Northumberland Council approves 90.6% of planning applications, based on 498 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Northumberland sits 5.6 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 498 decided applications on record (February 2026 to September 2026), Northumberland Council approved 90.6% of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Northumberland 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 Northumberland.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 274 | 40 | 314 | 87.3% |
| Other | 270 | 10 | 280 | 96.4% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 231 | 33 | 264 | 87.5% |
| Trees | 110 | 0 | 110 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 55 | 4 | 59 | 93.2% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 28 | 4 | 32 | 87.5% |
| Prior Approval | 13 | 3 | 16 | 81.2% |
| Advertisement | 14 | 2 | 16 | 87.5% |
| Change of Use | 9 | 0 | 9 | 100.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponteland West | 46 | 7 | 53 | 86.8% |
| Bamburgh | 45 | 2 | 47 | 95.7% |
| South Tynedale | 36 | 3 | 39 | 92.3% |
| Ponteland South With Heddon | 36 | 3 | 39 | 92.3% |
| Longhorsley | 35 | 4 | 39 | 89.7% |
| Longhoughton | 32 | 4 | 36 | 88.9% |
| Corbridge | 34 | 1 | 35 | 97.1% |
| Bellingham | 31 | 3 | 34 | 91.2% |
| Stocksfield & Bywell | 29 | 4 | 33 | 87.9% |
| Ponteland North | 29 | 2 | 31 | 93.5% |
| Morpeth North | 29 | 2 | 31 | 93.5% |
| Hexham West | 28 | 1 | 29 | 96.6% |
| Hexham North | 27 | 1 | 28 | 96.4% |
| Wooler | 24 | 3 | 27 | 88.9% |
| Amble West With Warkworth | 26 | 1 | 27 | 96.3% |
| Berwick North | 21 | 4 | 25 | 84.0% |
| Humshaugh | 23 | 2 | 25 | 92.0% |
| Alnwick Castle | 20 | 2 | 22 | 90.9% |
| Shilbottle | 22 | 0 | 22 | 100.0% |
| Norham & Islandshires | 20 | 1 | 21 | 95.2% |
| Rothbury | 19 | 2 | 21 | 90.5% |
| Ponteland East & Stannington | 17 | 3 | 20 | 85.0% |
| Haydon & Hadrian | 17 | 2 | 19 | 89.5% |
| Sleekburn | 19 | 0 | 19 | 100.0% |
| Longhirst | 16 | 3 | 19 | 84.2% |
Showing top 25 of 54 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →Real residential planning decisions from Northumberland council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/02950/FUL Bellingham | Erection of a Substation and LV Room along with associated hard landscaping. | Approved |
| 26/02691/FUL Longhoughton | Erection of 3No detached dwellinghouses with associated access, parking, landsca | Refused |
| 26/02667/FUL Cowpen | Removal of existing outbuildings and construction of new single storey side exte | Approved |
| 26/02248/COU Hexham North | Change of use from ground floor domestic workshop to commercial unit (Use Class | Approved |
| 26/03059/AGRGDO Longhorsley | Notification of Prior Approval for the erection of a steel agricultural storage | Approved |
| 26/02548/FUL Morpeth North | Change of use of the existing small car parking area into an outdoor seating are | Approved |
| 26/02475/FUL Lynemouth | Single story extension to front bedroom | Approved |
| 26/02452/FUL Hexham West | Replacement of existing vehicle and pedestrian gates and guttering system | Approved |
| 26/02401/FUL Druridge Bay | Retrospective replacement of detached wooden garage with a breeze block/rendered | Approved |
| 26/02735/FUL Shilbottle | Demolish conservatory and construct a single-storey rear extension with a pitche | 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 Northumberland's 498 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Northumberland's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
Dig deeper into Northumberland'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 Northumberland. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 498 real decisions from Northumberland 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 Northumberland'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 498 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Northumberland is 90.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 498 planning decisions from Northumberland council. 451 were approved and 47 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, February 2026 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Northumberland is 90.6%, 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 Northumberland? 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.