Planning approval rates by council

Name: UK planning approval rates by council
Creator: PlanningLens
Published: 2026-09-11T15:25:59+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Compare planning permission success rates across 296 councils, ranked by approval rate. Based on 3,824,659 real decisions.

Last updated: September 2026

309

Councils indexed

3,824,659

Decisions analysed

2274

Postcodes mapped

5 yrs

Of data

All councils ranked by approval rate (strictest first)

Ranked here: 296 of the 309 councils indexed. A council enters the league table only when it is outside the excluded list (Blackburn with Darwen, Buckinghamshire, Cheshire West & Chester, Chesterfield, Medway, Stroud) and clears 300 decisions and a 60% approval rate. The exclusions cover known portal-data distortions such as bulk imports and portal-migration artefacts, and the thresholds keep small samples and incomplete capture out of a comparison they would distort. Every council indexed keeps its own page, with each figure traceable to the council’s own portal record.

#	Council	Approval rate	Decisions	Wards
1	East Hertfordshire	73.6%	17,433	52
2	Uttlesford	74.4%	1,297	22
3	Barking & Dagenham	75.4%	12,001	22
4	Harrow	75.9%	22,332	27
5	Brent	76.0%	32,963	48
6	Maldon	76.1%	4,414	17
7	Waltham Forest	76.2%	21,639	24
8	Caerphilly	78.2%	5,005	39
9	Greenwich	78.2%	23,381	47
10	Elmbridge	78.3%	73,774	56
11	Redbridge	78.6%	33,566	47
12	Bradford	79.2%	28,513	60
13	Havering	79.5%	24,333	48
14	Enfield	79.9%	32,028	97
15	Hillingdon	80.0%	30,963	44
16	Kingston	80.4%	24,920	45
17	Torbay	80.9%	5,711	16
18	Bromley	81.0%	36,167	54
19	Eastleigh	81.1%	25,640	44
20	Wyre	81.1%	773	24
21	Thurrock	81.2%	11,265	50
22	Croydon	81.3%	40,789	83
23	Barnet	81.6%	55,813	66
24	Stoke-on-Trent	81.7%	1,818	35
25	Oadby & Wigston	81.9%	2,333	10
26	Guildford	82.1%	18,330	21
27	Islington	82.8%	85,350	80
28	Selby	82.8%	6,033	25
29	Slough	82.8%	17,943	24
30	Cardiff	82.9%	5,369	29
31	Gravesham	83.0%	1,734	17
32	Lewisham	83.0%	25,789	38
33	Brentwood	83.2%	12,328	17
34	Staffordshire Moorlands	83.2%	10,451	0
35	Leicester	83.3%	538	21
36	Birmingham	83.8%	33,120	0
37	Coventry	83.8%	2,814	19
38	Maidstone	83.8%	1,986	21
39	Bassetlaw	84.0%	4,734	25
40	Sutton	84.1%	18,651	78
41	Windsor & Maidenhead	84.2%	8,053	20
42	Lichfield	84.3%	3,035	22
43	Scarborough	84.4%	327	17
44	Stafford	84.4%	4,656	23
45	Blackpool	84.5%	781	21
46	Lambeth	84.5%	32,033	91
47	Swansea	84.7%	4,122	44
48	Newham	84.8%	22,042	48
49	Gloucester	84.9%	4,364	18
50	Pembrokeshire	85.1%	29,498	158
51	Bexley	85.2%	21,717	57
52	Cheshire East	85.3%	16,332	52
53	Bolton	85.4%	4,935	27
54	Chelmsford	85.7%	505	0
55	Castle Point	85.8%	3,063	18
