Grimsby refuses just 1 in 20 planning applications. That is less than half the national refusal rate.
North East Lincs decided 757 planning applications submitted across 2024 and 2025 and approved 95.1% of them. Only 4.9% were refused, against a national refusal rate of 12.4%. The town's project mix tracks the national norm closely, with home extensions the most common job. The standout is the verdict: this is one of the easier places in the country to win permission.
The year in one line
Grimsby approves planning work at well above the national rate and refuses less than half as often, while the type of work people apply for looks much like the rest of the country.
What Grimsby Is Building
A standard project mix, met with a generous yes.
Home extensions were the most common project submitted, at 23.6% of all applications, a little below the national share of 29.1%. Demolition and outbuildings follow. No single project type stands out against the national norm: the mix of work people apply for in Grimsby looks much like the rest of the country. What sets the town apart is not what is proposed, but how often it is approved.
Applications submitted to North East Lincs in 2025, by project type. Counts are from the 2024-2025 pooled dataset used for category shares.
No outlier category
Measured against the national average, no robust project type in Grimsby runs notably high. The town's planning signature is its decision rate, not its building mix.
The council verdict
An easy yes, with a low bar to clear.
North East Lincs approved 95.1% of the applications it decided and refused just 4.9%, less than half the national refusal rate of 12.4%. The result is a town where permission is rarely the obstacle.
About 1 in 20 Grimsby applications was turned down.
of decided applications were approved, well above the 87.6% national rate. Refusals ran at 4.9%, less than half the national figure.
Grimsby vs The National Norm
An ordinary mix, an easier verdict.
Set Grimsby's application mix against the national average and it is striking how closely it tracks: home extensions sit just below the national share and no category runs notably high. Where the town diverges is the decision. North East Lincs refuses 4.9% of applications, less than half the 12.4% national rate. Two project types are rarer here than nationally: loft conversions and garage conversions both run at well below the national share.
Grimsby refuses just 1 in 20 applications, less than half the national refusal rate of 12.4%. Permission is rarely the obstacle here.
Each bar is Grimsby's share of applications; the marker is the national share. The town's mix is close to the norm; its decision rate is the difference.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices rose alongside the building work.
Permission may be easy to win here, but the market has been moving too: Grimsby home values rose over the latest full year.
Grimsby's planning data tells a clear story. People here apply for much the same work as the rest of the country, but North East Lincs says yes far more often. With only 1 in 20 applications refused, against roughly 1 in 8 nationally, this is one of the easier places in England to win permission. For anyone planning an extension or a conversion, the odds are firmly in their favour.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to North East Lincs in 2025, classified from each application's published description. Category shares are computed over the pooled 2024-2025 dataset for stability. Decision rates cover all applications with a recorded decision across that window.
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 Grimsby post town, 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 North East Lincs area, from extensions and outbuildings to a handful of refusals. Open any one to see its full record.
51 Station Road, Stallingborough DN41 8AH
A single storey side and rear extension with a roof light was approved, the most common project type in Grimsby.
See this property's full record121 Edge Avenue DN33 2DH
Permission was granted to demolish an outbuilding and add a two storey side extension with a new entrance and bay window.
See this property's full record27 Janton Court, New Waltham DN36 4LL
A lawful development certificate was confirmed for an outbuilding used as a home office tied to the main house.
See this property's full record323 Wellington Street DN32 7JU
A certificate to use the property as a five bed house in multiple occupation for up to six people was turned down, one of the few refusals in the area.
See this property's full record13 Alfred Bannister Mews, Laceby DN37 7BD
An application to install replacement PVCu windows was refused, a reminder that even minor work is sometimes declined here.
See this property's full record4 Westhill Road DN34 4SF
A certificate to use an existing home as a small children's care home for one resident was refused, among the roughly 1 in 20 the council declined.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Grimsby?
UK Property Looker turns the UK's public property data into clear, free insight: sale history, energy ratings, planning activity and more for every address in England and Wales.