In the last 12 months, 90.2% of full planning applications were approved in Lake District National Park (420 decided). A typical decision takes about eight weeks (median 55 days).
Across all application types on record (2023-01-26–2026-07-03): 91.4% of 4,031 decisions approved.
| Category | Total | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Planning Application | 1,927 | 1,750 | 177 | |
| Tree Works (Conservation Area) | 329 | 329 | 0 | |
| Variation/Removal of Conditions (S73) | 256 | 237 | 19 | |
| Enforcement | 251 | 249 | 2 | |
| Listed Building Consent | 239 | 239 | 0 | |
| Tree Works (TPO) | 226 | 214 | 12 | |
| Prior Approval (Other) | 192 | 175 | 17 | |
| Non-Material Amendment (S96a) | 155 | 132 | 23 | |
| Uncategorised | 107 | 76 | 31 | |
| Certificate of Lawfulness (Existing) | 75 | 53 | 22 | |
| Certificate of Lawfulness (Proposed) | 75 | 65 | 10 | |
| Advertisement Consent | 54 | 54 | 0 | |
| Telecommunications | 32 | 24 | 8 | |
| Outline Planning | 20 | 11 | 9 | |
| Full Planning (Major) | 17 | 12 | 5 | |
| Reserved Matters | 14 | 11 | 3 | |
| Demolition | 12 | 12 | 0 | |
| Other | 7 | 5 | 2 | |
| Change of Use | 6 | 3 | 3 | |
| Enquiry - Advice (After 1 August 2018) | 6 | 6 | 0 | |
| Modify planning obligation | 5 | 2 | 3 | |
| Consultation | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Non material amendments | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
| Confirmation of compliance with condition attached to planning permission | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Notice of Intention (Solar, Q6g) | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Notification of Intention (Agricultural, Q6g) | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Hedgerow Removal | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| 5 Day Notice (TPO or Conservation Area) | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Enquiry - Timeline | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Environmental Impact Assessment (Screening/Scoping) | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| BNG - Confirmation of Compliance | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Quarter | Decided | Approved | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-Q3 | 268 | 250 | |
| 2023-Q4 | 345 | 325 | |
| 2024-Q1 | 351 | 308 | |
| 2024-Q2 | 321 | 286 | |
| 2024-Q3 | 333 | 306 | |
| 2024-Q4 | 306 | 287 | |
| 2025-Q1 | 325 | 301 | |
| 2025-Q2 | 317 | 292 | |
| 2025-Q3 | 306 | 278 | |
| 2025-Q4 | 356 | 331 | |
| 2026-Q1 | 302 | 269 | |
| 2026-Q2 | 49 | 42 | |
| 2026-Q3 | 3 | 3 |
| Ward | Total | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windermere and Ambleside Ward | 429 | 400 | 29 | |
| Keswick Ward | 334 | 310 | 24 | |
| Broughton & Coniston Ward | 292 | 263 | 29 | |
| Ambleside & Grasmere Ward | 290 | 254 | 36 | |
| Bowness & Levens Ward | 270 | 241 | 29 | |
| Bowness and Lyth Ward | 204 | 185 | 19 | |
| Coniston and Hawkshead Ward | 187 | 174 | 13 | |
| Windermere Ward | 175 | 163 | 12 | |
| Bothel and Wharrels Ward | 149 | 137 | 12 | |
| Ullswater Ward | 130 | 119 | 11 | |
| Greystoke and Ullswater Ward | 126 | 119 | 7 | |
| Kendal Rural Ward | 121 | 111 | 10 |
Not sure what you can build without planning permission? See our guides to permitted development rights and Article 4 directions.