North Hertfordshire Council approves 93.4% of planning applications, based on 1,524 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%. North Hertfordshire sits 4.9 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 557 decided applications, North Hertfordshire Council approved 95.7% of planning applications in 2025. Across 1,524 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in North Hertfordshire is 93.4%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of North Hertfordshire council planning portal records · Updated June 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 | 529 | 51 | 580 | 91.2% |
| Trees | 321 | 4 | 325 | 98.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 271 | 6 | 277 | 97.8% |
| Other | 121 | 16 | 137 | 88.3% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 80 | 15 | 95 | 84.2% |
| Listed Building | 80 | 5 | 85 | 94.1% |
| Prior Approval | 12 | 3 | 15 | 80.0% |
| Advertisement | 9 | 1 | 10 | 90.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ermine | 117 | 4 | 121 | 96.7% |
| Letchworth South West | 113 | 3 | 116 | 97.4% |
| Graveley, St Ippolyts And Wymondley | 104 | 4 | 108 | 96.3% |
| Hitchin Bearton | 87 | 10 | 97 | 89.7% |
| Hitchin Priory | 87 | 7 | 94 | 92.6% |
| Arbury | 78 | 5 | 83 | 94.0% |
| Knebworth | 71 | 11 | 82 | 86.6% |
| Offa | 66 | 8 | 74 | 89.2% |
| Letchworth Norton | 72 | 1 | 73 | 98.6% |
| Codicote And Kimpton | 67 | 6 | 73 | 91.8% |
| Weston And Sandon | 64 | 4 | 68 | 94.1% |
| Hitchin Walsworth | 60 | 6 | 66 | 90.9% |
| Letchworth South East | 63 | 2 | 65 | 96.9% |
| Baldock West | 60 | 3 | 63 | 95.2% |
| Hitchin Highbury | 56 | 6 | 62 | 90.3% |
| Hitchwood | 54 | 4 | 58 | 93.1% |
| Royston Heath | 43 | 5 | 48 | 89.6% |
| Cadwell | 29 | 4 | 33 | 87.9% |
| Hitchin Oughton | 29 | 2 | 31 | 93.5% |
| Letchworth Wilbury | 26 | 0 | 26 | 100.0% |
| Royston Palace | 22 | 3 | 25 | 88.0% |
| Royston Meridian | 15 | 1 | 16 | 93.8% |
| Baldock East | 14 | 1 | 15 | 93.3% |
| Great Ashby | 12 | 1 | 13 | 92.3% |
| Letchworth Grange | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
How North Hertfordshire’s planning approval rate has changed year by year — down 3.7pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01483/NMA Knebworth | No raising of roof required, flat roof dormers (as existing design), Juliette ba | Refused |
| 26/01183/LBC Offa | Single storey side garden room extension to include flue pipe and re-positioned | Approved |
| 26/01111/LBC Baldock West | Replacement of 3no. ground floor windows (2no. Northeast Elevation and 1no. Sout | Approved |
| 26/01375/LDCP Hitchin Oughton | Single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/01367/LDCP Hitchin Oughton | Single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/01285/LDCP Graveley, St Ippolyts And Wymondley | Alterations to existing roof to include hip to gable roof extension, insertion o | Approved |
| 26/01038/LDCP Knebworth | Two storey rear extension following demolition of existing rear elements. | Refused |
| 26/00983/FPH Letchworth South West | Two storey and first floor front extensions. Alterations to existing attached ga | Approved |
| 25/03191/LBC Royston Heath | Internal alterations to facilitate conversion and change of use of dwelling (Use | Approved |
| 25/03190/FP Royston Heath | Conversion and change of use of dwelling (Use Class C3) to provide additional ca | 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 1,524 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare North Hertfordshire's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
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 1,524 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 1,524 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in North Hertfordshire is 93.4%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.5%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,524 planning decisions from North Hertfordshire council. 1,423 were approved and 101 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in North Hertfordshire is 93.4%, 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.