Planning data
How many planning applications get approved, and where
Most planning applications are approved, and councils vary far less than people expect. Here is the current picture, checked against the government's own release.
- 89.3% of decided applications approved Measured
- 87.1% the government's own figure for England Declared
- 59 days from validation to decision, typically Measured
- 117,522 decisions counted in 90 days Measured
Most planning applications are approved
Across every council we cover, 87,793 applications were approved and 10,514 were refused in the last 90 days. That is an approval rate of 89.3%.
The government publishes its own version of that number for England. For the 2025-Q2 to 2026-Q1 (year ending 31 March 2026) it was 87.1%, across 298,115 decisions. Two counts, taken on different dates by different people, a point and a half apart.
- Approved — 87,793 (78.0%)
- Refused — 10,514 (9.3%)
- Withdrawn — 4,438 (3.9%)
- Something else — 9,827 (8.7%)
What “approved” means here
- Approved and refused are the two outcomes the rate is made of.
- Withdrawn is left out. Someone who changed his mind was not refused.
- Something else — part approvals, prior approvals and the odds and ends every register carries — is left out too. It is not a yes or a no.
That is the same sum the government uses, which is what makes the two numbers above comparable at all.
Where permission is hardest to get
- 64–71%
- 71–78%
- 78–84%
- 84–91%
- 91–98%
- not in this release
See the map as a table
| Approval rate | Areas |
|---|---|
| 64–71% | 2 |
| 71–78% | 19 |
| 78–84% | 58 |
| 84–91% | 131 |
| 91–98% | 100 |
Councils vary less than people think
A builder who has had one refusal will tell you his council is the hard one. The numbers say otherwise: across the 304 English authorities in the government's release, approval rates run from 64.1% to 97.6%, and the middle nine in ten sit inside a 19.3 point band.
See the chart as a table
| Approval rate | Councils |
|---|---|
| 70–75% | 2 |
| 75–80% | 11 |
| 80–85% | 29 |
| 85–90% | 56 |
| 90–95% | 75 |
| 95–100% | 22 |
Approval rates, council by council
These are the 195 councils whose own rate we are willing to print. The bar for getting on this list is deliberately high and it is described at the bottom of the page.
Approves the most
| Council | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | 97.0% | 169 |
| Norwich | 96.9% | 194 |
| Camden | 96.6% | 1,020 |
| North Devon | 96.5% | 256 |
| South Ribble | 96.4% | 166 |
| Newark and Sherwood | 96.3% | 354 |
| South Tyneside | 96.2% | 158 |
| Mid Devon | 96.2% | 288 |
| Blaby | 96.2% | 183 |
| Barnsley | 96.2% | 235 |
Approves the fewest
| Council | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|
| Slough | 74.2% | 240 |
| Dartford | 74.8% | 254 |
| Ashfield | 75.0% | 132 |
| Waltham Forest | 75.1% | 393 |
| Harrow | 75.1% | 389 |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 76.8% | 138 |
| Hastings | 77.6% | 143 |
| Elmbridge | 77.7% | 512 |
| Stafford | 77.9% | 190 |
| Brent | 78.0% | 769 |
All 195 councils, with the government's figure beside ours
| Council | Approved | Decisions counted | Government's figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall | 92.3% | 1,573 | 92.5% |
| Westminster | 87.5% | 2,084 | 85.9% |
| Leeds | 83.2% | 1,592 | 83.3% |
| Dorset | 91.9% | 1,313 | 91.6% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 89.5% | 1,110 | 82.5% |
| Camden | 96.6% | 1,020 | 88.1% |
| Bromley | 80.0% | 883 | 76.9% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 89.2% | 929 | 81.0% |
| Brent | 78.0% | 769 | 78.0% |
| Ealing | 84.0% | 895 | 84.5% |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 93.2% | 732 | 92.0% |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 90.3% | 703 | 89.5% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 94.8% | 573 | 93.6% |
