Limited recent decision data is available for St Albans, so we don't show a headline approval rate here — the figures below cover all application types on record.
Across all application types on record (2023-04-18–2026-04-27): 87.5% of 5,502 decisions approved.
| Category | Total | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Householder | 1,942 | 1,705 | 237 | |
| Tree Works (Conservation Area) | 856 | 855 | 1 | |
| Discharge of Conditions | 614 | 614 | 0 | |
| Certificate of Lawfulness (Proposed) | 527 | 364 | 163 | |
| Full Planning Application | 456 | 359 | 97 | |
| Tree Works (TPO) | 314 | 300 | 14 | |
| Prior Approval (Other) | 237 | 233 | 4 | |
| Non-Material Amendment (S96a) | 148 | 65 | 83 | |
| Listed Building Consent | 121 | 106 | 15 | |
| Advertisement Consent | 87 | 71 | 16 | |
| Certificate of Lawfulness (Existing) | 54 | 34 | 20 | |
| Change of Use | 41 | 33 | 8 | |
| Smale Scale Major - Dwellings | 14 | 5 | 9 | |
| Neighbouring Local Authority Consultation | 13 | 11 | 2 | |
| S106 | 12 | 10 | 2 | |
| County Council | 10 | 9 | 1 | |
| Permission in Principle | 10 | 4 | 6 | |
| Environmental Impact Assessment (Screening/Scoping) | 9 | 9 | 0 | |
| (Large Scale Major) Dwellings | 6 | 5 | 1 | |
| S62A | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| Agricultural Building | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| PAO | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| (Minor) Offices R&D Light Industry | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| MPI | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Minor Commercial Development | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| (Minor) Gypsy & Traveller Pitches | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| (Minor) General Industry/Storage/Warehousing | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| (Large Scale Major) General Industry/Storage/Warehousing | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| PRW | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Notifications | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Statutory Undertaker | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Quarter | Decided | Approved | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-Q3 | 283 | 255 | |
| 2023-Q4 | 304 | 269 | |
| 2024-Q1 | 116 | 102 | |
| 2024-Q2 | 398 | 362 | |
| 2024-Q3 | 698 | 612 | |
| 2024-Q4 | 680 | 575 | |
| 2025-Q1 | 601 | 510 | |
| 2025-Q2 | 613 | 547 | |
| 2025-Q3 | 737 | 659 | |
| 2025-Q4 | 532 | 454 | |
| 2026-Q1 | 446 | 383 | |
| 2026-Q2 | 59 | 57 |
| Ward | Total | Approved | Refused | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harpenden West | 582 | 538 | 44 | |
| Verulam | 466 | 404 | 62 | |
| St Peters | 465 | 404 | 61 | |
| Sandridge & Wheathampstead | 347 | 293 | 54 | |
| Harpenden South | 340 | 314 | 26 | |
| Park Street | 308 | 266 | 42 | |
| Clarence | 293 | 252 | 41 | |
| Harpenden North & Rural | 290 | 250 | 40 | |
| St Stephen | 265 | 227 | 38 | |
| Harpenden East | 229 | 207 | 22 | |
| Bernards Heath | 229 | 205 | 24 | |
| Hill End | 223 | 193 | 30 |
Not sure what you can build without planning permission? See our guides to permitted development rights and Article 4 directions.