Norwich Council approves 92.3% of planning applications, based on 4,697 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Norwich sits 7.3 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 905 decided applications, Norwich Council approved 94.8% of planning applications in 2025. Across 4,697 decisions on record (January 2018 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Norwich is 92.3%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Norwich 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 Norwich.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,427 | 264 | 3,691 | 92.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,215 | 80 | 1,295 | 93.8% |
| Trees | 789 | 98 | 887 | 89.0% |
| Listed Building | 826 | 24 | 850 | 97.2% |
| Other | 647 | 45 | 692 | 93.5% |
| Advertisement | 408 | 45 | 453 | 90.1% |
| Prior Approval | 272 | 24 | 296 | 91.9% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 238 | 23 | 261 | 91.2% |
| Change of Use | 232 | 27 | 259 | 89.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mancroft | 1,617 | 112 | 1,729 | 93.5% |
| Thorpe Hamlet | 1,092 | 94 | 1,186 | 92.1% |
| Eaton | 1,071 | 84 | 1,155 | 92.7% |
| Town Close | 712 | 56 | 768 | 92.7% |
| Nelson | 624 | 35 | 659 | 94.7% |
| Catton Grove | 554 | 51 | 605 | 91.6% |
| Lakenham | 544 | 27 | 571 | 95.3% |
| University | 478 | 54 | 532 | 89.8% |
| Wensum | 321 | 35 | 356 | 90.2% |
| Mile Cross | 298 | 24 | 322 | 92.5% |
| Sewell | 294 | 21 | 315 | 93.3% |
| Crome | 243 | 19 | 262 | 92.7% |
| Bowthorpe | 183 | 16 | 199 | 92.0% |
| Not Applicable | 20 | 2 | 22 | 90.9% |
How Norwich’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.7pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Norwich council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00785/F Town Close | Proposed construction of rear dormer roof extension, installation of two rooflig | Approved |
| 26/00831/PDE Lakenham | Single storey rear extension. The extension extends 4m beyond the rear wall of t | Approved |
| 26/00786/F Lakenham | Single storey rear extension and two storey side extension. | Approved |
| 26/00717/F Sewell | Single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/00705/U Eaton | Change of use from dwellinghouse (Class C3) to residential children's home for t | Approved |
| 26/00534/F Nelson | Ground floor rear extension to provide open plan kitchen and living areas. First | Approved |
| 26/00796/PA Eaton | Installation of 12 solar panels on the flat roof above the kitchen. | Approved |
| 26/00722/F Eaton | Rear conservatory refurbishment with new roof and glazing. | Approved |
| 26/00586/D Thorpe Hamlet | Details of Condition 5(a): replacement concourse clock of previous consent 23/01 | Approved |
| 26/00702/F Mancroft | Roof mounted extract system to first floor roof. | 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 Norwich's 4,697 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Norwich's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Norwich'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 Norwich. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 4,697 real decisions from Norwich 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 Norwich'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 4,697 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Norwich is 92.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 4,697 planning decisions from Norwich council. 4,335 were approved and 362 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Norwich is 92.3%, 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 Norwich? 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.