| Kirklees | 88.6% | 740 | 91.5% |
| Southwark | 93.1% | 801 | 91.9% |
| Lambeth | 83.2% | 769 | 77.8% |
| Lewisham | 88.8% | 759 | 84.1% |
| Greenwich | 82.0% | 751 | 77.5% |
| Bradford | 82.1% | 661 | 86.1% |
| Cotswold | 94.4% | 733 | 89.0% |
| East Suffolk | 95.6% | 731 | 92.0% |
| Herefordshire | 94.7% | 582 | 93.2% |
| Croydon | 83.2% | 727 | 74.7% |
| Wandsworth | 89.9% | 749 | 90.0% |
| Stockport | 93.5% | 644 | 95.1% |
| County Durham | 91.3% | 687 | 93.4% |
| South Gloucestershire | 88.0% | 584 | 84.5% |
| Hillingdon | 87.7% | 692 | 84.8% |
| West Northamptonshire | 93.9% | 660 | 90.2% |
| Cambridge | 93.7% | 506 | 90.1% |
| Bristol | 82.9% | 426 | 86.0% |
| Horsham | 92.0% | 614 | 91.6% |
| Central Bedfordshire | 87.2% | 454 | 84.3% |
| Islington | 92.7% | 642 | 88.8% |
| Guildford | 86.7% | 601 | 83.8% |
| East Devon | 90.8% | 524 | 88.1% |
| Trafford | 84.5% | 517 | 87.3% |
| North Norfolk | 95.2% | 457 | 93.8% |
| Chelmsford | 84.6% | 507 | 87.1% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 94.9% | 592 | 93.0% |
| West Suffolk | 95.0% | 555 | 91.1% |
| Elmbridge | 77.7% | 512 | 76.9% |
| York | 90.7% | 547 | 82.5% |
| Cherwell | 92.0% | 537 | 91.8% |
| Tower Hamlets | 89.7% | 564 | 83.6% |
| Newham | 83.7% | 508 | 82.8% |
| North Somerset | 94.2% | 502 | 88.8% |
| Reigate and Banstead | 91.2% | 537 | 88.2% |
| North Hertfordshire | 92.6% | 544 | 92.6% |
| Nottingham | 95.8% | 448 | 88.9% |
| Hackney | 84.3% | 529 | 81.8% |
| Wychavon | 87.1% | 497 | 86.0% |
| Wokingham | 92.1% | 492 | 94.4% |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 89.5% | 382 | 89.2% |
| Mid Sussex | 92.4% | 502 | 91.7% |
| South Norfolk | 93.1% | 496 | 93.4% |
| West Oxfordshire | 95.1% | 511 | 94.8% |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 92.9% | 453 | 94.7% |
| Ashford | 92.8% | 473 | 87.6% |
| Wakefield | 87.8% | 384 | 91.9% |
| Stroud | 88.8% | 463 | 87.4% |
| Maidstone | 89.0% | 493 | 83.7% |
| Bedford | 82.0% | 395 | 79.6% |
| Milton Keynes | 83.0% | 464 | 87.7% |
| Warwick | 94.0% | 466 | 89.7% |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 95.6% | 409 | 94.7% |
| East Hertfordshire | 80.6% | 350 | 81.2% |
| Test Valley | 93.9% | 409 | 92.8% |
| Dacorum | 89.7% | 464 | 88.3% |
| Huntingdonshire | 91.1% | 439 | 88.4% |
| Doncaster | 89.6% | 346 | 86.9% |
| Cheltenham | 95.8% | 409 | 96.8% |
| Winchester | 95.6% | 431 | 93.5% |
| Chichester | 91.0% | 377 | 88.6% |
| Westmorland and Furness | 94.1% | 388 | 92.4% |
| Newark and Sherwood | 96.3% | 354 | 91.8% |
| South Kesteven | 92.7% | 371 | 90.5% |
| Solihull | 83.8% | 427 | 93.6% |
| Hertsmere | 87.8% | 369 | 92.6% |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 92.8% | 402 | 91.6% |
| Medway | 86.2% | 348 | 91.2% |
| Isle of Wight | 93.6% | 361 | 92.0% |
| Bolton | 79.2% | 342 | 79.1% |
| Harrow | 75.1% | 389 | 77.6% |
| St Albans | 85.8% | 373 | 87.0% |
| Waltham Forest | 75.1% | 393 | 76.1% |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 94.0% | 348 | 92.2% |
| Teignbridge | 83.3% | 293 | 80.3% |
| Wigan | 87.7% | 285 | 84.6% |
| Broadland | 93.9% | 347 | 93.4% |
| Surrey Heath | 87.3% | 339 | 87.0% |
| Arun | 85.9% | 326 | 85.8% |
| Dover | 92.9% | 338 | 88.5% |
| Southend on Sea | 87.7% | 341 | 80.4% |
| Woking | 88.5% | 357 | 81.9% |
| Basildon | 86.9% | 329 | 86.6% |
| Epsom and Ewell | 89.5% | 352 | 82.8% |
| Rushcliffe | 92.7% | 275 | 92.1% |
| Thurrock | 85.9% | 313 | 81.5% |
| Tewkesbury | 85.5% | 269 | 89.3% |
| Walsall | 81.8% | 292 | 84.0% |
| Tandridge | 81.2% | 325 | 83.9% |
| Malvern Hills | 89.3% | 317 | 82.4% |
| Exeter | 89.4% | 293 | 85.2% |
| North Tyneside | 89.8% | 294 | 96.8% |
| Swindon | 92.0% | 251 | 89.7% |
