Havering planning approval rate
Havering council approved 79.3% of planning applications and refused 20.7%, based on 23,776 decisions analysed. Ranked 13th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
79.3%
overall approval rate
23,776
Decisions analysed
18,860
Approved
4,916
Refused
48
Wards covered
Planning in Havering? 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 Havering. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
79.1%
80.4%
82.4%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Havering, mined from 23,776 proposal descriptions.
81.7%
76.4%
77.6%
76.6%
77.1%
81.3%
76.4%
75.5%
75.7%
74.8%
83.4%
77.9%
59.3%
68.5%
23.1%
64.8%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Havering. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Upminster
80.3%
Emerson Park
75.5%
Squirrels Heath
78.1%
St Andrew's
78.6%
Cranham
80.4%
Rainham & Wennington
71.8%
Mawneys
74.7%
Harold Wood
74.2%
South Hornchurch
72.2%
Elm Park
78.1%
Hacton
81.4%
Pettits
81.2%
Romford Town
76.3%
Gooshays
75.5%
Marshalls & Rise Pk
79.5%
Brooklands
75.1%
Heaton
77.1%
Havering-atte-Bower
74.6%
Havering Park
73.1%
Hylands
77.8%
Wards in Havering
Upminster
80.3% approval · 1,776 decisions
Emerson Park
75.5% approval · 1,524 decisions
Squirrels Heath
78.1% approval · 1,376 decisions
St Andrew's
78.6% approval · 1,221 decisions
Cranham
80.4% approval · 1,189 decisions
Rainham & Wennington
71.8% approval · 1,100 decisions
Mawneys
74.7% approval · 1,046 decisions
Harold Wood
74.2% approval · 959 decisions
South Hornchurch
72.2% approval · 880 decisions
Elm Park
78.1% approval · 812 decisions
Hacton
81.4% approval · 783 decisions
Pettits
81.2% approval · 781 decisions
Romford Town
76.3% approval · 754 decisions
Gooshays
75.5% approval · 707 decisions
Marshalls & Rise Pk
79.5% approval · 697 decisions
Brooklands
75.1% approval · 622 decisions
Heaton
77.1% approval · 524 decisions
Havering-atte-Bower
74.6% approval · 512 decisions
Havering Park
73.1% approval · 501 decisions
Hylands
77.8% approval · 496 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Havering, showing how the council decides real applications.
P0365.26
Erection of a single-storey rear infill extension, and a first-floor side and re · Squirrels Heath · 26/06/2026
P0238.26
Two storey side extension to allow for new Use Class E(a) ground floor unit and · Emerson Park · 25/06/2026
P0095.26
Installation of 9 photovoltaic solar panels on the south-west facing roof slope · Squirrels Heath · 23/06/2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Havering, 1 in 5 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 Havering
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Havering →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Havering
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 23,776 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Havering
What is the planning approval rate in Havering?
Based on 23,776 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Havering approved 79.3% of applications and refused 20.7%. The council is ranked 13th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Havering?
Havering refuses 20.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 5. That is higher than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 23,776 decided applications since 2020, 4,916 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Havering have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Havering are in GOOSHAYS (99.2%), ST. ANDREW'S (98.4%), and EMERSON PARK (98.3%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Havering?
The most common planning application types in Havering are: Other (20,925 decisions, 79.1% approved), Prior Approval (2,430, 80.4%), and Full (421, 82.4%).
How long does a planning application take in Havering?
Planning applications in Havering take an average of 9.7 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 20,646 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. Havering decides approximately 3,963 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Havering?
You can search planning applications in Havering directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 23,776 historical decisions in Havering to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Havering calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Havering'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.