Uttlesford planning approval rate
Uttlesford council approved 73.8% of planning applications and refused 26.2%, based on 873 decisions analysed. Ranked 3rd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
73.8%
overall approval rate
873
Decisions analysed
644
Approved
229
Refused
22
Wards covered
Planning in Uttlesford? 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 Uttlesford. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
75.3%
79.1%
95.2%
73.6%
50.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Uttlesford, mined from 873 proposal descriptions.
79.1%
78.1%
66.3%
69.3%
88.1%
75.0%
59.3%
80.0%
86.4%
95.0%
100.0%
70.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Uttlesford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Felsted And Stebbing
74.6%
Takeley
63.6%
Great Dunmow South And Barnston
74.1%
High Easter And The Rodings
64.8%
Littlebury, Chesterford And Wendens Loft
79.2%
Elsenham & Henham
73.1%
Broad Oak And The Hallingburys
78.0%
Clavering
71.4%
Thaxted And The Eastons
64.6%
Saffron Walden Shire
74.4%
Stansted North
67.6%
Stort Valley
72.2%
Saffron Walden Audley
88.6%
Stansted South And Birchanger
54.5%
The Sampfords
81.8%
Newport
78.1%
Debden And Wimbish
77.4%
Hatfield Heath
77.8%
Great Dunmow North
88.0%
Ashdon
81.0%
Wards in Uttlesford
Felsted And Stebbing
74.6% approval · 67 decisions
Takeley
63.6% approval · 55 decisions
Great Dunmow South And Barnston
74.1% approval · 54 decisions
High Easter And The Rodings
64.8% approval · 54 decisions
Littlebury, Chesterford And Wendens Loft
79.2% approval · 53 decisions
Elsenham & Henham
73.1% approval · 52 decisions
Broad Oak And The Hallingburys
78.0% approval · 50 decisions
Clavering
71.4% approval · 49 decisions
Thaxted And The Eastons
64.6% approval · 48 decisions
Saffron Walden Shire
74.4% approval · 43 decisions
Stansted North
67.6% approval · 37 decisions
Stort Valley
72.2% approval · 36 decisions
Saffron Walden Audley
88.6% approval · 35 decisions
Stansted South And Birchanger
54.5% approval · 33 decisions
The Sampfords
81.8% approval · 33 decisions
Newport
78.1% approval · 32 decisions
Debden And Wimbish
77.4% approval · 31 decisions
Hatfield Heath
77.8% approval · 27 decisions
Great Dunmow North
88.0% approval · 25 decisions
Ashdon
81.0% approval · 21 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Uttlesford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Extension of existing residential driveway using permeable gravel to provide saf · Elsenham & Henham · Tue 23 Jun 2026
Reduction of height of 1 no. Laurel Hedge at front of property by 1m. Removal of · Great Dunmow South And Barnston · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Works to 1 no. Sycamore in the right rear side corner of the garden comprising o · Elsenham & Henham · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Uttlesford, 1 in 4 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 Uttlesford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Uttlesford →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Uttlesford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 873 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Uttlesford
What is the planning approval rate in Uttlesford?
Based on 873 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Uttlesford approved 73.8% of applications and refused 26.2%. The council is ranked 3rd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Uttlesford?
Uttlesford refuses 26.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 4. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 873 decided applications since 2020, 229 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Uttlesford have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Uttlesford are in Littlebury, Chesterford And Wendens Loft (79.2%), Broad Oak And The Hallingburys (78.0%), and Felsted And Stebbing (74.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Uttlesford?
The most common planning application types in Uttlesford are: Full (430 decisions, 75.3% approved), Other (115, 79.1%), and Trees (105, 95.2%).
How long does a planning application take in Uttlesford?
Planning applications in Uttlesford take an average of 9.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 871 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. Uttlesford decides approximately 146 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Uttlesford?
You can search planning applications in Uttlesford directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 873 historical decisions in Uttlesford to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Uttlesford calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Uttlesford'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.