Northumberland planning approval rate
Northumberland council approved 91.2% of planning applications and refused 8.8%, based on 627 decisions analysed. Ranked 149th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
91.2%
overall approval rate
627
Decisions analysed
572
Approved
55
Refused
38
Wards covered
Planning in Northumberland? 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 Northumberland. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
96.7%
86.8%
85.7%
100.0%
93.8%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Northumberland, mined from 627 proposal descriptions.
84.7%
87.5%
92.1%
94.4%
94.4%
92.3%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Northumberland. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Ponteland West
82.9%
Longhoughton
91.7%
Bellingham
95.8%
South Tynedale
91.3%
Bamburgh
100.0%
Ponteland South With Heddon
95.2%
Ponteland North
100.0%
Wards in Northumberland
Ponteland West
82.9% approval · 35 decisions
Longhoughton
91.7% approval · 24 decisions
Bellingham
95.8% approval · 24 decisions
South Tynedale
91.3% approval · 23 decisions
Bamburgh
100.0% approval · 23 decisions
Ponteland South With Heddon
95.2% approval · 21 decisions
Ponteland North
100.0% approval · 20 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Northumberland, showing how the council decides real applications.
Installation of Subtended Headend Sidepod onto existing BT cabinet - Reference: · Bamburgh · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Installation of Subtended Headend Sidepod onto existing BT cabinet - Reference: · Bamburgh · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Installation of Subtended Headend Sidepod onto existing BT cabinet - Reference: · Bamburgh · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Northumberland, 1 in 11 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 Northumberland
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Northumberland →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Northumberland
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 627 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Northumberland
What is the planning approval rate in Northumberland?
Based on 627 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Northumberland approved 91.2% of applications and refused 8.8%. The council is ranked 149th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Northumberland?
Northumberland refuses 8.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 11. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 627 decided applications since 2020, 55 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Northumberland have the highest planning approval rates?
Approval rates in Northumberland vary by ward, see the ward breakdown above for detailed figures for each area.
What types of planning application are most common in Northumberland?
The most common planning application types in Northumberland are: Other (183 decisions, 96.7% approved), Full (167, 86.8%), and Discharge of Conditions (140, 85.7%).
How long does a planning application take in Northumberland?
Planning applications in Northumberland take an average of 7.2 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 581 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is inside 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. Northumberland decides approximately 104 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Northumberland?
You can search planning applications in Northumberland directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 627 historical decisions in Northumberland to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Northumberland calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Northumberland'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.