Barnet planning approval rate

Barnet council approved 81.7% of planning applications and refused 18.3%, based on 54,846 decisions analysed. Ranked 21st out of 284 councils for strictness.

Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

81.7%

overall approval rate

54,846

Decisions analysed

44,803

Approved

10,043

Refused

Wards covered

Planning in Barnet? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.

Approval rate by application type

Different application types have different approval rates in Barnet. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Other (37,017 decided)

84.2%

Full (13,607 decided)

84.8%

Prior Approval (4,222 decided)

50.1%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Barnet, mined from 54,846 proposal descriptions.

Rear Extension (17,627 decided)

75.8%

Garage / Parking (10,782 decided)

82.4%

Dormer (9,394 decided)

81.1%

Loft Conversion (8,299 decided)

80.8%

Side Extension (6,697 decided)

81.6%

Flat Conversion (4,214 decided)

76.2%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (3,522 decided)

82.1%

Outbuilding (3,194 decided)

78.4%

Wraparound Extension (2,938 decided)

80.2%

Basement (2,613 decided)

83.2%

Change of Use (Residential) (2,026 decided)

69.1%

New Build (1,964 decided)

81.8%

Front Extension (1,813 decided)

78.9%

Conservatory (1,523 decided)

81.3%

Extension (General) (1,278 decided)

82.2%

HMO (619 decided)

43.9%

Annex (205 decided)

71.2%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Barnet. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

MH (1,967 decided)

79.4%

GS (1,921 decided)

91.6%

CH (1,810 decided)

77.0%

HB (1,693 decided)

77.7%

GG (1,658 decided)

77.4%

TO (1,576 decided)

81.0%

CH22 (1,473 decided)

81.2%

HD22 (1,447 decided)

78.6%

MH22 (1,395 decided)

82.7%

HD (1,384 decided)

77.8%

GS22 (1,303 decided)

89.3%

FC (1,296 decided)

79.9%

OA (1,287 decided)

77.2%

HB22 (1,256 decided)

80.8%

HA (1,240 decided)

74.4%

WH (1,196 decided)

75.0%

EB (1,152 decided)

78.6%

BP (1,143 decided)

73.5%

WO (1,136 decided)

75.4%

WF (1,120 decided)

78.9%

Wards in Barnet

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Barnet, showing how the council decides real applications.

26/1584/FUL

Single storey side extension. Alterations to roof including insertion of 2no. f · BV22 · 26/06/2026

Approved

26/1554/FUL

Sub-division of the existing shop into two units with associated alterations to · WF22 · 26/06/2026

Approved

26/1594/192

Erection of a rear outbuilding · HD22 · 26/06/2026

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Barnet, 1 in 5 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 Barnet
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Free planning check for Barnet →

Free. Based on 54,846 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

Enfield Haringey Camden Brent Harrow

Frequently asked questions about planning in Barnet

What is the planning approval rate in Barnet?

Based on 54,846 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Barnet approved 81.7% of applications and refused 18.3%. The council is ranked 21st out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.

How many planning applications are refused in Barnet?

Barnet refuses 18.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 5. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 54,846 decided applications since 2020, 10,043 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.

Which areas of Barnet have the highest planning approval rates?

The highest approval rates in Barnet are in GOLDERS GREEN (98.6%), CHILDS HILL (98.0%), and GARDEN SUBURB (97.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.

What types of planning application are most common in Barnet?

The most common planning application types in Barnet are: Other (37,017 decisions, 84.2% approved), Full (13,607, 84.8%), and Prior Approval (4,222, 50.1%).

How long does a planning application take in Barnet?

Planning applications in Barnet take an average of 9.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 48,840 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than 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. Barnet decides approximately 9,141 planning applications per year.

How do I check planning applications in Barnet?

You can search planning applications in Barnet directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 54,846 historical decisions in Barnet to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.

How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Barnet calculated?

PlanningLens scrapes Barnet'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.

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