56	Woking	85.8%	8,017	11
57	Hart	85.9%	10,597	11
58	High Peak	86.1%	8,972	0
59	Wirral	86.2%	8,205	22
60	Kirklees	86.3%	29,619	23
61	Merton	86.3%	18,315	72
62	Spelthorne	86.3%	1,702	14
63	Pendle	86.4%	3,577	30
64	Leeds	86.5%	46,374	33
65	South Staffordshire	86.5%	1,701	20
66	Hackney	86.8%	21,450	48
67	Sevenoaks	86.8%	12,682	27
68	Bristol	86.9%	26,311	34
69	Dartmoor NPA	86.9%	4,551	4
70	Hastings	87.0%	6,195	33
71	South Gloucestershire	87.0%	16,154	39
72	Warrington	87.0%	11,271	23
73	Tameside	87.1%	4,495	20
74	Thanet	87.1%	27,008	23
75	Runnymede	87.2%	13,714	0
76	Luton	87.3%	4,556	20
77	Calderdale	87.5%	13,812	22
78	Dartford	87.5%	7,924	28
79	Ealing	87.6%	70,179	78
80	Peterborough	87.6%	33,633	30
81	Flintshire	87.7%	14,409	54
82	Richmond	87.7%	33,391	55
83	Hertsmere	87.8%	4,228	17
84	Ceredigion	87.9%	37,538	41
85	Epsom & Ewell	87.9%	8,782	16
86	Hounslow	87.9%	73,304	111
87	Newport	88.2%	5,933	22
88	Trafford	88.2%	13,295	33
89	Isle of Wight	88.4%	14,806	59
90	Craven	88.5%	486	9
91	Glasgow	88.5%	41,440	23
92	Portsmouth	88.5%	9,214	14
93	Wigan	88.5%	5,682	29
94	Gwynedd	88.6%	11,058	77
95	Liverpool	88.6%	48,035	104
96	New Forest	88.6%	10,354	22
97	Newark & Sherwood	88.6%	11,428	22
98	Newry, Mourne and Down District Council	88.6%	12,427	0
99	Sunderland	88.6%	11,107	39
100	Haringey	88.7%	24,508	58
101	Reigate & Banstead	88.7%	14,325	17
102	Sefton	88.7%	7,654	25
103	North Yorkshire	88.8%	4,279	64
104	Tower Hamlets	88.9%	25,769	39
105	Fenland	89.0%	5,225	40
106	East Riding of Yorkshire	89.3%	9,071	27
107	Rushcliffe	89.3%	8,059	30
108	Adur & Worthing	89.4%	35,726	27
109	Dudley	89.4%	13,082	56
110	Powys	89.4%	7,210	65
111	Southend-on-Sea	89.4%	1,765	17
112	West Berkshire	89.5%	1,389	24
113	Kingston upon Hull	89.6%	6,547	21
114	Oldham	89.6%	7,459	20
115	Burnley	89.7%	310	15
116	Wakefield	89.7%	13,440	21
117	Basildon	89.8%	1,709	14
118	Brighton & Hove	89.8%	3,163	33
119	City of Edinburgh	89.8%	63,954	38
120	Warwick	89.9%	12,747	27
121	Barnsley	90.0%	24,616	46
122	Chichester	90.0%	4,790	17
123	Basingstoke & Deane	90.1%	11,836	18
124	Surrey Heath	90.1%	5,184	17
125	York	90.1%	12,015	21
126	Great Yarmouth	90.2%	2,717	0
127	North Somerset	90.3%	20,295	36
128	Brecon Beacons National Park	90.4%	13,167	0
129	New Forest National Park	90.4%	12,904	0
130	North East Derbyshire	90.4%	6,610	26
131	Tendring	90.4%	1,915	32
132	Tonbridge & Malling	90.4%	8,809	35
133	Bury	90.5%	6,113	18
134	East Hampshire	90.6%	9,848	25
135	Tewkesbury	90.6%	7,160	22
136	East Cambridgeshire	90.7%	11,468	23
137	Sheffield	90.7%	7,382	28
138	Southampton	90.7%	1,007	17
139	West Lothian	90.7%	13,736	10
140	Westminster	90.8%	66,118	99
141	Exeter	90.9%	7,348	13
