Planning decisions in Welwyn Hatfield
How long Welwyn Hatfield takes to decide a planning application and how many it approves, from the 1,854 decisions it made in the twelve months to September 2026. Days run from validation to decision, the clock the council reports against; the wait from receipt is shown beside it. How the figures are made.
56 daysmedian from validation to decision (UK 54); 57 from receipt
64%decided within eight weeks (UK 66%), 88% within thirteen
91%approved (UK 90%): 1,581 approved, 158 refused, 82 withdrawn
277 of 388UK rank for speed, down 35 places on last year; 206 of 388 for approvals
By kind of application
| Kind | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions | UK rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tree works | 47 | 71% | 98% | 549 | 244 of 324 |
| Householder applications | 56 | 57% | 86% | 428 | 140 of 200 |
| Other | 55 | 77% | 99% | 250 | 25 of 35 |
| Discharge of conditions | 54 | 60% | 91% | 218 | 174 of 310 |
| Full applications | 83 | 30% | 77% | 126 | 313 of 359 |
| Lawful development certificates | 56 | 76% | 81% | 125 | 278 of 348 |
| Prior approvals | 41 | 94% | 73% | 52 | 243 of 340 |
| Amendments | 61 | 45% | 93% | 31 | 332 of 356 |
| Listed building consent * | 57 | 50% | 73% | 27 | 131 of 307 |
| Advertisement consent | 56 | 60% | 92% | 25 | 217 of 320 |
Delegated or committee
| Route | Share | Median days | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delegated to officers | over 99% | 56 | 91% | 1,849 |
| Planning committee | under 1% | 262 | 80% | 5 |
Where the register states how the decision was made.
Appeals
25 appeals against Welwyn Hatfield decisions were decided by the Planning Inspectorate in the window, 16 for every 100 refusals; 28% were allowed. Every appeal in Welwyn Hatfield.
By year
| Year decided | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 * | 58 | 46% | 93% | 149 |
| 2017 * | 63 | 24% | 64% | 26 |
| 2018 * | 55 | 64% | 74% | 278 |
| 2019 * | 42 | 79% | 98% | 270 |
| 2020 * | 62 | 24% | 45% | 33 |
| 2021 * | 68 | 19% | 85% | 26 |
| 2022 * | 74 | 31% | 89% | 39 |
| 2023 * | 62 | 42% | 92% | 237 |
| 2024 * | 56 | 53% | 84% | 221 |
| 2025 * | 64 | 23% | 85% | 32 |
| 2026 so far | 57 | 47% | 90% | 1,325 |
* Years from our archive, which carries no validation date: timed from receipt, so a few days longer than the live years above them.
Decided in the last three weeks
- Bedwell End School Lane Essendon Herts AL9 6HLTo fell a dangerous tree diagnosed with Sycamore Anthracnose leaning towards garage (TPO3 W4)Approved23 Oct 2026
- Symonds Hyde Hammonds Lane Hatfield AL10 9BBPrior approval for the proposed reinstatement of the woodland access / entry points and formation of forestry access tracks off of HammondsApproved23 Oct 2026
- 1 The Orchard Welwyn Garden City AL8 7PLErection of a single storey rear extension following the part demolition of existing single storey rear extension.Approved23 Oct 2026
- 27 Longcroft Lane Welwyn Garden City AL8 6EBReduce 1 x Weeping Ash, 2-2.5m height, 1.5-2m width. Removal of dead wood & light thin.Approved22 Oct 2026
- 125 Handside Lane Welwyn Garden City AL8 6TA1 x Lawson cypress to remove to ground level Remove as tree in severe decline 1 x Lawson cypress hedge to remove to ground level Remove as hApproved22 Oct 2026
- 36 Attimore Road Welwyn Garden City AL8 6LP1 x Ash to reduce by 2m height and 2m width. Remove deadwood greater than 30mm in diameter.Approved22 Oct 2026
- 49 Valley Road Welwyn Garden City AL8 7DH1 x Robinia to reduce branches that are dying back to suitable growth points. Remove remaining deadwood greater than 30mm in diameter.Approved22 Oct 2026
- 24 Melbourne Court Welwyn Garden City AL8 6LL1 x Silver Birch (twin stem) to remove in sections to ground level. Remove as tree is deadApproved22 Oct 2026
Built nightly from Welwyn Hatfield's planning register. Ranks are among the 388 published councils. See planning applications in Welwyn Hatfield, appeals, or get alerts for Welwyn Hatfield.
About these figures
How are decision times measured?
Days from the date the council validated the application to the date it decided it, for applications approved or refused in the window. That is the clock councils report against and the official statistics use. Each council’s page also shows the count from receipt, which is what the applicant actually waited. Withdrawn and undecided applications are not timed.
Why do these figures differ from the council’s own?
Councils count an agreed extension of time as decided on time; we treat the calendar as the calendar. Our figures are also live and rolling, where official statistics are quarterly and annual. So a council’s own within-eight-weeks figure will usually sit a little above ours.
What counts as approved?
Approval rate is approvals divided by approvals plus refusals. Withdrawals, and decisions whose outcome the register does not state, are counted in the totals but not in the rate.
Why is a council missing?
A council is published when it has at least 25 timed decisions in the window and its register’s decision data passes our consistency checks. Councils that fail are listed with the reason rather than shown with a number that would mislead.
How often is this updated?
Nightly, from the decisions we collect from every council register we monitor. The window is the twelve months to the last complete month.