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Planning Approval Rates by Ward in County Durham

Planning outcomes in County Durham are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 23.5% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

14,377 real decisions·108 wards·Updated March 2026
100.0%
Highest: Horden (Historic)
76.5%
Lowest: Annfield Plain And T
23.5%
Gap
108
Wards
95.0% approved overall. But 720 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in County Durham shifts your odds by up to 23.5%. The council average doesn't tell you which side of that gap you're on.

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All 108 wards ranked

#WardDecisionsApprovedRefusedRate
1Horden (Historic)54540
100.0%
2Deneside (Historic)49490
100.0%
3Sacriston And Witton Gilbert36360
100.0%
4Spennymoor28280
100.0%
5Ferryhill36360
100.0%
6Castle Eden And Passfield27270
100.0%
7Lumley And West Rainton40400
100.0%
8Pittington And Sherburn12120
100.0%
9Consett North10100
100.0%
10Chester-le-Street South1151141
99.1%
11Bishop Middleham And Cornforth (Historic)78771
98.7%
12Bishop Auckland Town (Historic)2762724
98.6%
13Chester-le-Street North (Historic)53521
98.1%
14Passfield (Historic)54531
98.1%
15Consett North (Historic)1251223
97.6%
16Chester-le-Street East (Historic)80782
97.5%
17Durham South (Historic)1631594
97.5%
18West Auckland (Historic)1961915
97.4%
19Aycliffe South39381
97.4%
20Barnard Castle39381
97.4%
21Peterlee East (Historic)74722
97.3%
22Barnard Castle West (Historic)79076921
97.3%
23Framwellgate And Newton Hall (Historic)3012938
97.3%
24Sedgefield (Historic)36935910
97.3%
25Esh And Witton Gilbert (Historic)2602537
97.3%
26Aycliffe West (Historic)36351
97.2%
27Lumley (Historic)1691645
97.0%
28Woodhouse Close (Historic)100973
97.0%
29Crook (Historic)1911856
96.9%
30Barnard Castle East (Historic)60758720
96.7%
31Belmont (Historic)36235012
96.7%
32Spennymoor (Historic)1831776
96.7%
33Langley And Esh29281
96.6%
34Seaham (Historic)1441395
96.5%
35Chester-le-Street West Central (Historic)1101064
96.4%
36Stanley (Historic)55532
96.4%
37Aycliffe East (Historic)1921857
96.4%
38Neville's Cross84813
96.4%
39Pelton27261
96.3%
40Framwellgate And Newton Hall53512
96.2%
41Tudhoe26251
96.2%
42Aycliffe North And Middridge (Historic)77743
96.1%
43Chilton (Historic)101974
96.0%
44Peterlee West (Historic)73703
95.9%
45Sacriston (Historic)1211165
95.9%
46Bishop Auckland49472
95.9%
47Deerness (Historic)2152069
95.8%
48Derwent And Pont Valley48462
95.8%
49Sherburn (Historic)2112029
95.7%
50Weardale (Historic)65062228
95.7%
51Shildon And Dene Valley (Historic)2081999
95.7%
52Brandon23221
95.7%
53West Auckland44422
95.5%
54Tow Law (Historic)1061015
95.3%
55Benfieldside (Historic)1911829
95.3%
56Tudhoe (Historic)1891809
95.2%
57Easington (Historic)1891809
95.2%
58Thornley And Wheatley Hill21201
95.2%
59Coxhoe (Historic)31930316
95.0%
60Trimdon And Thornley (Historic)1791709
95.0%
61Delves Lane (Historic)92875
94.6%
62Burnopfield And Dipton (Historic)1411338
94.3%
63Brandon (Historic)18517411
94.1%
64Dalton And Dawdon17161
94.1%
65Pelton (Historic)16215210
93.8%
66North Lodge (Historic)1121057
93.8%
67Annfield Plain (Historic)80755
93.8%
68Coundon (Historic)64604
93.8%
69Murton (Historic)1291218
93.8%
70North Lodge16151
93.8%
71Leadgate And Medomsley (Historic)31829820
93.7%
72Evenwood (Historic)33231121
93.7%
73Ferryhill (Historic)1111047
93.7%
74Elvet And Gilesgate (Historic)82076654
93.4%
75Easington And Shotton44413
93.2%
76Lanchester (Historic)36433925
93.1%
77Craghead And South Moor (Historic)58544
93.1%
78Bowburn And Coxhoe58544
93.1%
79Consett South (Historic)43403
93.0%
80Tanfield (Historic)16615412
92.8%
81Dawdon (Historic)13112110
92.4%
82Elvet, Gilesgate And Shincliffe14313211
92.3%
83Stanley26242
92.3%
84Neville's Cross (Historic)60655947
92.2%
85Murton37343
91.9%
86Deerness35323
91.4%
87Blackhalls (Historic)20618818
91.3%
88Willington And Hunwick (Historic)24021921
91.2%
89Wingate (Historic)44404
90.9%
90Benfieldside33303
90.9%
91Blackhalls And Hesledens11101
90.9%
92Shildon And Dene Valley43394
90.7%
93Sedgefield51465
90.2%
94Shotton And South Hetton (Historic)12010812
90.0%
95Evenwood30273
90.0%
96Belmont69627
89.9%
97Upper Teesdale1089711
89.8%
98Lanchester And Burnhope38344
89.5%
99Delves Lane18162
88.9%
100Trimdon And Wingate27243
88.9%
101Weardale79709
88.6%
102Crook51456
88.2%
103Chester-le-Street North22193
86.4%
104Willington And Hunwick22193
86.4%
105Lower Teesdale816912
85.2%
106Horden And Dene House17143
82.4%
107Seaham15123
80.0%
108Annfield Plain And Tanfield17134
76.5%
See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Horden (Historic) but face serious resistance in Annfield Plain And Tanfield.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

1
A 23.5% gap separates the best and worst wards. Horden (Historic) approves 100.0% of applications while Annfield Plain And Tanfield approves just 76.5%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.
2
High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.
3
Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

720 planning applications in County Durham have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A £79 report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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More County Durham planning data

Nearby councils ward breakdowns

Methodology: Covers 14,377 planning decisions in County Durham, January 2020 to present. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from County Durham Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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