Uttlesford Council approves 73.8% of planning applications, based on 873 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Uttlesford sits 14.5 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 873 decided applications published since January 2020, Uttlesford Council approved 73.8% of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Uttlesford council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Uttlesford.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 324 | 106 | 430 | 75.3% |
| Other | 91 | 24 | 115 | 79.1% |
| Trees | 100 | 5 | 105 | 95.2% |
| Listed Building | 67 | 24 | 91 | 73.6% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 49 | 12 | 61 | 80.3% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 0 | 52 | 52 | 0.0% |
| Prior Approval | 5 | 5 | 10 | 50.0% |
| Advertisement | 8 | 1 | 9 | 88.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felsted And Stebbing | 50 | 17 | 67 | 74.6% |
| Takeley | 35 | 20 | 55 | 63.6% |
| Great Dunmow South And Barnston | 40 | 14 | 54 | 74.1% |
| High Easter And The Rodings | 35 | 19 | 54 | 64.8% |
| Littlebury, Chesterford And Wendens Loft | 42 | 11 | 53 | 79.2% |
| Elsenham & Henham | 38 | 14 | 52 | 73.1% |
| Broad Oak And The Hallingburys | 39 | 11 | 50 | 78.0% |
| Clavering | 35 | 14 | 49 | 71.4% |
| Thaxted And The Eastons | 31 | 17 | 48 | 64.6% |
| Saffron Walden Shire | 32 | 11 | 43 | 74.4% |
| Stansted North | 25 | 12 | 37 | 67.6% |
| Stort Valley | 26 | 10 | 36 | 72.2% |
| Saffron Walden Audley | 31 | 4 | 35 | 88.6% |
| Stansted South And Birchanger | 18 | 15 | 33 | 54.5% |
| The Sampfords | 27 | 6 | 33 | 81.8% |
| Newport | 25 | 7 | 32 | 78.1% |
| Debden And Wimbish | 24 | 7 | 31 | 77.4% |
| Hatfield Heath | 21 | 6 | 27 | 77.8% |
| Great Dunmow North | 22 | 3 | 25 | 88.0% |
| Ashdon | 17 | 4 | 21 | 81.0% |
| Flitch Green And Little Dunmow | 15 | 4 | 19 | 78.9% |
| Saffron Walden Castle | 15 | 3 | 18 | 83.3% |
How Uttlesford’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 10.6pp since 2025.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Uttlesford council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| UTT/26/0951/HHF Elsenham & Henham | Extension of existing residential driveway using permeable gravel to provide saf | Approved |
| UTT/26/1463/TCA Great Dunmow South And Barnston | Reduction of height of 1 no. Laurel Hedge at front of property by 1m. Removal of | Approved |
| UTT/26/1410/TCA Elsenham & Henham | Works to 1 no. Sycamore in the right rear side corner of the garden comprising o | Approved |
| UTT/26/1309/TCA Felsted And Stebbing | 4 no. Leylandii - two either side of drive to be topped below the telephone line | Approved |
| UTT/26/1059/DOC Clavering | Application to discharge condition 3 (details of windows, cills and doors) attac | Refused |
| UTT/26/1030/HHF Saffron Walden Shire | Proposed conversion of the existing loft, construction of rear dormer on rear ro | Refused |
| UTT/26/0990/LB Stort Valley | Internal alterations comprising the insertion of new mezzanine floor within part | Refused |
| UTT/26/1187/TCA Clavering | T1 - Sycamore - Reduction by 4m in height and shape the sides including branch l | Approved |
| UTT/26/1179/TCA The Sampfords | 1 no. Oak (T2) - Fell to combat subsidence damage to the property | Approved |
| UTT/26/1180/TCA The Sampfords | 1 no. Apple (T1) - Fell to combat subsidence damage to neighbouring property | 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 Uttlesford's 873 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Uttlesford's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Uttlesford'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 Uttlesford. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 873 real decisions from Uttlesford 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 Uttlesford'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 873 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Uttlesford is 73.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 873 planning decisions from Uttlesford council. 644 were approved and 229 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Uttlesford is 73.8%, 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 Uttlesford? 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.