Darlington Council approves 94.5% of planning applications, based on 1,965 decisions from the council’s public planning portal. The national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%. Darlington is 7.0 percentage points above that rate.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 468 decided applications, Darlington Council approved 93.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 1,965 decisions on record (January 2020 to October 2026), the overall approval rate in Darlington is 94.5%; the national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Darlington council planning portal records · Data to 19 October 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode to see approval patterns for your ward and application type.
This table counts every decided application in Darlington, including types that the headline rate leaves out, so its totals are larger than the headline figure.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,527 | 87 | 1,614 | 94.6% |
| Trees | 412 | 78 | 490 | 84.1% |
| Other | 428 | 6 | 434 | 98.6% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 242 | 43 | 285 | 84.9% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 260 | 0 | 260 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 145 | 5 | 150 | 96.7% |
| Advertisement | 109 | 16 | 125 | 87.2% |
| Change of Use | 56 | 4 | 60 | 93.3% |
| Prior Approval | 18 | 13 | 31 | 58.1% |
The free check shows approval patterns for your postcode. The property report follows by email.
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 | 438 | 31 | 469 | 93.4% |
| Heighington And Coniscliffe | 331 | 16 | 347 | 95.4% |
| Park West | 317 | 22 | 339 | 93.5% |
| Park East | 294 | 31 | 325 | 90.5% |
| Hurworth | 233 | 18 | 251 | 92.8% |
| College | 187 | 19 | 206 | 90.8% |
| Brinkburn And Faverdale | 183 | 3 | 186 | 98.4% |
| Hummersknott | 156 | 20 | 176 | 88.6% |
| Mowden | 108 | 14 | 122 | 88.5% |
| Northgate | 95 | 18 | 113 | 84.1% |
| Pierremont | 102 | 10 | 112 | 91.1% |
| Stephenson | 103 | 3 | 106 | 97.2% |
| Eastbourne | 97 | 4 | 101 | 96.0% |
| Harrowgate Hill | 97 | 3 | 100 | 97.0% |
| Haughton And Springfield | 85 | 10 | 95 | 89.5% |
| North Road | 83 | 12 | 95 | 87.4% |
| Red Hall And Lingfield | 87 | 0 | 87 | 100.0% |
| Cockerton | 71 | 6 | 77 | 92.2% |
| Bank Top And Lascelles | 69 | 2 | 71 | 97.2% |
| Whinfield | 45 | 6 | 51 | 88.2% |
How Darlington’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 3.5pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Each reference links to the record on the council’s planning portal.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00778/FUL Brinkburn And Faverdale | Erection of extension to existing industrial building to provide 2 No. vehicle m | Approved |
| 26/00797/FUL Northgate | Siting of an InPost Parcel Locker to the front elevation (Retrospective Applicat | Approved |
| 26/00032/LBC Bank Top And Lascelles | Listed Building Consent for alterations to internal layout including removal of | Approved |
| 26/00853/FUL Eastbourne | Demolition of the existing store and erection of a two-storey extension to the s | Approved |
| 26/00828/FUL College | Erection of conservatory to rear of dwelling | Approved |
| 26/00790/PA Park East | Prior Approval Notification for the change of use from shop (Use Class E) to mix | Approved |
| 26/00723/FUL Sadberge And Middleton St George | Installation of 13 no. roof mounted solar panels to the front (south) roof slope | Approved |
| 21/00986/FUL Park West | Demolition of existing dwelling, erection of 2 no. four bed dwellings (self buil | Refused |
| 26/00791/FUL Heighington And Coniscliffe | Erection of extensions to the north and east elevations of the existing agricult | Approved |
| 26/00802/FUL Brinkburn And Faverdale | Siting of an InPost Parcel Locker to the east (front) elevation (Retrospective A | Approved |
See what has been approved and refused near your address. The property report covers the 20 nearest decisions, refusal patterns in your ward and approval rates by project type, drawn from Darlington's 1,965 decisions.
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 1,965 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 1,965 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Darlington is 94.5%. The national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,965 planning decisions from Darlington council. 1,856 were approved and 109 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to October 2026.
The average approval rate in Darlington is 94.5%, 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.