Planning Approval Rate in High Peak
High Peak is close to the England average for planning permission: it approves 86.2% of applications and decides 94.1% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #203 of 310 English authorities. This page sets out how hard it is to get planning permission in High Peak, how quickly the council decides, and how it compares with its neighbours — from official government figures plus the live planning activity PlanWatch tracks across High Peak Borough Council.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 354 decisions (305 granted, 49 refused).
How High Peak compares
| High Peak | 86.2% |
| East Midlands average | 89.8% |
| England average | 87% |
High Peak is about average for England.
How hard is it to get planning permission in High Peak?
High Peak is a little stricter than the median English authority, granting 86.2% of the applications it decides (rank 203rd of 310). That puts it close to the England average — 86.2% approved against an England average of 87%. Within East Midlands it is the 30th most approving of 35 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.8%. Refusals are fairly frequent here: 49 of its 354 decisions were refusals (13.8%). On the split by scale it is somewhat tougher on major schemes than on small ones: 83.3% of major developments approved versus 89.8% of householder and other small-scale work, from 18 major decisions.
On timing it is a little faster than average, deciding 94.1% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a relatively light caseload of 354 decisions over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, where the typical English authority decides around 783. Among its East Midlands neighbours it sits between Bassetlaw (86.3%, more approving) and North Northamptonshire (86%, stricter). For context in East Midlands, North Kesteven approves the most (97.2%) and Oadby and Wigston the least (71.7%).
Compare High Peak with nearby councils
Approval rates for other authorities in East Midlands. See the full East Midlands league table.
Approval rate by development scale in High Peak
Live planning activity in High Peak Borough Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 10 July 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in High Peak Borough Council
Where planning activity concentrates in High Peak Borough Council
Recent applications in High Peak Borough Council
Track live decisions near a postcode on the PlanWatch High Peak page.
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Planning permission in High Peak: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in High Peak?
On the latest official figures High Peak is close to the England average and a little stricter than the median English authority, approving 86.2% of the 354 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does High Peak approve or refuse?
Refusals are fairly frequent here: 86.2% approved and 13.8% refused — 305 granted and 49 refused of 354 decisions, with major schemes approved at 83.3% and householder and other work at 89.8%.
How quickly does High Peak decide planning applications?
On timing High Peak is a little faster than average: 94.1% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is High Peak stricter than nearby councils?
High Peak's 86.2% approval rate makes it the 30th most approving of 35 authorities in East Midlands, against a 89.8% regional average. Neighbouring Bassetlaw approves 86.3% and North Northamptonshire 86%.
Can I use High Peak's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application High Peak decided, not a prediction for any individual application; your outcome depends on the site, the proposal, local planning policy and any objections.
Methodology & limits
Approval, refusal and in-time rates come from the government's official PS2 planning application statistics (Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government), covering 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. This dataset is England-only and published annually, so it lags live activity. Live figures are the applications PlanWatch has collected for High Peak Borough Council and are not a complete council register. Refusal reasons and delegated-vs-committee splits are not published in this data.
This is a historic average, not a prediction. It cannot tell you whether your application will be approved — that depends on your site, proposal, local policy and any objections.
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