142	Forest of Dean	90.9%	6,478	21
143	Rossendale	90.9%	679	12
144	Merthyr Tydfil	91.0%	1,230	11
145	Horsham	91.2%	13,406	22
146	Rutland	91.2%	21,725	20
147	Lake District NPA	91.3%	32,180	179
148	Northumberland	91.3%	886	48
149	Babergh Mid Suffolk	91.4%	20,012	54
150	Harborough	91.4%	4,029	19
151	King's Lynn & West Norfolk	91.5%	2,784	34
152	Lewes & Eastbourne	91.5%	2,328	18
153	Oxford	91.5%	6,455	31
154	Test Valley	91.5%	6,207	27
155	Watford	91.5%	4,986	13
156	Wiltshire	91.5%	210,709	324
157	Fife	91.6%	6,469	24
158	Swale	91.6%	1,767	23
159	Lancaster	91.7%	4,900	61
160	BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)	91.8%	800	34
161	Doncaster	91.9%	12,441	23
162	Hinckley & Bosworth	91.9%	4,133	16
163	Pembrokeshire Coast National Park	91.9%	6,976	53
164	Solihull	91.9%	5,927	23
165	Exmoor NPA	92.0%	1,826	0
166	Cannock Chase	92.2%	5,418	52
167	Middlesbrough	92.2%	18,800	22
168	Three Rivers	92.2%	3,916	29
169	Hammersmith & Fulham	92.3%	19,673	63
170	Gedling	92.4%	4,524	19
171	Telford & Wrekin	92.4%	15,050	47
172	Kensington & Chelsea	92.5%	33,223	37
173	Stockport	92.5%	455	21
174	Torfaen	92.5%	4,934	25
175	Darlington	92.7%	3,367	20
176	Norwich	92.7%	8,645	14
177	Rotherham	92.7%	2,503	25
178	Westmorland and Furness	92.7%	52,290	54
179	Derby	92.8%	4,819	25
180	Derbyshire Dales	92.8%	4,691	22
181	South Holland	92.8%	1,624	0
182	Dorset	92.9%	25,326	57
183	Cornwall	93.0%	25,073	185
184	Rhondda Cynon Taf	93.0%	5,329	72
185	Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council	93.1%	6,397	0
186	Erewash	93.1%	3,747	0
187	Plymouth	93.1%	7,319	20
188	Chorley	93.2%	4,430	30
189	Dover	93.2%	6,755	28
190	South Downs	93.2%	11,298	74
191	Wandsworth	93.2%	28,422	76
192	Arun	93.3%	3,485	0
193	Bath & NE Somerset	93.3%	36,813	41
194	Bromsgrove & Redditch	93.3%	2,484	46
195	Newcastle upon Tyne	93.3%	12,434	50
196	South Kesteven	93.3%	9,686	31
197	Torridge	93.3%	8,502	24
198	Cambridge	93.4%	9,139	43
199	Camden	93.4%	26,201	89
200	North Northamptonshire	93.4%	5,489	35
201	Sandwell	93.4%	7,089	31
202	Blaby	93.5%	3,309	31
203	Southwark	93.5%	30,692	72
204	Gateshead	93.6%	7,504	22
205	Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council	93.6%	7,589	0
206	Broadland	93.7%	7,600	53
207	West Suffolk	93.7%	40,321	48
208	Mid Sussex	93.8%	8,932	28
209	Mid and East Antrim Borough Council	93.9%	7,142	0
210	North East Lincolnshire	93.9%	3,366	15
211	North Hertfordshire	93.9%	2,221	25
212	Newcastle-under-Lyme	94.0%	1,227	21
213	Rugby	94.0%	13,952	28
214	Stevenage	94.0%	3,947	14
215	North West Leicestershire	94.1%	2,087	38
216	Aberdeen	94.2%	21,992	14
217	Belfast City Council	94.2%	13,582	0
218	Dundee	94.2%	10,645	8
219	Huntingdonshire	94.2%	5,328	32
