In the last 12 months, 98.6% of home project applications were approved in County Durham (139 decided): extensions, loft conversions and similar work. A typical home project decision takes about ten weeks (median 67 days).
Across all application types, 94.3% of 2,734 applications decided since February 2023 were approved. Based on County Durham's public planning register. Data last updated: 23 August 2026.
We are not yet generating property reports for County Durham. You can still look up an address to see its planning constraints (conservation area, listed building, Article 4 direction, flood zone), and leave your email to hear when County Durham reports go live.
All applications on record, not only the last 12 months.
| Category | Decided | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full planning applications | 1,158 | 1,082 | 76 | |
| Discharging planning conditions | 376 | 373 | 3 | |
| Tree works in a conservation area | 288 | 274 | 14 | |
| Protected tree works (TPO) | 160 | 138 | 22 | |
| Minor amendment to an approved scheme (S96a) | 152 | 151 | 1 | |
| Prior approval (permitted development) | 139 | 128 | 11 | |
| Listed Building Consent | 134 | 131 | 3 | |
| Advertisement Consent | 109 | 105 | 4 | |
| Changing a planning condition (S73) | 83 | 77 | 6 | |
| Certificate of lawfulness (confirming permitted development) | 32 | 27 | 5 | |
| Reserved matters (detail after outline approval) | 20 | 20 | 0 | no refusals recorded |
| Larger extensions (householder prior approval) | 20 | 20 | 0 | no refusals recorded |
| Other* | 63 | 51 | 12 | mixed types |
Reserved matters (detail after outline approval): no refusals are recorded in this category for this authority, so no approval rate is shown.
Larger extensions (householder prior approval): no refusals are recorded in this category for this authority, so no approval rate is shown.
* Other combines smaller categories: Certificate of lawfulness (existing use) (19), Environmental impact screening and scoping (11), Phone masts and telecoms (11), Outline Planning (8), Hedgerow Removal (6), Section 106 Agreement (4), Minerals and waste (2), Habitats Regulations Assessment (1), Permission In Principle (1).
The most recent three years. Earlier decisions are included in the totals above but not in this chart.
| Quarter | Decided | Approved | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2023 | 103 | 98 | |
| Q4 2023 | 283 | 267 | |
| Q1 2024 | 254 | 240 | |
| Q2 2024 | 173 | 167 | |
| Q3 2024 | 69 | 61 | |
| Q4 2024 | 131 | 123 | |
| Q1 2025 | 245 | 229 | |
| Q2 2025 | 290 | 280 | |
| Q3 2025 | 282 | 263 | |
| Q4 2025 | 260 | 240 | |
| Q1 2026 | 257 | 238 | |
| Q2 2026 | 108 | 102 | |
| Q3 2026 (quarter in progress) | 20 | 20 |
The 12 wards with the most decided applications, across all years. 135 further decided applications fall in wards not shown.
Among wards with at least 20 decided applications, approval rates range from 85.7% in Elvet, Gilesgate And Shincliffe to 98.1% in Evenwood (Historic), a gap of 12.4 percentage points.
| Ward | Decided | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elvet And Gilesgate (Historic) | 130 | 119 | 11 | |
| Barnard Castle West (Historic) | 118 | 112 | 6 | |
| Neville's Cross (Historic) | 94 | 88 | 6 | |
| Barnard Castle East (Historic) | 87 | 85 | 2 | |
| Weardale (Historic) | 77 | 71 | 6 | |
| Elvet, Gilesgate And Shincliffe | 70 | 60 | 10 | |
| Belmont (Historic) | 63 | 59 | 4 | |
| Upper Teesdale | 62 | 59 | 3 | |
| Weardale | 55 | 48 | 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, Article 4 directions and planning costs.
Reports for County Durham are coming soon. Look up an address now to see its constraints, and join the waitlist.