Hackney Council approves 86.8% of planning applications, based on 21,378 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 average time from validation to decision in Hackney is 11.5 weeks, measured across 15,049 decided applications. Across 21,378 decisions analysed since January 2020, 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 · Updated August 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 | 15,292 | 1,872 | 17,164 | 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 | 1,241 | 135 | 1,376 | 90.2% |
| Haggerston | 1,219 | 86 | 1,305 | 93.4% |
| Dalston | 1,112 | 138 | 1,250 | 89.0% |
| Stoke Newington | 989 | 246 | 1,235 | 80.1% |
| Springfield | 964 | 265 | 1,229 | 78.4% |
| Cazenove | 959 | 220 | 1,179 | 81.3% |
| Clissold | 1,004 | 138 | 1,142 | 87.9% |
| Hoxton East and Shoreditch | 861 | 202 | 1,063 | 81.0% |
| Hackney Downs | 957 | 100 | 1,057 | 90.5% |
| London Fields | 856 | 166 | 1,022 | 83.8% |
| Hackney Central | 876 | 127 | 1,003 | 87.3% |
| Lea Bridge | 713 | 218 | 931 | 76.6% |
| Victoria | 722 | 60 | 782 | 92.3% |
| Brownswood | 630 | 83 | 713 | 88.4% |
| Stamford Hill West | 445 | 154 | 599 | 74.3% |
| Kings Park | 490 | 84 | 574 | 85.4% |
| Hackney Wick | 409 | 67 | 476 | 85.9% |
| Homerton | 351 | 66 | 417 | 84.2% |
| Shacklewell | 343 | 70 | 413 | 83.1% |
| Woodberry Down | 325 | 79 | 404 | 80.4% |
| Hoxton | 375 | 10 | 385 | 97.4% |
| Chatham | 353 | 15 | 368 | 95.9% |
| Hoxton West | 309 | 58 | 367 | 84.2% |
| 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 9.2pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/1602 London Fields | Rear Garden T1 - Walnut (Juglans regia) - Reduce by 1.5m from branch ends all ro | Approved |
| 2026/1460 Dalston | Sycamore. Rear garden. 30% reduction (up to 2m from branch tips), up to 20% thin | Approved |
| 2026/1603 Brownswood | Front of the Property: T1: Hazel (multi stemmed): Approximately 5.00pm: Urgent w | Approved |
| 2026/1407 Victoria | (G1) - 7x self seeded Sycamore: The rear of the garden has 7x Sycamore round the | Approved |
| 2026/1378 Cazenove | Rear garden - Access through Feldman Close / Oldhill Street G1 - group of self s | Approved |
| 2026/1356 Hackney Downs | T1) Lime, Roadside: Re-pollard back to previous most recent reduction framework. | Approved |
| 2026/1560 Stamford Hill West | Ash (T1) - fell. The tree is growing between the boundary wall and an electricit | Approved |
| 2026/1504 Cazenove | Leyland Cypress at rear of property: low amenity value, has been cut back multip | Approved |
| 2026/1495 Hackney Downs | 1x London Plane (Platanus x acerifolia) at front of property - Repollard to prev | Approved |
| 2026/1455 Dalston | Tree location - front and rear garden Access - no side access T1 - Approx. H16 S | 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 21,378 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 21,378 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 21,378 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 21,378 planning decisions from Hackney council. 18,557 were approved and 2,821 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
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 average time from validation to decision in Hackney is 11.5 weeks, measured across 15,049 decided applications. 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.