What is the planning approval rate in South Cambridgeshire?

95.4% of householder planning applications were approved in South Cambridgeshire over 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1, from 787 decisions. 36 were refused. These are the council's own statutory returns, not an estimate. Most people guess far lower, which is why plenty of good projects never get submitted at all.

Do I need planning permission for an extension in South Cambridgeshire?

Often not. Many single storey rear extensions fall under permitted development, a national grant of permission you do not apply for. Article 4 directions in parts of South Cambridgeshire remove that, though. The Project Calculator will tell you which side of the line your project sits on in about a minute.

How long does planning permission take in South Cambridgeshire?

94.3% of householder decisions here were made within the eight week target, comfortably ahead of the national picture. Add three to six weeks before that for survey, design and validation. Realistically, expect twelve to eighteen weeks from first call to a decision you can build from.

Is there an Article 4 direction in South Cambridgeshire?

Yes. 9 directions are published for South Cambridgeshire on the government Planning Data platform. Check whether your address falls inside one before you spend anything on design.

How many applications get refused in South Cambridgeshire?

4.6%, or 36 in the year. Refusals almost always come down to depth, bulk, overlooking, or a design that reads as bolted on rather than part of the house. Nearly all of them can be built in some form after a redesign.

East of England

Planning permission in South Cambridgeshire

95.4% of householder applications here were approved. Real figures from the council's own statutory returns, so you can design for what actually gets through.

95.4%Householder applications approved

787Decisions in the year

94.3%Decided within eight weeks

9Article 4 directions published

Figures cover 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 and come from the MHCLG district planning application statistics, the returns every English planning authority is required to file. Article 4 and conservation area counts come from the government Planning Data platform. Last refreshed 2026-08-16.

What the numbers actually say

Householder planning in South Cambridgeshire is far more predictable than most people assume. Over 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 the council decided 787 householder applications and approved 95.4%. 36 were refused. That puts it 7 of 45 in East of England on approval rate.

Speed is the other half of the story. 94.3% of those decisions landed inside the eight week statutory target, comfortably ahead of the national picture.

Permitted development here

South Cambridgeshire has 9 Article 4 directions published on the government Planning Data platform. Inside those boundaries permitted development is withdrawn, so work that would be automatic elsewhere needs a full application.

85 conservation areas are mapped in South Cambridgeshire. Inside one you lose roof extensions under Class B entirely, and you lose the larger rear extension route.

The route most people miss

13 larger householder extension applications were made here in the year. That is the prior approval route which lets a terraced or semi detached house go beyond three metres without a full application, and 84.6% of them got through. It is a genuinely usable route and most homeowners have never heard of it.

Project Calculator

What can you build in South Cambridgeshire?

The rules above are the council's. The Project Calculator applies them to your house: pick the type, drag the extension, and get a verdict and a cost for your postcode.

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