Planning Approval Rate in North Somerset
North Somerset is close to the England average for planning permission: it approves 88% of applications and decides 85.8% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #167 of 310 English authorities. This page sets out how hard it is to get planning permission in North Somerset, 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 Somerset.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 1,148 decisions (1,010 granted, 138 refused).
How North Somerset compares
| North Somerset | 88% |
| South West average | 89.5% |
| England average | 87% |
North Somerset is about average for England.
How hard is it to get planning permission in North Somerset?
North Somerset is a little stricter than the median English authority, granting 88% of the applications it decides (rank 167th of 310). That puts it close to the England average — 88% approved against an England average of 87%. Within South West it is the 17th most approving of 27 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.5%. Refusals are uncommon here: 138 of its 1,148 decisions were refusals (12%). On the split by scale it is about as likely to approve major schemes as small ones: 87.8% of major developments approved versus 91.3% of householder and other small-scale work, from 49 major decisions.
On timing it is a little slower than average, deciding 85.8% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a mid-sized caseload of 1,148 decisions over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, where the typical English authority decides around 783. Among its South West neighbours it sits between Tewkesbury (88.2%, more approving) and Stroud (87.3%, stricter). For context in South West, Cheltenham approves the most (96.5%) and Gloucester the least (80.5%).
Compare North Somerset with nearby councils
Approval rates for other authorities in South West. See the full South West league table.
Approval rate by development scale in North Somerset
Live planning activity in North Somerset
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 4 September 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in North Somerset
Where planning activity concentrates in North Somerset
Recent applications in North Somerset
Track live decisions near a postcode on the PlanWatch North Somerset page.
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Planning permission in North Somerset: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in North Somerset?
On the latest official figures North Somerset is close to the England average and a little stricter than the median English authority, approving 88% of the 1,148 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does North Somerset approve or refuse?
Refusals are uncommon here: 88% approved and 12% refused — 1,010 granted and 138 refused of 1,148 decisions, with major schemes approved at 87.8% and householder and other work at 91.3%.
How quickly does North Somerset decide planning applications?
On timing North Somerset is a little slower than average: 85.8% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is North Somerset stricter than nearby councils?
North Somerset's 88% approval rate makes it the 17th most approving of 27 authorities in South West, against a 89.5% regional average. Neighbouring Tewkesbury approves 88.2% and Stroud 87.3%.
Can I use North Somerset's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application North Somerset 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 Somerset 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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