Norwich planning approval rate
Norwich council approved 92.7% of planning applications and refused 7.3%, based on 8,590 decisions analysed. Ranked 182nd out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
92.7%
overall approval rate
8,590
Decisions analysed
7,963
Approved
627
Refused
14
Wards covered
Planning in Norwich? 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 Norwich. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
92.8%
93.8%
89.0%
97.2%
93.4%
89.9%
91.8%
89.5%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Norwich, mined from 8,590 proposal descriptions.
96.0%
89.7%
95.8%
90.4%
94.2%
96.0%
95.8%
98.2%
95.2%
96.4%
78.0%
87.5%
92.0%
54.2%
71.9%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Norwich. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Mancroft
93.4%
Thorpe Hamlet
92.0%
Eaton
92.6%
Town Close
92.6%
Nelson
94.8%
Catton Grove
91.7%
Lakenham
95.2%
University
89.8%
Wensum
90.1%
Mile Cross
92.7%
Sewell
93.2%
Crome
92.7%
Bowthorpe
91.9%
Not Applicable
90.9%
Wards in Norwich
Mancroft
93.4% approval · 1,706 decisions
Thorpe Hamlet
92.0% approval · 1,176 decisions
Eaton
92.6% approval · 1,139 decisions
Town Close
92.6% approval · 759 decisions
Nelson
94.8% approval · 654 decisions
Catton Grove
91.7% approval · 601 decisions
Lakenham
95.2% approval · 563 decisions
University
89.8% approval · 530 decisions
Wensum
90.1% approval · 354 decisions
Mile Cross
92.7% approval · 316 decisions
Sewell
93.2% approval · 309 decisions
Crome
92.7% approval · 261 decisions
Bowthorpe
91.9% approval · 197 decisions
Not Applicable
90.9% approval · 22 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Norwich, showing how the council decides real applications.
Change of use from ancillary building to clinical research room. · Sewell · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Proposed 1.5 storey high double garage with storage space. · Wensum · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Creation of a residential apartment in the attic space. · Mancroft · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Norwich, 1 in 14 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 Norwich
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Norwich →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Norwich
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 8,590 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Norwich
What is the planning approval rate in Norwich?
Based on 8,590 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Norwich approved 92.7% of applications and refused 7.3%. The council is ranked 182nd out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Norwich?
Norwich refuses 7.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 14. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 8,590 decided applications since 2020, 627 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Norwich have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Norwich are in Lakenham (95.2%), Nelson (94.8%), and Mancroft (93.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Norwich?
The most common planning application types in Norwich are: Full (3,656 decisions, 92.8% approved), Discharge of Conditions (1,281, 93.8%), and Trees (873, 89.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Norwich?
Planning applications in Norwich take an average of 10.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 8,530 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. Norwich decides approximately 1,432 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Norwich?
You can search planning applications in Norwich directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 8,590 historical decisions in Norwich to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Norwich calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Norwich'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.