Darlington planning approval rate
Darlington council approved 92.7% of planning applications and refused 7.3%, based on 3,336 decisions analysed. Ranked 174th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
92.7%
overall approval rate
3,336
Decisions analysed
3,091
Approved
245
Refused
20
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.
94.7%
84.2%
98.5%
100.0%
96.6%
86.9%
93.1%
56.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Darlington, mined from 3,336 proposal descriptions.
96.4%
95.3%
95.1%
93.8%
96.5%
95.5%
95.3%
96.0%
96.2%
97.9%
86.8%
96.8%
95.5%
93.8%
100.0%
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
93.6%
Heighington And Coniscliffe
95.2%
Park West
93.9%
Park East
90.2%
Hurworth
92.5%
College
91.0%
Brinkburn And Faverdale
98.3%
Hummersknott
88.3%
Mowden
88.3%
Northgate
84.4%
Pierremont
90.5%
Stephenson
97.1%
Harrowgate Hill
96.9%
Eastbourne
96.9%
Haughton And Springfield
89.5%
North Road
87.0%
Red Hall And Lingfield
100.0%
Cockerton
92.0%
Bank Top And Lascelles
97.1%
Whinfield
87.8%
Wards in Darlington
Sadberge And Middleton St George
93.6% approval · 452 decisions
Heighington And Coniscliffe
95.2% approval · 336 decisions
Park West
93.9% approval · 330 decisions
Park East
90.2% approval · 315 decisions
Hurworth
92.5% approval · 239 decisions
College
91.0% approval · 201 decisions
Brinkburn And Faverdale
98.3% approval · 176 decisions
Hummersknott
88.3% approval · 171 decisions
Mowden
88.3% approval · 120 decisions
Northgate
84.4% approval · 109 decisions
Pierremont
90.5% approval · 105 decisions
Stephenson
97.1% approval · 105 decisions
Harrowgate Hill
96.9% approval · 98 decisions
Eastbourne
96.9% approval · 97 decisions
Haughton And Springfield
89.5% approval · 95 decisions
North Road
87.0% approval · 92 decisions
Red Hall And Lingfield
100.0% approval · 84 decisions
Cockerton
92.0% approval · 75 decisions
Bank Top And Lascelles
97.1% approval · 68 decisions
Whinfield
87.8% approval · 49 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Darlington, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection of single storey front extension to existing retail unit together with · Eastbourne · Wed 19 Aug 2026
Siting of 1 No. InPost Parcel Locker to front of premises (Retrospective Applica · Park East · Tue 18 Aug 2026
Demolition of the existing conservatory and erection of a replacement single sto · North Road · Tue 18 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Darlington, 1 in 14 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis 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
Free planning check for Darlington →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Darlington
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 3,336 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Darlington
What is the planning approval rate in Darlington?
Based on 3,336 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Darlington approved 92.7% of applications and refused 7.3%. The council is ranked 174th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Darlington?
Darlington refuses 7.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 14. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 3,336 decided applications since 2020, 245 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Darlington have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Darlington are in Red Hall And Lingfield (100.0%), Brinkburn And Faverdale (98.3%), and Stephenson (97.1%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Darlington?
The most common planning application types in Darlington are: Full (1,562 decisions, 94.7% approved), Trees (476, 84.2%), and Other (412, 98.5%).
How long does a planning application take in Darlington?
Planning applications in Darlington take an average of 9.7 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 3,317 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Darlington decides approximately 556 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Darlington?
You can search planning applications in Darlington directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 3,336 historical decisions in Darlington to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Darlington calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Darlington's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.