Chesterfield approves 9 in 10 planning applications. Better than the national average, and HMO conversions are running above the norm.
Chesterfield Borough Council received 822 planning applications in 2025. Of the applications it has decided, 91.9% were approved, comfortably ahead of the national rate of 87.6%. The refusal rate is just 8.1%, roughly 1 in 12, against a national rate of 12.4%. The stand-out feature in the project mix is HMO conversions, running at 1.7 times the national share.
The year in one line
Chesterfield Borough Council approved 91.9% of decided applications in 2025, above the national rate of 87.6%, and HMO conversions came in at 1.7 times the national share, making the town a notable destination for shared-housing conversions.
What Chesterfield Is Building
Home extensions lead the mix, HMO conversions stand out.
Home extensions were the most common project type in applications submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council in 2025, at 25.8% of all applications, slightly below the national norm of 29.1%. Demolition follows at 11.8%, ahead of the national 9.1%. The notable category is HMO conversions, which appear at 2.0% of applications against a national share of 1.2%, making them 1.7 times more common here than across England and Wales.
Applications submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council in 2025, by project type.
HMO conversions stand out
Chesterfield's HMO conversion share of 2.0% is 1.7 times the national average of 1.2%, the only robust category running meaningfully above the norm in the town's application mix.
The council verdict
An easy place to get permission.
The council approved 91.9% of the applications it decided, ahead of the national approval rate of 87.6%. The refusal rate of 8.1% is about 1 in 12, well below the national 12.4%. Chesterfield is among the more permissive councils in England and Wales for getting planning consent.
Only 1 in 12 Chesterfield applications was turned down.
approved, against a national rate of 87.6%. Chesterfield refuses only 1 in 12 applications, well below the national 1 in 8.
Chesterfield vs The National Norm
Permissive council, above-norm HMO activity, fewer dormers.
Set Chesterfield's application mix against the national average and the biggest divergence is dormers, running at just 2.1% against a national 6.0%. Home extensions sit slightly below the national share. Demolition is above: 11.8% against a national 9.1%. HMO conversions are the one category clearly above the norm at 1.7 times the national share. Across all categories, the council's approval rate of 91.9% is the headline finding.
Chesterfield's HMO conversion share of 2.0% is 1.7 times the national average of 1.2%, the only robust category running meaningfully above the norm. Dormers, at 2.1%, are far below the national 6.0%.
Each bar is Chesterfield's share of applications submitted in 2025; the marker is the national share.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices rose alongside the building work.
Permission may be easier to win here than the national norm, but the market kept moving: prices rose over the year even as application volumes climbed 17%.
Chesterfield's planning record shows a permissive council and a clear lean towards shared-housing conversions. With 91.9% of applications approved and HMO activity running at 1.7 times the national share, this is a town where property investors and homeowners alike should find the consent process relatively straightforward.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council in 2025, classified from each application's published description. Decision rates are computed over the pooled 2024-2025 window for stability.
Decision Rates
Approval rate is approvals as a share of approvals plus refusals. The national benchmarks are computed the same way across all decided applications in England and Wales.
Sales Data
HM Land Registry Price Paid Data for the Chesterfield area, the latest full year's completions, with growth measured against the previous year.
The Real Applications
Open the planning applications behind the numbers.
These are real applications submitted in the Chesterfield area, from refused extensions and HMO conversions to approvals and change-of-use plans. Open any one to see its full record.
85 Gloucester Road S41 7EF
A plan to demolish a garage and rear extension and build a new single-storey side and rear extension was turned down, one of the 8.1% of applications refused by the council.
See this property's full record16 Cartmel Crescent S41 8JQ
A proposed change of use of a home to a mixed residential and commercial use for a dog grooming business was refused.
See this property's full record16 Avondale Road S40 4TF
A garage conversion that included raising the roof height and altering a bay window was turned down by the council.
See this property's full record43 Brockwell Lane S40 4EA
A single-storey rear extension with a front porch, front and rear dormers and a garage was granted with conditions.
See this property's full record96 Norwood Avenue, Hasland S41 0NH
A single-storey rear extension was allowed to proceed under permitted development, with the council confirming prior approval was not required.
See this property's full record5 Pondwell Drive, Brimington S43 1PH
A single-storey rear extension with matching materials, following demolition of a conservatory, was confirmed lawful with a certificate of proposed use.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Chesterfield?
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