Now updated for the new National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026). What changed

Planning appeals by council

St Albans planning appeals

Inspectors allowed 26% of the planning appeals decided against St Albans, 4 points below the England figure of 31%.

Appeals decided
38
Allowed
10
Allowed rate
26%
England
31%

That ranks St Albans 115 of 195 English councils with at least 20 appeals decided, counting from the most often overturned.

What this means if you are objecting

Roughly one appeal in three succeeds here, as across England. A refusal is not the end of the matter, so an objection grounded in the adopted local plan is worth more than one that is not, because the same policies are what an inspector would weigh.

Householder appeals

31 householder appeals were decided against St Albans, with 42% allowed. These are extensions, loft conversions and the like, and they are decided under a faster procedure than a full planning appeal.

Against the rest of East of England

Across East of England, inspectors allowed 28% of planning appeals on average. St Albans is a shire district.

Other councils in East of England

Every English council

Objecting to an application in St Albans?

Enter the planning reference and we will check the designations on the site, the adopted local plan and the applicant's own documents, then tell you which grounds you actually have. That part is free.

Check my grounds, free

Figures cover April 2025 to March 2026 and come from the Planning Inspectorate, Decisions by LPA and decision maker, published under the Open Government Licence. Section 78 planning appeals only. “Allowed” means the inspector granted permission the council had refused. Source data.

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