| East Cambridgeshire | 94.5% | 238 | 86.2% |
| Lake District National Park | 88.4% | 259 | 90.0% |
| North West Leicestershire | 93.1% | 245 | 95.5% |
| Merton | 92.6% | 312 | 89.3% |
| East Lindsey | 89.8% | 215 | 93.5% |
| Dudley | 86.2% | 298 | 82.4% |
| Peterborough | 87.0% | 215 | 82.7% |
| Luton | 82.6% | 298 | 75.8% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 91.6% | 297 | 86.3% |
| Buckinghamshire | 81.9% | 260 | 84.5% |
| Mid Devon | 96.2% | 288 | 94.7% |
| New Forest National Park | 94.8% | 271 | 88.7% |
| Swale | 92.2% | 281 | 89.2% |
| Oldham | 92.9% | 252 | 88.7% |
| New Forest | 88.8% | 285 | 90.4% |
| Rutland | 86.9% | 282 | 89.0% |
| South Staffordshire | 83.0% | 283 | 85.5% |
| Runnymede | 84.0% | 282 | 83.4% |
| Wealden | 84.4% | 262 | 83.8% |
| Gravesham | 83.5% | 272 | 74.8% |
| Spelthorne | 87.6% | 259 | 80.8% |
| Chorley | 91.6% | 227 | 92.9% |
| North Devon | 96.5% | 256 | 93.8% |
| Slough | 74.2% | 240 | 77.8% |
| Great Yarmouth | 86.2% | 152 | 87.2% |
| Bury | 89.9% | 257 | 85.6% |
| Reading | 89.8% | 225 | 84.0% |
| Torridge | 95.9% | 245 | 87.2% |
| West Lindsey | 91.0% | 199 | 93.1% |
| Norwich | 96.9% | 194 | 95.7% |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 92.7% | 233 | 93.3% |
| Bracknell Forest | 90.7% | 225 | 89.4% |
| Dartford | 74.8% | 254 | 78.8% |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 89.4% | 198 | 87.9% |
| Tameside | 91.1% | 257 | 85.7% |
| Rochdale | 90.9% | 230 | 86.5% |
| Ribble Valley | 85.7% | 252 | 82.9% |
| Gateshead | 88.9% | 189 | 88.8% |
| Havant | 91.8% | 219 | 93.6% |
| Fenland | 85.7% | 224 | 86.9% |
| Brentwood | 86.8% | 228 | 82.7% |
| Barnsley | 96.2% | 235 | 92.1% |
| Forest of Dean | 95.4% | 195 | 92.3% |
| Kingston upon Hull | 95.3% | 169 | 91.7% |
| Wyre Forest | 93.8% | 211 | 92.7% |
| Maldon | 86.9% | 191 | 86.7% |
| East Staffordshire | 91.7% | 217 | 92.5% |
| Torbay | 85.0% | 167 | 87.1% |
| Chesterfield | 90.6% | 160 | 88.7% |
| Stafford | 77.9% | 190 | 83.6% |
| South Ribble | 96.4% | 166 | 95.4% |
| Lichfield | 82.5% | 200 | 81.7% |
| Newcastle under Lyme | 92.9% | 197 | 93.0% |
| Broxtowe | 95.6% | 181 | 93.9% |
| Pendle | 91.7% | 169 | 86.8% |
| Darlington | 95.3% | 192 | 90.1% |
| South Holland | 84.9% | 192 | 80.4% |
| Blaby | 96.2% | 183 | 92.1% |
| Wyre | 92.1% | 165 | 83.3% |
| Ashfield | 75.0% | 132 | 83.8% |
| Gedling | 92.5% | 174 | 93.7% |
| Worcester | 87.3% | 173 | 85.5% |
| Eastleigh | 94.9% | 156 | 89.9% |
| Lincoln | 97.0% | 169 | 93.2% |
| Oxford | 92.8% | 166 | 87.8% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 76.8% | 138 | 76.3% |
| High Peak | 89.6% | 135 | 84.9% |
| Rugby | 94.0% | 151 | 93.3% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 87.0% | 131 | 89.3% |
| Rushmoor | 87.2% | 156 | 95.3% |
| West Berkshire | 92.6% | 149 | 89.7% |
| Mansfield | 94.4% | 160 | 95.5% |
| South Tyneside | 96.2% | 158 | 91.9% |
| Hastings | 77.6% | 143 | 87.0% |
| Erewash | 91.7% | 133 | 93.1% |
| South Downs National Park | 90.5% | 126 | 92.3% |
| North Yorkshire | 90.4% | 136 | 89.3% |
| North York Moors | 92.2% | 141 | 95.6% |
| Sevenoaks | 91.0% | 145 | 87.3% |
| Barnet | 80.0% | 120 | 75.4% |
| Halton | 93.5% | 107 | 95.4% |
| North East Derbyshire | 85.1% | 114 | 92.1% |
| Fylde | 93.2% | 118 | 96.2% |
| Lewes | 94.9% | 137 | 89.3% |
| Burnley | 81.2% | 101 | 87.8% |
| Rochford | 83.8% | 111 | 79.2% |
| Rossendale | 89.0% | 109 | 85.7% |
| Knowsley | 94.4% | 108 | 93.6% |
| Uttlesford | 79.4% | 102 | 76.9% |
How long a decision takes
Typically 59 days from the day a council validates an application to the day it decides it. Where a council is on this scale matters more to a builder than its approval rate does, because almost everything is approved in the end and the question is when.
