Hackney planning approval rate
Hackney council approved 86.8% of planning applications and refused 13.2%, based on 21,378 decisions analysed. Ranked 65th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
86.8%
overall approval rate
21,378
Decisions analysed
18,557
Approved
2,821
Refused
48
Wards covered
Planning in Hackney? 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 Hackney. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
89.1%
80.2%
65.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Hackney, mined from 21,378 proposal descriptions.
85.0%
88.3%
81.1%
81.9%
84.4%
93.1%
92.0%
85.5%
87.8%
85.7%
84.9%
71.4%
89.8%
66.2%
84.5%
81.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Hackney. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Stoke Newington Ward
80.1%
Springfield Ward
76.1%
Hoxton East and Shoreditch Ward
81.0%
London Fields Ward
83.8%
De Beauvoir Ward
87.1%
HAGGERSTON
97.1%
Lea Bridge Ward
76.6%
Cazenove Ward
76.2%
Clissold Ward
84.1%
Dalston Ward
83.7%
Hackney Downs Ward
86.8%
Hackney Central Ward
82.4%
Stamford Hill West Ward
74.3%
Kings Park Ward
85.4%
Victoria Ward
89.1%
DALSTON
97.3%
Hackney Wick Ward
85.9%
Brownswood Ward
82.5%
Homerton Ward
84.2%
Shacklewell Ward
83.1%
Wards in Hackney
Stoke Newington Ward
80.1% approval · 1,235 decisions
Springfield Ward
76.1% approval · 1,089 decisions
Hoxton East and Shoreditch Ward
81.0% approval · 1,063 decisions
London Fields Ward
83.8% approval · 1,022 decisions
De Beauvoir Ward
87.1% approval · 972 decisions
HAGGERSTON
97.1% approval · 943 decisions
Lea Bridge Ward
76.6% approval · 931 decisions
Cazenove Ward
76.2% approval · 917 decisions
Clissold Ward
84.1% approval · 834 decisions
Dalston Ward
83.7% approval · 766 decisions
Hackney Downs Ward
86.8% approval · 727 decisions
Hackney Central Ward
82.4% approval · 689 decisions
Stamford Hill West Ward
74.3% approval · 599 decisions
Kings Park Ward
85.4% approval · 574 decisions
Victoria Ward
89.1% approval · 514 decisions
DALSTON
97.3% approval · 484 decisions
Hackney Wick Ward
85.9% approval · 476 decisions
Brownswood Ward
82.5% approval · 456 decisions
Homerton Ward
84.2% approval · 417 decisions
Shacklewell Ward
83.1% approval · 413 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Hackney, showing how the council decides real applications.
Rear Garden T1 - Walnut (Juglans regia) - Reduce by 1.5m from branch ends all ro · London Fields Ward · 2026-08-10
Sycamore. Rear garden. 30% reduction (up to 2m from branch tips), up to 20% thin · Dalston Ward · 2026-08-10
2026/1603
Front of the Property: T1: Hazel (multi stemmed): Approximately 5.00pm: Urgent w · Brownswood Ward · 2026-08-03
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Hackney, 1 in 8 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 Hackney
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Hackney →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Hackney
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 21,378 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Hackney
What is the planning approval rate in Hackney?
Based on 21,378 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Hackney approved 86.8% of applications and refused 13.2%. The council is ranked 65th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Hackney?
Hackney refuses 13.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 21,378 decided applications since 2020, 2,821 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Hackney have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Hackney are in London Legacy Development Corporation (100.0%), LORDSHIP (100.0%), and CAZENOVE (99.2%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Hackney?
The most common planning application types in Hackney are: Other (17,164 decisions, 89.1% approved), Full (3,472, 80.2%), and Prior Approval (742, 65.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Hackney?
Planning applications in Hackney take an average of 11.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 15,049 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. Hackney decides approximately 3,563 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Hackney?
You can search planning applications in Hackney directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 21,378 historical decisions in Hackney to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Hackney calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Hackney'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.