220	Midlothian	94.2%	1,422	6
221	Redcar and Cleveland	94.2%	11,461	0
222	Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council	94.3%	9,684	0
223	Perth & Kinross	94.3%	22,719	12
224	Nottingham	94.4%	7,483	23
225	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council	94.5%	10,265	0
226	East Lindsey	94.5%	7,283	37
227	Knowsley	94.5%	4,509	15
228	Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park	94.5%	8,106	9
229	North Tyneside	94.5%	6,346	34
230	North York Moors	94.5%	3,130	0
231	West Oxfordshire	94.5%	7,702	27
232	Broxtowe	94.6%	5,342	25
233	East Ayrshire	94.6%	1,658	9
234	West Lancashire	94.6%	7,058	40
235	Blaenau Gwent	94.7%	303	14
236	Tamworth	94.7%	5,842	0
237	West Northamptonshire	94.7%	432	29
238	Broads Authority	94.9%	2,454	40
239	County Durham	94.9%	15,732	113
240	North Norfolk	94.9%	2,834	32
241	Highland	95.0%	3,102	21
242	South Norfolk	95.0%	7,480	53
243	Winchester	95.0%	7,288	16
244	Stockton-on-Tees	95.1%	2,657	30
245	Swindon	95.1%	4,658	53
246	Bolsover	95.2%	2,193	17
247	Canterbury	95.2%	11,379	21
248	Hartlepool	95.2%	3,502	0
249	Lincoln	95.3%	7,112	11
250	Melton	95.3%	3,954	16
251	Stirling	95.3%	12,462	7
252	Neath Port Talbot	95.4%	26,647	43
253	South Ayrshire	95.4%	1,216	8
254	South Ribble	95.4%	4,430	23
255	South Tyneside	95.4%	3,270	0
256	Cotswold	95.6%	24,655	32
257	Aberdeenshire	95.7%	3,056	19
258	St Helens	95.7%	529	18
259	Argyll & Bute	96.0%	4,647	12
260	Cheltenham	96.0%	14,338	20
261	Hambleton	96.0%	4,825	45
262	Orkney	96.0%	7,933	6
263	Angus	96.1%	14,155	11
264	East Dunbartonshire	96.2%	1,243	7
265	Fermanagh and Omagh District Council	96.4%	8,576	0
266	Halton	96.4%	2,295	22
267	Renfrewshire	96.4%	3,828	12
268	Inverclyde	96.5%	1,109	7
269	Rushmoor	96.7%	4,505	14
270	East Lothian	96.8%	776	6
271	South Lanarkshire	96.8%	26,402	20
272	Ards and North Down Borough Council	97.0%	7,954	0
273	OPDC	97.1%	1,290	7
274	Derry City and Strabane District Council	97.3%	7,298	0
275	Gosport	97.3%	1,770	23
276	Dumfries & Galloway	97.4%	23,538	13
277	Monmouthshire	97.4%	2,476	43
278	Carlisle	97.5%	5,148	39
279	Clackmannanshire	97.7%	1,091	5
280	North Kesteven	97.7%	795	23
281	Moray	97.8%	1,610	8
282	Harlow	97.9%	2,709	25
283	North Ayrshire	98.2%	1,554	14
284	Shetland	98.3%	9,060	16
285	LLDC	98.6%	3,226	4
286	Mid Devon	98.7%	6,292	46
287	Somerset	98.7%	553	4
288	City of London	98.8%	10,725	51
289	Mansfield	98.9%	3,210	38
290	Mid Ulster District Council	98.9%	3,126	41
291	Western Isles	98.9%	1,985	17
292	Fareham	99.1%	2,992	0
293	Falkirk	99.2%	1,058	9
294	Staffordshire	99.4%	1,898	32
295	Dacorum	99.6%	2,182	25
296	North Lanarkshire	99.8%	808	21

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