Planning Approval Rate in North Norfolk
North Norfolk is somewhat more approving than the England average for planning permission: it approves 94.1% of applications and decides 93.7% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #41 of 310 English authorities. This page sets out how hard it is to get planning permission in North Norfolk, how quickly the council decides, and how it compares with its neighbours — from official government figures plus the live planning activity PlanWatch tracks across North Norfolk District Council.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 877 decisions (825 granted, 52 refused).
How North Norfolk compares
| North Norfolk | 94.1% |
| East of England average | 86.1% |
| England average | 87% |
North Norfolk is 7.1 points easier than the England average.
How hard is it to get planning permission in North Norfolk?
North Norfolk is in the more approving third of English authorities, granting 94.1% of the applications it decides (rank 41st of 310). That puts it somewhat more approving than the England average — 94.1% approved against an England average of 87%. Within East of England it is the 2nd most approving of 45 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 86.1%. Refusals are uncommon here: 52 of its 877 decisions were refusals (5.9%). On the split by scale it is somewhat tougher on major schemes than on small ones: 87.9% of major developments approved versus 95.9% of householder and other small-scale work, from 33 major decisions.
On timing it is a little faster than average, deciding 93.7% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a mid-sized caseload of 877 decisions over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, where the typical English authority decides around 783. Among its East of England neighbours it sits between Norwich (95.6%, more approving) and South Norfolk (94%, stricter). For context in East of England, Norwich approves the most (95.6%) and Epping Forest the least (66.1%).
Compare North Norfolk with nearby councils
Approval rates for other authorities in East of England. See the full East of England league table.
Approval rate by development scale in North Norfolk
Live planning activity in North Norfolk District Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 25 August 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in North Norfolk District Council
Where planning activity concentrates in North Norfolk District Council
Recent applications in North Norfolk District Council
Track live decisions near a postcode on the PlanWatch North Norfolk page.
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Planning permission in North Norfolk: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in North Norfolk?
On the latest official figures North Norfolk is somewhat more approving than the England average and in the more approving third of English authorities, approving 94.1% of the 877 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does North Norfolk approve or refuse?
Refusals are uncommon here: 94.1% approved and 5.9% refused — 825 granted and 52 refused of 877 decisions, with major schemes approved at 87.9% and householder and other work at 95.9%.
How quickly does North Norfolk decide planning applications?
On timing North Norfolk is a little faster than average: 93.7% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is North Norfolk stricter than nearby councils?
North Norfolk's 94.1% approval rate makes it the 2nd most approving of 45 authorities in East of England, against a 86.1% regional average. Neighbouring Norwich approves 95.6% and South Norfolk 94%.
Can I use North Norfolk's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application North Norfolk 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 North Norfolk District 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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