North Northamptonshire planning approval rate
North Northamptonshire council approved 93.9% of planning applications and refused 6.1%, based on 4,914 decisions analysed. Ranked 204th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
93.9%
overall approval rate
4,914
Decisions analysed
4,616
Approved
298
Refused
34
Wards covered
Planning in North Northamptonshire? 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 Northamptonshire. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
90.9%
93.8%
94.8%
99.4%
97.9%
89.9%
56.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in North Northamptonshire, mined from 4,914 proposal descriptions.
94.3%
90.8%
91.2%
94.8%
91.0%
96.3%
93.9%
84.9%
86.2%
89.4%
86.7%
84.2%
88.9%
80.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within North Northamptonshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Thrapston
97.3%
Oundle
94.3%
Desborough
86.7%
Rothwell & Mawsley
91.5%
Earls Barton
88.2%
Barton Seagrave & Burton Latimer
90.9%
Geddington & Stanion
87.9%
Kettering Central
81.2%
Victoria
96.8%
Lloyds & Corby Village
96.8%
Raunds
92.0%
Irchester
87.5%
Ise
81.8%
Wards in North Northamptonshire
Thrapston
97.3% approval · 73 decisions
Oundle
94.3% approval · 70 decisions
Desborough
86.7% approval · 60 decisions
Rothwell & Mawsley
91.5% approval · 47 decisions
Earls Barton
88.2% approval · 34 decisions
Barton Seagrave & Burton Latimer
90.9% approval · 33 decisions
Geddington & Stanion
87.9% approval · 33 decisions
Kettering Central
81.2% approval · 32 decisions
Victoria
96.8% approval · 31 decisions
Lloyds & Corby Village
96.8% approval · 31 decisions
Raunds
92.0% approval · 25 decisions
Irchester
87.5% approval · 24 decisions
Ise
81.8% approval · 22 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in North Northamptonshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Proposed Conversion of First Floor from Commercial to 1 One Bed Apartment (C3 us · Kettering Central · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Single storey rear extension with an overall depth of 4m, maximum height of 2.75 · Rushden South · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Non material amendment pursuant to NK/2021/0087. First floor front and single st · Desborough · 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 Northamptonshire, 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 Northamptonshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for North Northamptonshire →
✓ Common refusal reasons in North Northamptonshire
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 4,914 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in North Northamptonshire
What is the planning approval rate in North Northamptonshire?
Based on 4,914 planning decisions analysed since 2020, North Northamptonshire approved 93.9% of applications and refused 6.1%. The council is ranked 204th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in North Northamptonshire?
North Northamptonshire refuses 6.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 16. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 4,914 decided applications since 2020, 298 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of North Northamptonshire have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in North Northamptonshire are in Thrapston (97.3%), Oundle (94.3%), and Desborough (86.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in North Northamptonshire?
The most common planning application types in North Northamptonshire are: Full (1,285 decisions, 90.9% approved), Other (1,129, 93.8%), and Discharge of Conditions (1,059, 94.8%).
How long does a planning application take in North Northamptonshire?
Planning applications in North Northamptonshire take an average of 17.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 673 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 Northamptonshire decides approximately 819 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in North Northamptonshire?
You can search planning applications in North Northamptonshire directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 4,914 historical decisions in North Northamptonshire to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for North Northamptonshire calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes North Northamptonshire'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.