Harlow Council approves 97.8% of planning applications, based on 2,602 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Harlow sits 9.5 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 467 decided applications, Harlow Council approved 99.4% of planning applications in 2025. Across 2,602 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Harlow is 97.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Harlow council planning portal records · Updated June 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 Harlow.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,470 | 7 | 1,477 | 99.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 408 | 5 | 413 | 98.8% |
| Trees | 251 | 10 | 261 | 96.2% |
| Other | 194 | 4 | 198 | 98.0% |
| Advertisement | 120 | 0 | 120 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 74 | 0 | 74 | 100.0% |
| Prior Approval | 29 | 28 | 57 | 50.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Hall North | 78 | 0 | 78 | 100.0% |
| Old Harlow West | 63 | 0 | 63 | 100.0% |
| Town Centre | 52 | 0 | 52 | 100.0% |
| Sumners And Kingsmoor East | 50 | 0 | 50 | 100.0% |
| Great Parndon North | 48 | 1 | 49 | 98.0% |
| Newhall | 46 | 2 | 48 | 95.8% |
| Mark Hall South | 43 | 3 | 46 | 93.5% |
| Netteswell North | 42 | 1 | 43 | 97.7% |
| Potter Street | 42 | 0 | 42 | 100.0% |
| Churchgate | 41 | 0 | 41 | 100.0% |
| Gilden Park And Mulberry Green | 38 | 1 | 39 | 97.4% |
| Passmores North | 33 | 1 | 34 | 97.1% |
| Little Parndon West | 29 | 1 | 30 | 96.7% |
| Netteswell South | 24 | 1 | 25 | 96.0% |
| Passmores South | 24 | 0 | 24 | 100.0% |
| Great Parndon West | 24 | 0 | 24 | 100.0% |
| Church Langley South | 23 | 0 | 23 | 100.0% |
| Little Parndon East | 23 | 0 | 23 | 100.0% |
| Stewards | 19 | 0 | 19 | 100.0% |
| Latton Bush East | 15 | 1 | 16 | 93.8% |
| Latton Bush West | 13 | 0 | 13 | 100.0% |
| Church Langley North | 12 | 0 | 12 | 100.0% |
| Netteswell Central | 10 | 0 | 10 | 100.0% |
| Bush Fair West A | 6 | 1 | 7 | 85.7% |
How Harlow’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 2.4pp since 2021.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Harlow council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| HW/HSE/26/00193 Sumners And Kingsmoor East | Construction of a single storey side extension | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00190 Stewards | Conversion of the existing garage into habitable accommodation, including the cr | Approved |
| HW/CND/26/00214 Great Parndon West | Application for approval of details reserved by condition 7 (Residential Travel | Approved |
| HW/FUL/26/00150 Town Centre | Extension of the operational date from June 2026 to June 2027 for the temporary | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00092 Mark Hall North | Roof replacement - Resubmission | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00173 Potter Street | Demolish existing lean-to structure and build new side extension in it's footpri | Approved |
| HW/DEM/26/00203 Town Centre | Demolition of building | Approved |
| HW/PALHE/26/00197 Great Parndon North | Construction of a single storey rear extension | Approved |
| HW/FUL/26/00174 Great Parndon North | Repair works to existing brickwork, replacement of fascia boards and soffits, re | Approved |
| HW/PALHE/26/00182 Church Langley North | Construction of a single storey rear extension | 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 Harlow's 2,602 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Harlow's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
More council comparisons coming soon.
Dig deeper into Harlow'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 Harlow. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 2,602 real decisions from Harlow 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 Harlow'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 2,602 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Harlow is 97.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,602 planning decisions from Harlow council. 2,546 were approved and 56 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Harlow is 97.8%, 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.
Writing about planning in Harlow? 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.