Hackney Council approves 86.8% of planning applications, based on 21,450 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Hackney sits 1.8 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,551 decided applications, Hackney Council approved 88.0% of planning applications in 2025. The typical time from validation to decision in Hackney is 8.0 weeks, the median across 13,203 applications decided since January 2020. Across 21,450 decisions on record (January 1987 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Hackney is 86.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Hackney council planning portal records · Data to 7 September 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 Hackney.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 15,353 | 1,883 | 17,236 | 89.1% |
| Full | 2,783 | 689 | 3,472 | 80.2% |
| Prior Approval | 482 | 260 | 742 | 65.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Beauvoir | 1,248 | 136 | 1,384 | 90.2% |
| Haggerston | 1,221 | 86 | 1,307 | 93.4% |
| Dalston | 1,114 | 138 | 1,252 | 89.0% |
| Stoke Newington | 995 | 247 | 1,242 | 80.1% |
| Springfield | 966 | 265 | 1,231 | 78.5% |
| Cazenove | 961 | 220 | 1,181 | 81.4% |
| Clissold | 1,015 | 140 | 1,155 | 87.9% |
| Hoxton East and Shoreditch | 865 | 203 | 1,068 | 81.0% |
| Hackney Downs | 959 | 100 | 1,059 | 90.6% |
| London Fields | 860 | 167 | 1,027 | 83.7% |
| Hackney Central | 879 | 127 | 1,006 | 87.4% |
| Lea Bridge | 717 | 219 | 936 | 76.6% |
| Victoria | 724 | 60 | 784 | 92.3% |
| Brownswood | 631 | 83 | 714 | 88.4% |
| Stamford Hill West | 448 | 156 | 604 | 74.2% |
| Kings Park | 490 | 84 | 574 | 85.4% |
| Hackney Wick | 410 | 67 | 477 | 86.0% |
| Homerton | 353 | 68 | 421 | 83.8% |
| Shacklewell | 343 | 70 | 413 | 83.1% |
| Woodberry Down | 326 | 79 | 405 | 80.5% |
| Hoxton | 375 | 10 | 385 | 97.4% |
| Hoxton West | 311 | 58 | 369 | 84.3% |
| Chatham | 353 | 15 | 368 | 95.9% |
| Queensbridge | 352 | 8 | 360 | 97.8% |
| Stoke Newington Central | 326 | 7 | 333 | 97.9% |
Showing top 25 of 38 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Hackney’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 9.4pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Hackney council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/1734 Hackney Central | Tree location - rear garden Access - side access T4 - Approx. H15 S10 46DBH Syca | Approved |
| 2026/1724 De Beauvoir | T1 - Robinia - reduce crown by 3-4m in height, and by approx. 2m from side branc | Approved |
| 2026/1707 Hackney Central | Tree location - front garden T1 - Approx. H8 S5 28DBH Bay Crown reduce height by | Approved |
| 2026/1697 London Fields | 9-12m tall Robinia in side garden. Propose routine maintenance: reduce back to p | Approved |
| 2026/1696 De Beauvoir | Four trees in a private back garden, not visible from the road. Propose minor wo | Approved |
| 2026/1672 Stamford Hill West | Prior Approval for Larger Homes Extension for the erection of a single storey re | Approved |
| 2026/1645 De Beauvoir | Rear garden: T1 - Cherry (Prunus Avium) - Crown reduce by 2m from branch tips al | Approved |
| 2026/1597 Cazenove | Leyland Cypress in rear garden: Remove to ground level and replace with more sui | Approved |
| 2026/1534 Stoke Newington | Single-storey wrap around extension; reconfiguration of existing first floor sid | Approved |
| 2026/0929 Hackney Downs | T1 Robinia in front garden. Remove deadwood. Lateral crown volume reduction to l | 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 Hackney's 21,450 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Hackney's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Hackney'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 Hackney. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 21,450 real decisions from Hackney 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 Hackney'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 21,450 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Hackney is 86.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 21,450 planning decisions from Hackney council. 18,618 were approved and 2,832 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 1987 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Hackney is 86.8%, 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.
The typical time from validation to decision in Hackney is 8.0 weeks, the median across 13,203 applications decided since January 2020. This PlanningLens figure is calculated from decision dates published by Hackney council itself, reflecting actual elapsed time rather than statutory targets.
Writing about planning in Hackney? 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.