Harlow Council approves 98.0% of planning applications, based on 2,497 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Harlow sits 10.1 percentage points above the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — 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 Harlow.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,407 | 6 | 1,413 | 99.6% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 393 | 2 | 395 | 99.5% |
| Trees | 239 | 9 | 248 | 96.4% |
| Other | 186 | 4 | 190 | 97.9% |
| Advertisement | 120 | 0 | 120 | 100.0% |
| Listed Building | 72 | 0 | 72 | 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.
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 | 70 | 0 | 70 | 100.0% |
| Old Harlow West | 58 | 0 | 58 | 100.0% |
| Sumners And Kingsmoor East | 45 | 0 | 45 | 100.0% |
| Town Centre | 44 | 0 | 44 | 100.0% |
| Great Parndon North | 42 | 1 | 43 | 97.7% |
| Newhall | 42 | 0 | 42 | 100.0% |
| Netteswell North | 40 | 1 | 41 | 97.6% |
| Mark Hall South | 37 | 3 | 40 | 92.5% |
| Churchgate | 38 | 0 | 38 | 100.0% |
| Potter Street | 35 | 0 | 35 | 100.0% |
| Gilden Park And Mulberry Green | 29 | 1 | 30 | 96.7% |
| Little Parndon West | 29 | 1 | 30 | 96.7% |
| Passmores North | 27 | 0 | 27 | 100.0% |
| Passmores South | 23 | 0 | 23 | 100.0% |
| Church Langley South | 23 | 0 | 23 | 100.0% |
| Netteswell South | 22 | 1 | 23 | 95.7% |
| Little Parndon East | 22 | 0 | 22 | 100.0% |
| Great Parndon West | 20 | 0 | 20 | 100.0% |
| Stewards | 17 | 0 | 17 | 100.0% |
| Latton Bush East | 13 | 0 | 13 | 100.0% |
| Netteswell Central | 9 | 0 | 9 | 100.0% |
| Latton Bush West | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
| Church Langley North | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
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/ADV/26/00058 Town Centre | Replacement of Primark building signage to new specification | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00071 Churchgate | Erection of garden room | Approved |
| HW/FUL/25/00512 Little Parndon West | Change of use from existing use class C3 (Dwellinghouse) to C2 (Children's home) | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00028 Old Harlow West | Roof replacement | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00034 Church Langley South | Proposed single storey rear extension and the partial demolition of the flank bo | Approved |
| HW/CND/26/00024 Gilden Park And Mulberry Green | Application for approval of details reserved by condition 3 (Window Detail Drawi | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00029 Mark Hall North | Roof replacement | Approved |
| HW/FUL/25/00290 Not Available | Proposed parking for 15 no. car parking spaces | Approved |
| HW/FUL/26/00027 Little Parndon East | Construction of a front access ramp to main entrance of the building | Approved |
| HW/HSE/25/00528 Great Parndon West | Construction of a single-storey rear extension, internal alterations, relocation | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Harlow's 2,497 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into Harlow's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 2,497 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Harlow is 98.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,497 planning decisions from Harlow council. 2,446 were approved and 51 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Harlow is 98.0%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.