In the last 12 months, 92.2% of full planning applications were approved in County Durham (360 decided). A typical decision takes about eleven weeks (median 77 days).
Across all application types on record (1979-10-17–2026-07-03): 94.6% of 2,720 decisions approved.
| Category | Total | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Planning Application | 1,159 | 1,083 | 76 | |
| Discharge of Conditions | 376 | 373 | 3 | |
| Tree Works (Conservation Area) | 280 | 266 | 14 | |
| Tree Works (TPO) | 160 | 138 | 22 | |
| Non-Material Amendment (S96a) | 144 | 143 | 1 | |
| Prior Approval (Other) | 139 | 136 | 3 | |
| Listed Building Consent | 134 | 131 | 3 | |
| Advertisement Consent | 109 | 105 | 4 | |
| Variation/Removal of Conditions (S73) | 83 | 77 | 6 | |
| Certificate of Lawfulness (Proposed) | 32 | 27 | 5 | |
| Reserved Matters | 20 | 20 | 0 | |
| Householder (Prior Approval) | 20 | 20 | 0 | |
| Certificate of Lawfulness (Existing) | 19 | 14 | 5 | |
| Environmental Impact Assessment (Screening/Scoping) | 11 | 11 | 0 | |
| Telecommunications | 11 | 11 | 0 | |
| Outline Planning | 8 | 5 | 3 | |
| Hedgerow Removal | 6 | 5 | 1 | |
| Section 106 Agreement | 4 | 3 | 1 | |
| County/Minerals/Waste | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Habitats Regulations Assessment | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Telecommunications - Outside Cons. Area | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Permission In Principle | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Quarter | Decided | Approved | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-Q3 | 263 | 253 | |
| 2023-Q4 | 283 | 268 | |
| 2024-Q1 | 254 | 240 | |
| 2024-Q2 | 173 | 167 | |
| 2024-Q3 | 69 | 61 | |
| 2024-Q4 | 131 | 124 | |
| 2025-Q1 | 245 | 231 | |
| 2025-Q2 | 290 | 280 | |
| 2025-Q3 | 282 | 263 | |
| 2025-Q4 | 260 | 240 | |
| 2026-Q1 | 257 | 240 | |
| 2026-Q2 | 112 | 108 | |
| 2026-Q3 | 1 | 1 |
| Ward | Total | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elvet And Gilesgate (Historic) | 130 | 120 | 10 | |
| Barnard Castle West (Historic) | 118 | 113 | 5 | |
| Neville's Cross (Historic) | 94 | 88 | 6 | |
| Barnard Castle East (Historic) | 87 | 85 | 2 | |
| Weardale (Historic) | 77 | 72 | 5 | |
| Elvet, Gilesgate And Shincliffe | 69 | 59 | 10 | |
| Belmont (Historic) | 63 | 59 | 4 | |
| Upper Teesdale | 61 | 58 | 3 | |
| Weardale | 53 | 46 | 7 | |
| Evenwood (Historic) | 53 | 52 | 1 | |
| Lanchester (Historic) | 52 | 49 | 3 | |
| Leadgate And Medomsley (Historic) | 51 | 46 | 5 |
Not sure what you can build without planning permission? See our guides to permitted development rights and Article 4 directions.