Darlington planning approval rate

Darlington council approved 91.6% of planning applications and refused 8.4%, based on 2,301 decisions analysed. Ranked 133rd out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

91.6%

overall approval rate

2,301

Decisions analysed

2,108

Approved

193

Refused

Wards covered

Planning in Darlington? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.

Approval rate by application type

Different application types have different approval rates in Darlington. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Full (1,194 decided)

95.0%

Trees (327 decided)

77.7%

Other (213 decided)

97.7%

Certificate of Lawfulness (182 decided)

82.4%

Discharge of Conditions (155 decided)

100.0%

Listed Building (93 decided)

94.6%

Advertisement (66 decided)

95.5%

Change of Use (50 decided)

94.0%

Prior Approval (21 decided)

42.9%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Darlington — mined from 2,301 proposal descriptions.

Garage / Parking (530 decided)

96.2%

Rear Extension (443 decided)

95.3%

Extension (General) (305 decided)

94.8%

New Build (263 decided)

92.4%

Outbuilding (155 decided)

96.1%

Side Extension (147 decided)

95.2%

Change of Use (Residential) (139 decided)

85.6%

Conservatory (124 decided)

96.0%

Dormer (111 decided)

94.6%

Wraparound Extension (42 decided)

95.2%

Loft Conversion (35 decided)

97.1%

Annex (21 decided)

95.2%

HMO (16 decided)

68.8%

Basement (10 decided)

100.0%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Darlington. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Sadberge And Middleton St George (300 decided)

91.0%

Heighington And Coniscliffe (230 decided)

93.9%

Park West (228 decided)

91.7%

Park East (197 decided)

91.9%

Hurworth (170 decided)

93.5%

College (148 decided)

87.8%

Hummersknott (126 decided)

87.3%

Brinkburn And Faverdale (121 decided)

97.5%

Mowden (91 decided)

86.8%

Stephenson (77 decided)

96.1%

Haughton And Springfield (75 decided)

88.0%

Pierremont (70 decided)

87.1%

Harrowgate Hill (68 decided)

95.6%

North Road (68 decided)

88.2%

Eastbourne (64 decided)

96.9%

Red Hall And Lingfield (61 decided)

100.0%

Northgate (61 decided)

83.6%

Cockerton (57 decided)

91.2%

Bank Top And Lascelles (41 decided)

97.6%

Whinfield (34 decided)

88.2%

Wards in Darlington

Sadberge And Middleton St George

91.0% approval · 300 decisions

Heighington And Coniscliffe

93.9% approval · 230 decisions

Park West

91.7% approval · 228 decisions

Park East

91.9% approval · 197 decisions

Hurworth

93.5% approval · 170 decisions

College

87.8% approval · 148 decisions

Hummersknott

87.3% approval · 126 decisions

Brinkburn And Faverdale

97.5% approval · 121 decisions

Mowden

86.8% approval · 91 decisions

Stephenson

96.1% approval · 77 decisions

Haughton And Springfield

88.0% approval · 75 decisions

Pierremont

87.1% approval · 70 decisions

Harrowgate Hill

95.6% approval · 68 decisions

North Road

88.2% approval · 68 decisions

Eastbourne

96.9% approval · 64 decisions

Red Hall And Lingfield

100.0% approval · 61 decisions

Northgate

83.6% approval · 61 decisions

Cockerton

91.2% approval · 57 decisions

Bank Top And Lascelles

97.6% approval · 41 decisions

Whinfield

88.2% approval · 34 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Darlington, showing how the council decides real applications.

22/00266/FUL

Erection of a single storey extension to rear (west) elevation (as amended by pl · Cockerton · Fri 01 Jul 2022

Approved

21/01093/FUL

Erection of 2 no. self-storage buildings (Use Class B8) together with car parkin · Red Hall And Lingfield · Fri 01 Jul 2022

Approved

22/00531/FUL

Erection of a single storey rear extension (as amended by plans received 30/05/2 · Heighington And Coniscliffe · Thu 30 Jun 2022

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Darlington, 1 in 12 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:

✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Darlington
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get Darlington Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 2,301 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

County Durham Stockton-on-Tees Sunderland York

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