Havering planning approval rate
Havering council approved 79.5% of planning applications and refused 20.5%, based on 24,197 decisions analysed. Ranked 13th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
79.5%
overall approval rate
24,197
Decisions analysed
19,231
Approved
4,966
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.
79.3%
80.6%
80.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Havering, mined from 24,197 proposal descriptions.
82.0%
76.5%
77.9%
76.9%
77.3%
81.6%
76.9%
75.9%
75.7%
74.6%
83.7%
78.5%
58.9%
69.5%
22.7%
65.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Havering. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Upminster
80.4%
Emerson Park
75.6%
Squirrels Heath
78.0%
St Andrew's
78.9%
Cranham
80.7%
Rainham & Wennington
72.1%
Mawneys
74.8%
Harold Wood
74.4%
South Hornchurch
72.3%
Elm Park
78.7%
Hacton
81.7%
Pettits
81.2%
Romford Town
76.3%
Marshalls & Rise Pk
80.2%
Gooshays
75.9%
Brooklands
75.1%
Heaton
77.5%
Havering-atte-Bower
75.6%
Havering Park
73.1%
Hylands
77.8%
Wards in Havering
Upminster
80.4% approval · 1,811 decisions
Emerson Park
75.6% approval · 1,547 decisions
Squirrels Heath
78.0% approval · 1,406 decisions
St Andrew's
78.9% approval · 1,246 decisions
Cranham
80.7% approval · 1,214 decisions
Rainham & Wennington
72.1% approval · 1,128 decisions
Mawneys
74.8% approval · 1,073 decisions
Harold Wood
74.4% approval · 975 decisions
South Hornchurch
72.3% approval · 894 decisions
Elm Park
78.7% approval · 835 decisions
Hacton
81.7% approval · 799 decisions
Pettits
81.2% approval · 781 decisions
Romford Town
76.3% approval · 754 decisions
Marshalls & Rise Pk
80.2% approval · 734 decisions
Gooshays
75.9% approval · 717 decisions
Brooklands
75.1% approval · 622 decisions
Heaton
77.5% approval · 537 decisions
Havering-atte-Bower
75.6% approval · 532 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.
P0735.26
Single storey rear extension · Elm Park · 12/08/2026
P0661.26
Single storey rear extension, alterations to ground floor side fenestration and · Marshalls & Rise Pk · 12/08/2026
J0005.26
Prior Approval application for Change of use from Use Class E (Offices) to Use C · St Edwards · 11/08/2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more 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 24,197 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Havering
What is the planning approval rate in Havering?
Based on 24,197 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Havering approved 79.5% of applications and refused 20.5%. The council is ranked 13th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Havering?
Havering refuses 20.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 5. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 24,197 decided applications since 2020, 4,966 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 (21,273 decisions, 79.3% approved), Prior Approval (2,489, 80.6%), and Full (435, 80.2%).
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 21,061 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 4,033 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 24,197 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.