Darlington Council approves 94.4% of planning applications, based on 1,926 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Darlington sits 9.4 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 1,926 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Darlington is 94.4%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Darlington council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
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 | 1,509 | 86 | 1,595 | 94.6% |
| Trees | 408 | 78 | 486 | 84.0% |
| Other | 423 | 6 | 429 | 98.6% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 239 | 43 | 282 | 84.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 260 | 0 | 260 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 143 | 5 | 148 | 96.6% |
| Advertisement | 108 | 16 | 124 | 87.1% |
| Change of Use | 56 | 4 | 60 | 93.3% |
| Prior Approval | 17 | 13 | 30 | 56.7% |
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 | 436 | 31 | 467 | 93.4% |
| Heighington And Coniscliffe | 325 | 16 | 341 | 95.3% |
| Park West | 316 | 21 | 337 | 93.8% |
| Park East | 290 | 31 | 321 | 90.3% |
| Hurworth | 231 | 18 | 249 | 92.8% |
| College | 185 | 19 | 204 | 90.7% |
| Brinkburn And Faverdale | 180 | 3 | 183 | 98.4% |
| Hummersknott | 154 | 20 | 174 | 88.5% |
| Mowden | 107 | 14 | 121 | 88.4% |
| Northgate | 93 | 18 | 111 | 83.8% |
| Pierremont | 100 | 10 | 110 | 90.9% |
| Stephenson | 102 | 3 | 105 | 97.1% |
| Eastbourne | 96 | 4 | 100 | 96.0% |
| Harrowgate Hill | 97 | 3 | 100 | 97.0% |
| Haughton And Springfield | 85 | 10 | 95 | 89.5% |
| North Road | 81 | 12 | 93 | 87.1% |
| Red Hall And Lingfield | 86 | 0 | 86 | 100.0% |
| Cockerton | 71 | 6 | 77 | 92.2% |
| Bank Top And Lascelles | 67 | 2 | 69 | 97.1% |
| 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%.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00773/FUL Park East | Erection of single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/00759/FUL Hurworth | Erection of single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/00697/FUL Hummersknott | Erection of single storey rear extension and single storey side extension, toget | Approved |
| 26/00522/LBC Hurworth | Listed Building Consent for replacement of existing roof covering and rainwater | Approved |
| 26/00521/FUL Hurworth | Replacement of existing roof covering and rainwater goods together with repairs | Approved |
| 26/00835/HPD Cockerton | Prior Approval for the erection of a single storey rear extension projecting 3.3 | Approved |
| 26/00779/FUL College | Siting of an InPost Parcel Locker to the rear of the site (Retrospective Applica | Approved |
| 26/00733/FUL Hurworth | Erection of a single storey rear extension and bay window extension to the front | Approved |
| 26/00766/FUL Eastbourne | Siting of 1 no. InPost Parcel Locker to side (north) elevation (Retrospective Ap | Approved |
| 26/00749/FUL Park West | Siting of 1 no. InPost Parcel Locker to the front of the premises (Retrospective | 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 1,926 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 1,926 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 1,926 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Darlington is 94.4%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,926 planning decisions from Darlington council. 1,819 were approved and 107 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Darlington is 94.4%, 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.