Darlington Council approves 92.5% of planning applications, based on 3,194 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Darlington sits 4.2 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 468 decided applications, Darlington Council approved 93.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 3,194 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Darlington is 92.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Darlington council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Darlington.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,426 | 82 | 1,508 | 94.6% |
| Trees | 379 | 74 | 453 | 83.7% |
| Other | 384 | 6 | 390 | 98.5% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 228 | 41 | 269 | 84.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 237 | 0 | 237 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 134 | 5 | 139 | 96.4% |
| Advertisement | 96 | 16 | 112 | 85.7% |
| Change of Use | 53 | 4 | 57 | 93.0% |
| Prior Approval | 16 | 13 | 29 | 55.2% |
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, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sadberge And Middleton St George | 397 | 29 | 426 | 93.2% |
| Heighington And Coniscliffe | 307 | 16 | 323 | 95.0% |
| Park West | 292 | 19 | 311 | 93.9% |
| Park East | 269 | 31 | 300 | 89.7% |
| Hurworth | 207 | 17 | 224 | 92.4% |
| College | 176 | 18 | 194 | 90.7% |
| Brinkburn And Faverdale | 167 | 3 | 170 | 98.2% |
| Hummersknott | 147 | 20 | 167 | 88.0% |
| Mowden | 104 | 14 | 118 | 88.1% |
| Pierremont | 94 | 10 | 104 | 90.4% |
| Northgate | 85 | 16 | 101 | 84.2% |
| Stephenson | 98 | 3 | 101 | 97.0% |
| Haughton And Springfield | 84 | 10 | 94 | 89.4% |
| Eastbourne | 89 | 3 | 92 | 96.7% |
| Harrowgate Hill | 88 | 3 | 91 | 96.7% |
| North Road | 76 | 12 | 88 | 86.4% |
| Red Hall And Lingfield | 81 | 0 | 81 | 100.0% |
| Cockerton | 68 | 5 | 73 | 93.2% |
| Bank Top And Lascelles | 66 | 2 | 68 | 97.1% |
| Whinfield | 43 | 6 | 49 | 87.8% |
How Darlington’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 3.6pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Darlington council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00370/FUL Bank Top And Lascelles | Erection of extension to north and east elevations to provide double garage and | Approved |
| 26/00256/FUL Park East | Installation of replacement shopfront to front and side elevations | Approved |
| 26/00041/FUL Park West | Demolition of existing rear/boundary return extension, erection of replacement s | Approved |
| 26/00366/FUL Heighington And Coniscliffe | Erection of a single storey rear extension to the existing private dining room a | Approved |
| 26/00283/FUL Park East | Erection of a single storey rear extension, cycle storage area and erection of b | Approved |
| 26/00336/FUL Brinkburn And Faverdale | Erection of 1.84 m timber fence to front and side of garden (Retrospective Appli | Approved |
| 26/00276/FUL Park East | Installation of pre-fabricated steel container for storage/garage use | Approved |
| 26/00335/FUL Hurworth | Erection of two storey side extension and entrance porch front elevation | Approved |
| 26/00248/LBC Park West | Listed Building Consent for the demolition of existing rear two-storey projectio | Approved |
| 26/00247/FUL Park West | Demolition of existing rear two-storey projection, enlargement of basement light | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Darlington's 3,194 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Darlington's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Darlington's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Darlington. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 3,194 real decisions from Darlington council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Darlington's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 3,194 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Darlington is 92.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 3,194 planning decisions from Darlington council. 2,953 were approved and 241 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Darlington is 92.5%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Darlington? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.