Planning Approval Rate in South Holland
South Holland is somewhat stricter than the England average for planning permission: it approves 81.6% of applications and decides 96.1% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #261 of 310 English authorities. This is the approval-rate record for South Holland: how hard it is to get planning permission, how quickly the council decides, and how it compares with its neighbours, from official government statistics.
Looking for a particular application rather than the statistics? Search South Holland planning applications by postcode on PlanWatch.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 588 decisions (480 granted, 108 refused).
How South Holland compares
| South Holland | 81.6% |
| East Midlands average | 89.8% |
| England average | 87% |
South Holland is 5.4 points stricter than the England average.
How hard is it to get planning permission in South Holland?
South Holland is in the stricter third of English authorities, granting 81.6% of the applications it decides (rank 261st of 310). That puts it somewhat stricter than the England average — 81.6% approved against an England average of 87%. Within East Midlands it is the 34th most approving of 35 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.8%. Refusals are fairly frequent here: 108 of its 588 decisions were refusals (18.4%). On the split by scale it is somewhat tougher on major schemes than on small ones: 78.6% of major developments approved versus 89.8% of householder and other small-scale work, from 42 major decisions.
On timing it is a little faster than average, deciding 96.1% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on a mid-sized caseload of 588 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 Leicester (82.3%, more approving) and Oadby and Wigston (71.7%, stricter). For context in East Midlands, North Kesteven approves the most (97.2%) and Oadby and Wigston the least (71.7%).
Compare South Holland with nearby councils
Approval rates for other authorities in East Midlands. See the full East Midlands league table.
Approval rate by development scale in South Holland
Live planning activity in South Holland District Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 9 October 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in South Holland District Council
Where planning activity concentrates in South Holland District Council
Recent applications in South Holland District Council
This is a sample, not the full register. Search South Holland planning applications by postcode.
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Planning permission in South Holland: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in South Holland?
On the latest official figures South Holland is somewhat stricter than the England average and in the stricter third of English authorities, approving 81.6% of the 588 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does South Holland approve or refuse?
Refusals are fairly frequent here: 81.6% approved and 18.4% refused — 480 granted and 108 refused of 588 decisions, with major schemes approved at 78.6% and householder and other work at 89.8%.
How quickly does South Holland decide planning applications?
On timing South Holland is a little faster than average: 96.1% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is South Holland stricter than nearby councils?
South Holland's 81.6% approval rate makes it the 34th most approving of 35 authorities in East Midlands, against a 89.8% regional average. Neighbouring Leicester approves 82.3% and Oadby and Wigston 71.7%.
Can I use South Holland's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application South Holland 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 South Holland 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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