North Hertfordshire planning approval rate
North Hertfordshire council approved 93.7% of planning applications and refused 6.3%, based on 2,124 decisions analysed. Ranked 214th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
93.7%
overall approval rate
2,124
Decisions analysed
1,991
Approved
133
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.
91.8%
99.1%
97.4%
90.8%
93.7%
95.7%
77.8%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in North Hertfordshire, mined from 2,124 proposal descriptions.
93.5%
90.1%
93.7%
94.1%
83.2%
89.0%
89.2%
93.1%
89.0%
81.4%
91.4%
79.3%
87.5%
92.9%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within North Hertfordshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Letchworth South West Ward
96.9%
Ermine Ward
97.5%
Hitchin Priory Ward
93.8%
Hitchin Bearton Ward
90.4%
Graveley, St Ippolyts And Wymondley Ward
95.6%
Arbury Ward
94.9%
Knebworth Ward
88.3%
Letchworth Norton Ward
99.1%
Offa Ward
89.8%
Codicote And Kimpton Ward
93.8%
Baldock West Ward
94.7%
Hitchin Highbury Ward
88.0%
Hitchin Walsworth Ward
92.4%
Weston And Sandon Ward
94.4%
Letchworth South East Ward
96.3%
Hitchwood Ward
92.7%
Royston Heath Ward
92.2%
Cadwell Ward
89.1%
Hitchin Oughton Ward
93.5%
Royston Palace Ward
88.1%
Wards in North Hertfordshire
Letchworth South West Ward
96.9% approval · 162 decisions
Ermine Ward
97.5% approval · 159 decisions
Hitchin Priory Ward
93.8% approval · 145 decisions
Hitchin Bearton Ward
90.4% approval · 136 decisions
Graveley, St Ippolyts And Wymondley Ward
95.6% approval · 135 decisions
Arbury Ward
94.9% approval · 117 decisions
Knebworth Ward
88.3% approval · 111 decisions
Letchworth Norton Ward
99.1% approval · 110 decisions
Offa Ward
89.8% approval · 98 decisions
Codicote And Kimpton Ward
93.8% approval · 96 decisions
Baldock West Ward
94.7% approval · 94 decisions
Hitchin Highbury Ward
88.0% approval · 92 decisions
Hitchin Walsworth Ward
92.4% approval · 92 decisions
Weston And Sandon Ward
94.4% approval · 90 decisions
Letchworth South East Ward
96.3% approval · 82 decisions
Hitchwood Ward
92.7% approval · 82 decisions
Royston Heath Ward
92.2% approval · 64 decisions
Cadwell Ward
89.1% approval · 55 decisions
Hitchin Oughton Ward
93.5% approval · 46 decisions
Royston Palace Ward
88.1% approval · 42 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in North Hertfordshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Single storey rear extension and single storey side extension following removal · Hitchin Bearton Ward · Fri 14 Aug 2026
First floor side extension over existing single storey side extension. · Graveley, St Ippolyts And Wymondley Ward · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Erection of a single storey rear extension following removal of existing rear co · Hitchin Priory Ward · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In North Hertfordshire, 1 in 16 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 2,124 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in North Hertfordshire
What is the planning approval rate in North Hertfordshire?
Based on 2,124 planning decisions analysed since 2020, North Hertfordshire approved 93.7% of applications and refused 6.3%. The council is ranked 214th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in North Hertfordshire?
North Hertfordshire refuses 6.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 16. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 2,124 decided applications since 2020, 133 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of North Hertfordshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in North Hertfordshire are in Letchworth Norton Ward (99.1%), Ermine Ward (97.5%), and Letchworth South West 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 (813 decisions, 91.8% approved), Trees (433, 99.1%), and Discharge of Conditions (389, 97.4%).
How long does a planning application take in North Hertfordshire?
Planning applications in North Hertfordshire take an average of 9.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 2,110 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 354 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 2,124 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.