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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 24.0% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

15,455 real decisions·112 wards·Updated August 2026
100.0%
Highest: Horden (Historic)
76.0%
Lowest: Annfield Plain And T
24.0%
Gap
112
Wards
94.9% approved overall. But 792 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in County Durham shifts your odds by up to 24.0%. The council average doesn't tell you which side of that gap you're on.

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All 112 wards ranked

#WardDecisionsApprovedRefusedRate
1Horden (Historic)54540
100.0%
2Deneside (Historic)49490
100.0%
3Spennymoor49490
100.0%
4Ferryhill50500
100.0%
5Castle Eden And Passfield42420
100.0%
6Aycliffe North And Middridge22220
100.0%
7Pittington And Sherburn19190
100.0%
8Peterlee16160
100.0%
9Bishop Middleham And Cornforth (Historic)78771
98.7%
10Bishop Auckland Town (Historic)2762724
98.6%
11Barnard Castle61601
98.4%
12Lumley And West Rainton62611
98.4%
13Chester-le-Street South1201182
98.3%
14Chester-le-Street North (Historic)53521
98.1%
15Passfield (Historic)54531
98.1%
16Sacriston And Witton Gilbert47461
97.9%
17Tudhoe48471
97.9%
18Consett North (Historic)1251223
97.6%
19Chester-le-Street East (Historic)80782
97.5%
20Durham South (Historic)1631594
97.5%
21West Auckland (Historic)1961915
97.4%
22Peterlee East (Historic)74722
97.3%
23Barnard Castle West (Historic)79177021
97.3%
24Framwellgate And Newton Hall (Historic)3012938
97.3%
25Sedgefield (Historic)36935910
97.3%
26Esh And Witton Gilbert (Historic)2602537
97.3%
27Aycliffe West (Historic)36351
97.2%
28Lumley (Historic)1691645
97.0%
29Woodhouse Close (Historic)100973
97.0%
30Crook (Historic)1911856
96.9%
31Barnard Castle East (Historic)60758720
96.7%
32Belmont (Historic)36235012
96.7%
33Spennymoor (Historic)1831776
96.7%
34Seaham (Historic)1441395
96.5%
35Stanley (Historic)55532
96.4%
36Aycliffe East (Historic)1931867
96.4%
37Dalton And Dawdon26251
96.2%
38Aycliffe North And Middridge (Historic)77743
96.1%
39Chilton (Historic)101974
96.0%
40Peterlee West (Historic)73703
95.9%
41Sacriston (Historic)1211165
95.9%
42Deerness (Historic)2152069
95.8%
43North Lodge24231
95.8%
44Sherburn (Historic)2112029
95.7%
45Weardale (Historic)65162328
95.7%
46Shildon And Dene Valley (Historic)2081999
95.7%
47Chester-le-Street West Central (Historic)1111065
95.5%
48West Auckland65623
95.4%
49Tow Law (Historic)1061015
95.3%
50Benfieldside (Historic)1911829
95.3%
51Tudhoe (Historic)1891809
95.2%
52Easington (Historic)1891809
95.2%
53Pelton42402
95.2%
54Bishop Auckland81774
95.1%
55Coxhoe (Historic)32030416
95.0%
56Trimdon And Thornley (Historic)1801719
95.0%
57Framwellgate And Newton Hall80764
95.0%
58Brandon40382
95.0%
59Consett North20191
95.0%
60Stanley38362
94.7%
61North Lodge (Historic)1111056
94.6%
62Delves Lane (Historic)92875
94.6%
63Burnopfield And Dipton (Historic)1411338
94.3%
64Aycliffe South70664
94.3%
65Brandon (Historic)18517411
94.1%
66Pelton (Historic)16215210
93.8%
67Annfield Plain (Historic)80755
93.8%
68Coundon (Historic)64604
93.8%
69Murton (Historic)1291218
93.8%
70Blackhalls And Hesledens16151
93.8%
71Chilton16151
93.8%
72Leadgate And Medomsley (Historic)31829820
93.7%
73Evenwood (Historic)33331221
93.7%
74Ferryhill (Historic)1111047
93.7%
75Neville's Cross1231158
93.5%
76Murton61574
93.4%
77Elvet And Gilesgate (Historic)82176655
93.3%
78Elvet, Gilesgate And Shincliffe22521015
93.3%
79Benfieldside44413
93.2%
80Lanchester (Historic)36433925
93.1%
81Craghead And South Moor (Historic)58544
93.1%
82Consett South (Historic)43403
93.0%
83Tanfield (Historic)16615412
92.8%
84Bowburn And Coxhoe95887
92.6%
85Dawdon (Historic)13212210
92.4%
86Neville's Cross (Historic)60655947
92.2%
87Upper Teesdale16715413
92.2%
88Easington And Shotton74686
91.9%
89Deerness49454
91.8%
90Derwent And Pont Valley84777
91.7%
91Chester-le-Street North36333
91.7%
92Thornley And Wheatley Hill36333
91.7%
93Blackhalls (Historic)20618818
91.3%
94Weardale12611511
91.3%
95Belmont92848
91.3%
96Willington And Hunwick (Historic)24021921
91.2%
97Shildon And Dene Valley57525
91.2%
98Langley And Esh45414
91.1%
99Lanchester And Burnhope67616
91.0%
100Wingate (Historic)44404
90.9%
101Shotton And South Hetton (Historic)11910811
90.8%
102Lower Teesdale13011812
90.8%
103Trimdon And Wingate41374
90.2%
104Sedgefield86779
89.5%
105Consett South19172
89.5%
106Delves Lane28253
89.3%
107Willington And Hunwick45405
88.9%
108Evenwood49427
85.7%
109Crook837112
85.5%
110Seaham27234
85.2%
111Horden And Dene House29245
82.8%
112Annfield Plain And Tanfield25196
76.0%
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 24.0% gap separates the best and worst wards. Horden (Historic) approves 100.0% of applications while Annfield Plain And Tanfield approves just 76.0%. 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

792 planning applications in County Durham have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific 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 15,455 planning decisions in County Durham, January 2020 to August 2026. 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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