Quickest to decide
| Council | Days | Decisions |
|---|---|---|
| Charnwood | 13 | 242 |
| East Renfrewshire | 43 | 151 |
| North Lanarkshire | 43 | 115 |
| Westminster | 43 | 210 |
| Argyll and Bute | 44 | 551 |
| Edinburgh | 44 | 204 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 44 | 231 |
| Camden | 45 | 1,079 |
| Cheltenham | 45 | 471 |
| Cotswold | 47 | 781 |
Slowest to decide
| Council | Days | Decisions |
|---|---|---|
| Newry, Mourne and Down | 333 | 288 |
| Derry City and Strabane | 172 | 161 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon | 162 | 254 |
| Lisburn and Castlereagh | 145 | 204 |
| Mid Ulster | 145 | 303 |
| Stafford | 143 | 213 |
| Belfast | 137 | 385 |
| Causeway Coast and Glens | 135 | 210 |
| Bridgend | 117 | 138 |
| Hammersmith & Fulham | 100 | 501 |
The busiest registers
Where the work is. These councils decided the most applications in the last 90 days.
Most decisions
| Council | Decisions | Typical days |
|---|---|---|
| Cornwall | 2,272 | — |
| Westminster | 2,247 | 43 |
| Leeds | 1,777 | — |
| Dorset | 1,423 | — |
| Windsor and Maidenhead Royal | 1,383 | 58 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 1,193 | 62 |
| Birmingham | 1,159 | 84 |
| Camden | 1,079 | 45 |
| Edinburgh | 1,069 | 44 |
| Bromley | 1,034 | 60 |
Extensions, loft conversions and other small residential work
Narrowed to the small residential applications a builder actually chases, the last 90 days hold 42,055 decisions: 36,629 approved and 5,426 refused, an approval rate of 87.1%.
They take 66 days to decide against 59 across everything — so the idea that a small domestic job is the quick, easy one is not what the registers say.
What we publish, and what we hold back
A council's own approval rate goes on this page only when three things are all true. Any one of them missing and the council is simply not listed.
- Enough decisions. At least 100 applications determined in the last 90 days. Below that, one month's post can move a council ten points.
- A believable number. The rate has to fall inside the range real planning authorities actually occupy — 64.1% to 97.6%, taken from the government's own release rather than from our judgement. Nobody approves everything and nobody refuses everything.
- Agreement with the government. Where the government publishes a figure for that same authority, ours has to be within 10 points of it.
That last rule is the strict one, and it costs us councils we would like to include: the release covers England, so Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish councils cannot clear it and are not in the rate tables. They are in everything on this page that does not depend on a rate.
A council that is not listed is a council we have not yet counted enough decisions for. It is not a judgement about the council, and the list grows every week.
About these figures
- Ours are current. They cover the last 90 days and are recounted every week. Nothing is modelled, seasonally adjusted or projected.
- The government's are complete but older. The release above covers the 2025-Q2 to 2026-Q1 (year ending 31 March 2026) and every English authority.
- Ours is a count of what we hold, from 350 councils' own registers, not a national statistic.
- No applicant's name, address or postcode appears here, or on any other public page, whatever the figures say. What was proposed and what was decided is public record; who applied is not ours to give away.
Sources
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Live tables on planning application statistics (PS1 and PS2) (year ending 31 March 2026) Read 12 August 2026. Every English local planning authority's own return of the applications it received and the decisions it granted and refused. Open Government Licence v3.0. England only — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish separately and on different bases.
- Just Granted's own count of 350 councils' public planning registers, 90 days to 27 August 2026. Recounted weekly.
Read next
Who publishes this
Just Granted reads the planning register of every council we cover, every week, and posts letters to the applicants for you. A free account searches all of it and posts a letter for £1.45 with no subscription. £39 a month adds the applicants' names and addresses, with 30 letters included and £1.20 each after that.