Watford planning approval rate
Watford council approved 90.7% of planning applications and refused 9.3%, based on 1,928 decisions analysed. Ranked 135th out of 279 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
90.7%
overall approval rate
1,928
Decisions analysed
1,749
Approved
179
Refused
13
Wards covered
Planning in Watford? 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 Watford. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
93.3%
98.2%
88.1%
88.7%
78.4%
100.0%
35.3%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Watford — mined from 1,928 proposal descriptions.
87.4%
89.7%
88.7%
96.6%
96.1%
92.2%
88.1%
98.5%
87.9%
100.0%
100.0%
95.3%
89.5%
81.8%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Watford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Park
92.7%
Central
92.6%
Nascot
94.5%
Tudor
90.8%
Oxhey
91.7%
Stanborough
93.7%
Vicarage
90.0%
Woodside
89.1%
Callowland
86.7%
Meriden
88.2%
Holywell
80.8%
Leggatts
87.5%
Wards in Watford
Park
92.7% approval · 303 decisions
Central
92.6% approval · 229 decisions
Nascot
94.5% approval · 219 decisions
Tudor
90.8% approval · 174 decisions
Oxhey
91.7% approval · 144 decisions
Stanborough
93.7% approval · 143 decisions
Vicarage
90.0% approval · 130 decisions
Woodside
89.1% approval · 128 decisions
Callowland
86.7% approval · 120 decisions
Meriden
88.2% approval · 110 decisions
Holywell
80.8% approval · 104 decisions
Leggatts
87.5% approval · 104 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Watford, showing how the council decides real applications.
The erection of a single storey rear extension which would extend beyond the rea · Stanborough · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Lawful development certificate for proposed erection of single storey rear exten · Stanborough · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Erection of single storey front and side extension following demolition of exist · Callowland · Fri 26 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Watford, 1 in 11 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 Watford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Watford →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Watford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 1,928 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Watford
What is the planning approval rate in Watford?
Based on 1,928 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Watford approved 90.7% of applications and refused 9.3%. The council is ranked 135th out of 279 UK councils for approval rate.
Which areas of Watford have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Watford are in Nascot (94.5%), Stanborough (93.7%), and Park (92.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward — see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Watford?
The most common planning application types in Watford are: Full (1,142 decisions, 93.3% approved), Certificate of Lawfulness (339, 83.2%), and Trees (171, 98.2%).
How long does a planning application take in Watford?
Planning applications in Watford take an average of 7.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,926 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is inside 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. Watford decides approximately 321 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Watford?
You can search planning applications in Watford directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 1,928 historical decisions in Watford to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Watford calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Watford'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.