Planning Permission Success in National Parks is More Common Than You May Think
Government data shows that district planning authority applications in national parks are seeing some of the best success rates in England. Are our parks being properly protected?
National Parks are Britain’s breathing spaces; a place where unspoilt greenery is enjoyed by young and old. Despite this, data uncovered by Pure Commercial Finance has shown that carefully considered planning applications to planning authorities in these areas are seeing great results.
According to government live tables, in the year ending 31st March 2017, despite Exmoor, North York Moors, and Northumberland national parks experiencing low demand for planning permission (a total of 17 for major projects in these three areas), all major* planning permission applications were granted.
Furthermore, Exmoor National Park saw the third highest success rate for minor* developments. 154 out of 159 were successful in England (96.86%).
| Where | All major | Major granted | Percentage of major developments granted | All minor | Minor granted | Percentage of minor developments granted |
| Dartmoor National Park | 3 | 2 | 66.67% | 208 | 171 | 82.21% |
| Exmoor National Park | 3 | 3 | 100.00% | 159 | 154 | 96.86% |
| Lake District National Park | 29 | 28 | 96.55% | 555 | 485 | 87.39% |
| New Forest National Park | 19 | 15 | 78.95% | 222 | 184 | 82.88% |
| North York Moors National Park | 11 | 11 | 100.00% | 179 | 163 | 91.06% |
| Northumberland National Park | 3 | 3 | 100.00% | 41 | 38 | 92.68% |
| Peak District National Park | 0 | 0 | 0 | 211 | 188 | 89.10% |
| Yorkshire Dales National Park | 8 | 5 | 62.50% | 167 | 158 | 94.61% |
Total planning applications have dropped by a quarter since the economic crash of 2007, but success rates have improved greatly rising from 82% to 88%.
The data was uncovered by Pure Commercial Finance, a brokerage which specialises in financing commercial development projects, to help developers understand more about the planning process.
Ben Lloyd, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Pure Commercial Finance, said:
“As commercial property finance brokers, we help investors fund development projects across the country on a daily basis, therefore we found the government figures fascinating.
“Although not a huge volume of applications were made in National Parks last year, it’s interesting to read that the majority of applications in these areas are being granted. This could reflect the success of biodiversity offsetting and the careful, well-considered plans being submitted within these areas.”
For further insights into the data analysed and to read the full report click here.
