South Norfolk Council approves 96.8% of planning applications, based on 3,731 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. South Norfolk sits 8.9 percentage points above the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — 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 South Norfolk.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,988 | 53 | 2,041 | 97.4% |
| Trees | 504 | 40 | 544 | 92.6% |
| Listed Building | 387 | 2 | 389 | 99.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 377 | 4 | 381 | 99.0% |
| Other | 212 | 9 | 221 | 95.9% |
| Change of Use | 53 | 5 | 58 | 91.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 51 | 4 | 55 | 92.7% |
| Advertisement | 40 | 2 | 42 | 95.2% |
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mulbarton And Stoke Holy Cross | 252 | 5 | 257 | 98.1% |
| Beck Vale, Dickleburgh And Scole | 239 | 7 | 246 | 97.2% |
| Diss And Roydon | 222 | 10 | 232 | 95.7% |
| Poringland, Framinghams And Trowse | 194 | 10 | 204 | 95.1% |
| Ditchingham And Earsham | 181 | 2 | 183 | 98.9% |
| Loddon And Chedgrave | 174 | 4 | 178 | 97.8% |
| Brooke | 170 | 5 | 175 | 97.1% |
| Bressingham And Burston | 168 | 6 | 174 | 96.6% |
| Hethersett | 149 | 7 | 156 | 95.5% |
| Bunwell | 144 | 3 | 147 | 98.0% |
| Hempnall | 144 | 2 | 146 | 98.6% |
| Rockland | 134 | 4 | 138 | 97.1% |
| Central Wymondham | 132 | 6 | 138 | 95.7% |
| Cringleford | 129 | 6 | 135 | 95.6% |
| Wicklewood | 127 | 3 | 130 | 97.7% |
| Forncett | 117 | 5 | 122 | 95.9% |
| Great Witchingham | 114 | 7 | 121 | 94.2% |
| Harleston | 115 | 4 | 119 | 96.6% |
| South Wymondham | 109 | 5 | 114 | 95.6% |
| Newton Flotman | 94 | 5 | 99 | 94.9% |
| Thurlton | 97 | 2 | 99 | 98.0% |
| Hingham And Deopham | 86 | 2 | 88 | 97.7% |
| New Costessey | 75 | 2 | 77 | 97.4% |
| Eynesford | 61 | 5 | 66 | 92.4% |
| North Wymondham | 60 | 1 | 61 | 98.4% |
Showing top 25 of 28 wards by volume. Your Pro Report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →Real residential planning decisions from South Norfolk council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 2023/0598 Mulbarton And Stoke Holy Cross | Proposed single storey rear extension, extending 5.18m from the rear wall of the | Approved |
| 2023/0449 New Costessey | Proposed extensions and alterations | Approved |
| 2023/0331 Great Witchingham | Single storey rear and side extension with flat roof | Approved |
| 2023/0267 Forncett | Single storey extensions with Interior alterations and associated landscape work | Approved |
| 2023/0268 Forncett | Single storey extensions with Interior alterations and associated landscape work | Approved |
| 20230118 Great Witchingham | Erection of Side and Rear Flat Roof Extension including Conversion of Garage and | Approved |
| 2022/1995 Loddon And Chedgrave | Retention of existing cafe with proposed extension and alterations of existing b | Approved |
| 2023/0285 Central Wymondham | Proposed side extension with pitched roof | Approved |
| 2023/0278 Wicklewood | Single storey front extension. | Approved |
| 2023/0148 Hempnall | Replace windows, resize 1 of window and replace damaged beam | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on South Norfolk's 3,731 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into South Norfolk's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 3,731 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in South Norfolk is 96.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 3,731 planning decisions from South Norfolk council. 3,612 were approved and 119 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in South Norfolk is 96.8%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.