Arun planning approval rate
Arun council approved 93.4% of planning applications and refused 6.6%, based on 3,412 decisions analysed. Ranked 204th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to July 2026
93.4%
overall approval rate
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Arun. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Arun, mined from 3,412 proposal descriptions.
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Arun. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Wards in Arun
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Arun, showing how the council decides real applications.
Lawful development certificate for a proposed single storey rear extension. · · 2026-07-24
Shop front modernisation. This application is in CIL Zone 4 (Zero Rated) as othe · · 2026-07-24
Change of use from part E(c) Business and part C4 Residential, to C3 Residential · · 2026-07-24
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Arun, 1 in 15 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Arun
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Arun →
Free. Based on 3,412 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Arun
What is the planning approval rate in Arun?
Based on 3,412 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Arun approved 93.4% of applications and refused 6.6%. The council is ranked 204th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Arun?
Arun refuses 6.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 15. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 3,412 decided applications since 2020, 226 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Arun have the highest planning approval rates?
Approval rates in Arun vary by ward, see the ward breakdown above for detailed figures for each area.
What types of planning application are most common in Arun?
The most common planning application types in Arun are: Other (3,412 decisions, 93.4% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Arun?
Planning applications in Arun take an average of 5.3 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 3,304 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is inside the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Arun decides approximately 569 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Arun?
You can search planning applications in Arun directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 3,412 historical decisions in Arun to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Arun calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Arun's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at
planninglens.co.uk/methodology.