Brent planning approval rate
Brent council approved 76.0% of planning applications and refused 24.0%, based on 32,958 decisions analysed. Ranked 6th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
76.0%
overall approval rate
32,958
Decisions analysed
25,049
Approved
7,909
Refused
48
Wards covered
Planning in Brent? 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 Brent. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
77.7%
75.6%
67.6%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Brent, mined from 32,958 proposal descriptions.
72.6%
79.2%
75.5%
74.3%
73.3%
71.9%
75.4%
66.6%
78.8%
83.6%
76.9%
78.2%
64.3%
44.5%
76.4%
48.6%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Brent. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Queens Park
81.7%
Kenton
72.2%
Brondesbury Park
76.3%
Queensbury
74.3%
Tokyngton
77.8%
Dollis Hill
71.2%
Northwick Park
70.1%
Wembley Central
67.8%
Willesden Green
71.3%
Welsh Harp
69.5%
Barnhill
66.5%
Kilburn
81.9%
Preston
66.1%
Alperton
75.7%
Sudbury
66.5%
Dudden Hill - WARD NO LONGER EXISTS
73.8%
Kensal Green - WARD NO LONGER EXISTS
77.4%
Mapesbury - WARD NO LONGER EXISTS
72.4%
Harlesden & Kensal Green
75.9%
Stonebridge
79.6%
Wards in Brent
Queens Park
81.7% approval · 2,378 decisions
Kenton
72.2% approval · 1,862 decisions
Brondesbury Park
76.3% approval · 1,569 decisions
Queensbury
74.3% approval · 1,554 decisions
Tokyngton
77.8% approval · 1,528 decisions
Dollis Hill
71.2% approval · 1,519 decisions
Northwick Park
70.1% approval · 1,450 decisions
Wembley Central
67.8% approval · 1,360 decisions
Willesden Green
71.3% approval · 1,353 decisions
Welsh Harp
69.5% approval · 1,353 decisions
Barnhill
66.5% approval · 1,334 decisions
Kilburn
81.9% approval · 1,308 decisions
Preston
66.1% approval · 1,306 decisions
Alperton
75.7% approval · 1,175 decisions
Sudbury
66.5% approval · 968 decisions
Dudden Hill - WARD NO LONGER EXISTS
73.8% approval · 843 decisions
Kensal Green - WARD NO LONGER EXISTS
77.4% approval · 801 decisions
Mapesbury - WARD NO LONGER EXISTS
72.4% approval · 785 decisions
Harlesden & Kensal Green
75.9% approval · 763 decisions
Stonebridge
79.6% approval · 729 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Brent, showing how the council decides real applications.
None
Proposed demolition of rear garage and erection of single storey rear extension, · Welsh Harp · 11/05/2026
None
Prior approval for a single storey rear extension to dwellinghouse, in metres:
E · Wembley Hill · 11/05/2026
None
Proposed conversion of single dwellinghouse to 4 bedroom/8 person HMO, conversio · Wembley Hill · 11/05/2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Brent, 1 in 4 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 Brent
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Brent →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Brent
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 32,958 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Brent
What is the planning approval rate in Brent?
Based on 32,958 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Brent approved 76.0% of applications and refused 24.0%. The council is ranked 6th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Brent?
Brent refuses 24.0% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 4. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 32,958 decided applications since 2020, 7,909 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Brent have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Brent are in DUDDEN HILL (99.3%), ALPERTON (99.1%), and QUEENS PARK (98.7%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Brent?
The most common planning application types in Brent are: Other (20,602 decisions, 77.7% approved), Full (8,502, 75.6%), and Prior Approval (3,854, 67.6%).
How long does a planning application take in Brent?
Planning applications in Brent take an average of 9.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 29,467 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. Brent decides approximately 5,493 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Brent?
You can search planning applications in Brent directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 32,958 historical decisions in Brent to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Brent calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Brent'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.