Harlow Council approves 97.9% of planning applications, based on 2,663 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Harlow sits 9.3 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 2,663 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Harlow is 97.9%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Harlow 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 Harlow.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,503 | 7 | 1,510 | 99.5% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 422 | 6 | 428 | 98.6% |
| Trees | 257 | 10 | 267 | 96.3% |
| Other | 198 | 4 | 202 | 98.0% |
| Advertisement | 123 | 0 | 123 | 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 | 81 | 0 | 81 | 100.0% |
| Old Harlow West | 66 | 0 | 66 | 100.0% |
| Town Centre | 58 | 0 | 58 | 100.0% |
| Sumners And Kingsmoor East | 53 | 0 | 53 | 100.0% |
| Newhall | 49 | 2 | 51 | 96.1% |
| Great Parndon North | 49 | 1 | 50 | 98.0% |
| Mark Hall South | 47 | 3 | 50 | 94.0% |
| Netteswell North | 47 | 1 | 48 | 97.9% |
| Potter Street | 42 | 1 | 43 | 97.7% |
| Churchgate | 42 | 0 | 42 | 100.0% |
| Gilden Park And Mulberry Green | 39 | 1 | 40 | 97.5% |
| Passmores North | 37 | 1 | 38 | 97.4% |
| Little Parndon West | 31 | 1 | 32 | 96.9% |
| Great Parndon West | 31 | 0 | 31 | 100.0% |
| Passmores South | 27 | 0 | 27 | 100.0% |
| Netteswell South | 26 | 1 | 27 | 96.3% |
| Church Langley South | 25 | 0 | 25 | 100.0% |
| Little Parndon East | 24 | 0 | 24 | 100.0% |
| Stewards | 21 | 0 | 21 | 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 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 90.0% |
How Harlow’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 1.9pp 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/26/00238 Great Parndon West | Construction of a single storey rear and side infill extension with internal rem | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00223 Mark Hall North | Demolition of existing rear porch and erection of a single storey rear extension | Approved |
| HW/PALHE/26/00254 Passmores North | Erection of a single storey rear extension | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00244 Bush Fair East A | Installation of vehicle hard standing to front of property | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00224 Passmores North | Installation of modular platform and ramp to front access | Approved |
| HW/TP/26/10023 Old Harlow West | Removal of 2 no. Yew trees and replacement with 2 no. new trees in accordance wi | Approved |
| HW/TP/26/10025 Gilden Park And Mulberry Green | T1 Beech; Cut back from the rear, side and roof of no 1 Watlington Road to give | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00243 Church Langley South | Conversion of internal garage to office space | Approved |
| HW/TP/26/10024 Mark Hall North | Hawthorn tree located at the side of the rear garden of no.74 needs reduction in | Approved |
| HW/HSE/26/00208 Passmores South | Garage conversion, single storey side extension, the removal of the existing fro | 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 2,663 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Harlow's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
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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:
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 2,663 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 2,663 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Harlow is 97.9%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,663 planning decisions from Harlow council. 2,606 were approved and 57 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Harlow is 97.9%, 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.