North Hertfordshire planning approval rate
North Hertfordshire council approved 93.4% of planning applications and refused 6.6%, based on 1,524 decisions analysed. Ranked 191st out of 279 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
93.4%
overall approval rate
1,524
Decisions analysed
1,423
Approved
101
Refused
25
Wards covered
Planning in North Hertfordshire? 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 North Hertfordshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
91.2%
98.8%
97.8%
88.3%
94.1%
80.0%
90.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in North Hertfordshire — mined from 1,524 proposal descriptions.
93.9%
89.8%
93.5%
79.8%
92.3%
89.2%
90.7%
93.2%
90.2%
82.4%
92.6%
83.3%
90.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within North Hertfordshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Ermine Ward
96.7%
Letchworth South West Ward
97.4%
Graveley, St Ippolyts And Wymondley Ward
96.3%
Hitchin Bearton Ward
89.7%
Hitchin Priory Ward
92.6%
Arbury Ward
94.0%
Knebworth Ward
86.6%
Offa Ward
89.2%
Letchworth Norton Ward
98.6%
Codicote And Kimpton Ward
91.8%
Weston And Sandon Ward
94.1%
Hitchin Walsworth Ward
90.9%
Letchworth South East Ward
96.9%
Baldock West Ward
95.2%
Hitchin Highbury Ward
90.3%
Hitchwood Ward
93.1%
Royston Heath Ward
89.6%
Cadwell Ward
87.9%
Hitchin Oughton Ward
93.5%
Letchworth Wilbury Ward
100.0%
Wards in North Hertfordshire
Ermine Ward
96.7% approval · 121 decisions
Letchworth South West Ward
97.4% approval · 116 decisions
Graveley, St Ippolyts And Wymondley Ward
96.3% approval · 108 decisions
Hitchin Bearton Ward
89.7% approval · 97 decisions
Hitchin Priory Ward
92.6% approval · 94 decisions
Arbury Ward
94.0% approval · 83 decisions
Knebworth Ward
86.6% approval · 82 decisions
Offa Ward
89.2% approval · 74 decisions
Letchworth Norton Ward
98.6% approval · 73 decisions
Codicote And Kimpton Ward
91.8% approval · 73 decisions
Weston And Sandon Ward
94.1% approval · 68 decisions
Hitchin Walsworth Ward
90.9% approval · 66 decisions
Letchworth South East Ward
96.9% approval · 65 decisions
Baldock West Ward
95.2% approval · 63 decisions
Hitchin Highbury Ward
90.3% approval · 62 decisions
Hitchwood Ward
93.1% approval · 58 decisions
Royston Heath Ward
89.6% approval · 48 decisions
Cadwell Ward
87.9% approval · 33 decisions
Hitchin Oughton Ward
93.5% approval · 31 decisions
Letchworth Wilbury Ward
100.0% approval · 26 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in North Hertfordshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
No raising of roof required, flat roof dormers (as existing design), Juliette ba · Knebworth Ward · Tue 23 Jun 2026
Single storey side garden room extension to include flue pipe and re-positioned · Offa Ward · Tue 23 Jun 2026
Replacement of 3no. ground floor windows (2no. Northeast Elevation and 1no. Sout · Baldock West Ward · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In North Hertfordshire, 1 in 15 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 North Hertfordshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for North Hertfordshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in North Hertfordshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,524 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in North Hertfordshire
What is the planning approval rate in North Hertfordshire?
Based on 1,524 planning decisions analysed since 2020, North Hertfordshire approved 93.4% of applications and refused 6.6%. The council is ranked 191st out of 279 UK councils for approval rate.
Which areas of North Hertfordshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in North Hertfordshire are in Letchworth Norton Ward (98.6%), Letchworth South West Ward (97.4%), and Letchworth South East Ward (96.9%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward — see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in North Hertfordshire?
The most common planning application types in North Hertfordshire are: Full (580 decisions, 91.2% approved), Trees (325, 98.8%), and Discharge of Conditions (277, 97.8%).
How long does a planning application take in North Hertfordshire?
Planning applications in North Hertfordshire take an average of 8.9 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,515 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. North Hertfordshire decides approximately 254 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in North Hertfordshire?
You can search planning applications in North Hertfordshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,524 historical decisions in North Hertfordshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for North Hertfordshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes North Hertfordshire'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.