Planning Approval Rate in West Northamptonshire
West Northamptonshire is somewhat more approving than the England average for planning permission: it approves 90% of applications and decides 87.4% of them within the statutory time limit, ranking #126 of 310 English authorities. This page sets out how hard it is to get planning permission in West Northamptonshire, how quickly the council decides, and how it compares with its neighbours — from official government figures plus the live planning activity PlanWatch tracks across West Northamptonshire Council.
Source: official MHCLG planning statistics (PS2), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Based on 1,812 decisions (1,630 granted, 182 refused).
How West Northamptonshire compares
| West Northamptonshire | 90% |
| East Midlands average | 89.8% |
| England average | 87% |
West Northamptonshire is 3 points easier than the England average.
How hard is it to get planning permission in West Northamptonshire?
West Northamptonshire is a little more approving than the median English authority, granting 90% of the applications it decides (rank 126th of 310). That puts it somewhat more approving than the England average — 90% approved against an England average of 87%. Within East Midlands it is the 21st most approving of 35 local planning authorities, where the regional average is 89.8%. Refusals are uncommon here: 182 of its 1,812 decisions were refusals (10%). On the split by scale it is about as likely to approve major schemes as small ones: 91.8% of major developments approved versus 91.6% of householder and other small-scale work, from 61 major decisions.
On timing it is a little slower than average, deciding 87.4% of applications within the statutory period against 90.6% nationally. Its figures rest on one of the heavier caseloads of 1,812 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 South Kesteven (90.1%, more approving) and Harborough (89.6%, stricter). For context in East Midlands, North Kesteven approves the most (97.2%) and Oadby and Wigston the least (71.7%).
Compare West Northamptonshire with nearby councils
Approval rates for other authorities in East Midlands. See the full East Midlands league table.
Approval rate by development scale in West Northamptonshire
Live planning activity in West Northamptonshire Council
From the latest planning data PlanWatch holds (to 20 August 2026). These are the records we've collected — the freshness the annual government table lacks.
What people apply for in West Northamptonshire Council
Where planning activity concentrates in West Northamptonshire Council
Recent applications in West Northamptonshire Council
Track live decisions near a postcode on the PlanWatch West Northamptonshire page.
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Planning permission in West Northamptonshire: common questions
Is it hard to get planning permission in West Northamptonshire?
On the latest official figures West Northamptonshire is somewhat more approving than the England average and a little more approving than the median English authority, approving 90% of the 1,812 applications it decided over 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 against 87% for England.
What percentage of planning applications does West Northamptonshire approve or refuse?
Refusals are uncommon here: 90% approved and 10% refused — 1,630 granted and 182 refused of 1,812 decisions, with major schemes approved at 91.8% and householder and other work at 91.6%.
How quickly does West Northamptonshire decide planning applications?
On timing West Northamptonshire is a little slower than average: 87.4% of applications were decided within the statutory period — eight weeks for most, thirteen for major schemes — against 90.6% nationally.
Is West Northamptonshire stricter than nearby councils?
West Northamptonshire's 90% approval rate makes it the 21st most approving of 35 authorities in East Midlands, against a 89.8% regional average. Neighbouring South Kesteven approves 90.1% and Harborough 89.6%.
Can I use West Northamptonshire's approval rate to predict whether my application will be approved?
No — the approval rate is a historic average across every application West Northamptonshire 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 West Northamptonshire 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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