North Hertfordshire's 1,459 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare North Hertfordshire's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
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Dig deeper into North Hertfordshire'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 North Hertfordshire. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 1,459 real decisions from North Hertfordshire 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 North Hertfordshire'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 1,459 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in North Hertfordshire is 93.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,459 planning decisions from North Hertfordshire council. 1,364 were approved and 95 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, July 2025 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in North Hertfordshire is 93.5%, 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 North Hertfordshire? 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.