Brighton & Hove Council approves 89.8% of planning applications, based on 3,163 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Brighton & Hove sits 1.9 percentage points above the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Brighton & Hove.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,255 | 175 | 1,430 | 87.8% |
| Trees | 433 | 21 | 454 | 95.4% |
| Other | 393 | 22 | 415 | 94.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 299 | 17 | 316 | 94.6% |
| Listed Building | 188 | 20 | 208 | 90.4% |
| Prior Approval | 125 | 46 | 171 | 73.1% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 79 | 9 | 88 | 89.8% |
| Advertisement | 67 | 14 | 81 | 82.7% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regency | 240 | 47 | 287 | 83.6% |
| Westdene & Hove Park | 258 | 19 | 277 | 93.1% |
| Preston Park | 170 | 24 | 194 | 87.6% |
| Goldsmid | 174 | 15 | 189 | 92.1% |
| Rottingdean & West Saltdean | 161 | 17 | 178 | 90.4% |
| Patcham & Hollingbury | 164 | 13 | 177 | 92.7% |
| West Hill & North Laine | 150 | 25 | 175 | 85.7% |
| Kemptown | 146 | 22 | 168 | 86.9% |
| Hollingdean & Fiveways | 132 | 7 | 139 | 95.0% |
| Westbourne & Poets' Corner | 129 | 8 | 137 | 94.2% |
| Central Hove | 118 | 14 | 132 | 89.4% |
| Wish | 116 | 8 | 124 | 93.5% |
| Brunswick & Adelaide | 110 | 11 | 121 | 90.9% |
| Hangleton & Knoll | 84 | 13 | 97 | 86.6% |
| Queen's Park | 84 | 11 | 95 | 88.4% |
| Woodingdean | 82 | 11 | 93 | 88.2% |
| Hanover & Elm Grove | 78 | 13 | 91 | 85.7% |
| South Portslade | 75 | 5 | 80 | 93.8% |
| Round Hill | 67 | 3 | 70 | 95.7% |
| Coldean & Stanmer | 59 | 3 | 62 | 95.2% |
| Moulsecoomb & Bevendean | 43 | 6 | 49 | 87.8% |
| Whitehawk & Marina | 41 | 3 | 44 | 93.2% |
| North Portslade | 32 | 1 | 33 | 97.0% |
| Withdean | 10 | 4 | 14 | 71.4% |
| Rottingdean Coastal | 10 | 4 | 14 | 71.4% |
Showing top 25 of 33 wards by volume. Your Pro Report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →Real residential planning decisions from Brighton & Hove council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| BH2025/00181 Central Hove | Installation of 2no. automatic opening vents to rooftop of North and South block | Approved |
| BH2025/00174 Goldsmid | Prior approval for erection of two additional storeys. | Refused |
| BH2025/00662 Westbourne & Poets' Corner | T1 Beech- Prune back to previous points ONLY lowest branches on Northern side. L | Approved |
| BH2025/00664 Woodingdean | There is a protected Pine tree located in the front garden of 71 Crescent Drive | Approved |
| BH2025/00616 Westdene & Hove Park | Monterey cypress trees in the front garden lining either side of the drive to be | Approved |
| BH2025/00561 Rottingdean & West Saltdean | The tree is a large sycamore tree in the western end of the garden of 1 Welesmer | Approved |
| BH2025/00547 Hollingdean & Fiveways | Norway Maple in rear garden - Remove to groud level. | Approved |
| BH2025/00518 Preston Park | T63 - Remove 3 lowest secondary limbs directly over roof to crown lift to approx | Approved |
| BH2025/00378 Coldean & Stanmer | Hornbeam in front garden - reduce size of crown by 1- 2m pruning back to live gr | Approved |
| BH2025/00383 Regency | Application for approval of details reserved by conditions 2 (internal doors) an | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Brighton & Hove's 3,163 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into Brighton & Hove's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 3,163 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Brighton & Hove is 89.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 3,163 planning decisions from Brighton & Hove council. 2,839 were approved and 324 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Brighton & Hove is 89.8%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.