North Northamptonshire planning approval rate
North Northamptonshire council approved 93.8% of planning applications and refused 6.2%, based on 5,317 decisions analysed. Ranked 217th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
93.8%
overall approval rate
5,317
Decisions analysed
4,988
Approved
329
Refused
35
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.
90.3%
93.9%
95.2%
99.4%
89.3%
98.0%
64.3%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in North Northamptonshire, mined from 5,317 proposal descriptions.
93.6%
90.7%
90.7%
94.5%
90.8%
96.6%
94.5%
85.4%
85.7%
88.9%
88.5%
84.1%
90.9%
90.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within North Northamptonshire. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Oundle
91.6%
Thrapston
95.5%
Desborough
87.8%
Rothwell & Mawsley
90.4%
Earls Barton
90.2%
Barton Seagrave & Burton Latimer
93.0%
Victoria
96.2%
Irchester
88.4%
Lloyds & Corby Village
97.7%
Kettering Central
80.0%
Geddington & Stanion
90.0%
Ise
87.9%
Raunds
90.0%
Irthlingborough
96.6%
Croyland & Swanspool
100.0%
St Peter
92.0%
Gretton & Weldon
100.0%
Hatton Park
90.5%
Rushden Lakes
76.2%
Brickhill & Queensway
90.0%
Wards in North Northamptonshire
Oundle
91.6% approval · 131 decisions
Thrapston
95.5% approval · 111 decisions
Desborough
87.8% approval · 82 decisions
Rothwell & Mawsley
90.4% approval · 73 decisions
Earls Barton
90.2% approval · 61 decisions
Barton Seagrave & Burton Latimer
93.0% approval · 57 decisions
Victoria
96.2% approval · 52 decisions
Irchester
88.4% approval · 43 decisions
Lloyds & Corby Village
97.7% approval · 43 decisions
Kettering Central
80.0% approval · 40 decisions
Geddington & Stanion
90.0% approval · 40 decisions
Ise
87.9% approval · 33 decisions
Raunds
90.0% approval · 30 decisions
Irthlingborough
96.6% approval · 29 decisions
Croyland & Swanspool
100.0% approval · 29 decisions
St Peter
92.0% approval · 25 decisions
Gretton & Weldon
100.0% approval · 23 decisions
Hatton Park
90.5% approval · 21 decisions
Rushden Lakes
76.2% approval · 21 decisions
Brickhill & Queensway
90.0% approval · 20 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in North Northamptonshire, showing how the council decides real applications.
Proposed partial change of use of a residential dwelling for use as a beauty stu · Oundle · Fri 14 Aug 2026
First floor side extension, single storey rear extension and patio extension · Thrapston · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Conversion of dwelling house (C3) to 6 bed, 6 person HMO (C4) including rear dor · Kettering Central · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more 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 5,317 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in North Northamptonshire
What is the planning approval rate in North Northamptonshire?
Based on 5,317 planning decisions analysed since 2020, North Northamptonshire approved 93.8% of applications and refused 6.2%. The council is ranked 217th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in North Northamptonshire?
North Northamptonshire refuses 6.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 16. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 5,317 decided applications since 2020, 329 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 Victoria (96.2%), Thrapston (95.5%), and Barton Seagrave & Burton Latimer (93.0%). 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 (1,457 decisions, 90.3% approved), Other (1,174, 93.9%), and Discharge of Conditions (1,157, 95.2%).
How long does a planning application take in North Northamptonshire?
Planning applications in North Northamptonshire take an average of 15.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,079 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 886 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 5,317 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.