North Yorkshire Council approves 89.5% of planning applications, based on 2,718 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. North Yorkshire sits 4.5 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,817 decided applications, North Yorkshire Council approved 89.3% of planning applications in 2025. Across 2,718 decisions on record (July 2025 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in North Yorkshire is 89.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of North Yorkshire council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in North Yorkshire.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,964 | 211 | 2,175 | 90.3% |
| Trees | 982 | 103 | 1,085 | 90.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 293 | 30 | 323 | 90.7% |
| Prior Approval | 255 | 47 | 302 | 84.4% |
| Listed Building | 220 | 42 | 262 | 84.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 163 | 30 | 193 | 84.5% |
| Other | 108 | 36 | 144 | 75.0% |
| Advertisement | 70 | 14 | 84 | 83.3% |
| Change of Use | 16 | 1 | 17 | 94.1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washburn & Birstwith | 174 | 38 | 212 | 82.1% |
| Masham & Fountains | 185 | 19 | 204 | 90.7% |
| Valley Gardens & Central Harrogate | 170 | 19 | 189 | 89.9% |
| Spofforth,L Whdl,Tockwith | 171 | 17 | 188 | 91.0% |
| Wathvale & Bishop Monkton | 164 | 18 | 182 | 90.1% |
| Stray, Woodlands & Hookstone | 170 | 10 | 180 | 94.4% |
| Ouseburn | 159 | 12 | 171 | 93.0% |
| Coppice Valley & Duchy | 155 | 7 | 162 | 95.7% |
| Boroughbridge & Claro | 144 | 16 | 160 | 90.0% |
| Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale | 127 | 19 | 146 | 87.0% |
| Knaresborough West | 132 | 10 | 142 | 93.0% |
| Oatlands & Pannal | 118 | 15 | 133 | 88.7% |
| Aire Valley | 120 | 11 | 131 | 91.6% |
| Harlow & St. Georges | 124 | 5 | 129 | 96.1% |
| Whitby Streonshalh | 102 | 21 | 123 | 82.9% |
| Ripon Ure Bank & Spa | 109 | 13 | 122 | 89.3% |
| Skipton North & Embsay-with-Eastby | 105 | 14 | 119 | 88.2% |
| Bentham & Ingleton | 103 | 14 | 117 | 88.0% |
| Weaponness & Ramshill | 95 | 10 | 105 | 90.5% |
| Skipton West & West Craven | 88 | 13 | 101 | 87.1% |
| Settle & Penyghent | 86 | 11 | 97 | 88.7% |
| Mid Craven | 84 | 11 | 95 | 88.4% |
| Castle | 64 | 23 | 87 | 73.6% |
| Glusburn, Cross Hills & Sutton-in-Craven | 73 | 6 | 79 | 92.4% |
| Scalby & the Coast | 67 | 9 | 76 | 88.2% |
Showing top 25 of 71 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How North Yorkshire’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 0.9pp since 2025.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from North Yorkshire council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/04649/FUL Ouseburn | Part single storey rear extension with lantern and part 2 storey extension to si | Approved |
| 26/04555/FUL High Harrogate & Kingsley | Erection of single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/04684/FUL Filey | Replacement of boundary fence to matching wall | Approved |
| 26/04273/FUL Appleton Roebuck & Church Fenton | Single storey extension to the rear of the property | Approved |
| 26/04265/FUL Thirsk | Proposed ground floor extension to relocate the existing workshop, formation of | Approved |
| 26/04219/FUL Easingwold | Installation of New Windows following Removal of Bay Window | Approved |
| 26/04186/FUL Spofforth,L Whdl,Tockwith | Extensions and alterations to existing dwelling. Erection of entrance gates and | Approved |
| 26/03578/OUT Glusburn, Cross Hills & Sutton-in-Craven | Outline planning application for the construction of a detached dwelling, associ | Approved |
| 26/03147/FUL Morton-on-Swale & Appleton Wiske | Extension of a Poultry Barn. | Approved |
| 26/02598/FUL Knaresborough West | Proposed single storey garage and conservatory side extension. | 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 Yorkshire's 2,718 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare North Yorkshire's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
Dig deeper into North Yorkshire'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 Yorkshire. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 2,718 real decisions from North Yorkshire 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 Yorkshire'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 2,718 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in North Yorkshire is 89.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,718 planning decisions from North Yorkshire council. 2,434 were approved and 284 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, July 2025 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in North Yorkshire is 89.5%, 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 Yorkshire? 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.