Havering Council approves 78.5% of planning applications, based on 19,145 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Havering sits 6.5 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,530 decided applications, Havering Council approved 75.9% of planning applications in 2025. The typical time from validation to decision in Havering is 8.0 weeks, the median across 19,033 applications decided since January 2020. Across 19,145 decisions on record (February 1987 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Havering is 78.5%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Havering council planning portal records · Data to 25 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, 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 Havering.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 17,065 | 4,423 | 21,488 | 79.4% |
| Prior Approval | 2,031 | 483 | 2,514 | 80.8% |
| Full | 349 | 86 | 435 | 80.2% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upminster | 1,601 | 362 | 1,963 | 81.6% |
| Emerson Park | 1,474 | 383 | 1,857 | 79.4% |
| Squirrels Heath | 1,111 | 313 | 1,424 | 78.0% |
| Cranham | 1,086 | 243 | 1,329 | 81.7% |
| St Andrew's | 992 | 265 | 1,257 | 78.9% |
| Mawneys | 964 | 280 | 1,244 | 77.5% |
| Harold Wood | 934 | 259 | 1,193 | 78.3% |
| Romford Town | 973 | 192 | 1,165 | 83.5% |
| Rainham & Wennington | 825 | 316 | 1,141 | 72.3% |
| South Hornchurch | 866 | 256 | 1,122 | 77.2% |
| Elm Park | 743 | 183 | 926 | 80.2% |
| Pettits | 743 | 151 | 894 | 83.1% |
| Hacton | 718 | 148 | 866 | 82.9% |
| Gooshays | 672 | 174 | 846 | 79.4% |
| Brooklands | 664 | 163 | 827 | 80.3% |
| Marshalls & Rise Pk | 608 | 146 | 754 | 80.6% |
| Heaton | 564 | 127 | 691 | 81.6% |
| Havering Park | 496 | 140 | 636 | 78.0% |
| Hylands | 516 | 118 | 634 | 81.4% |
| Havering-atte-Bower | 411 | 132 | 543 | 75.7% |
| Rush Grn & Crowlands | 383 | 131 | 514 | 74.5% |
| Hylands & Harrow Lg | 395 | 97 | 492 | 80.3% |
| St Edwards | 378 | 113 | 491 | 77.0% |
| St Albans | 202 | 117 | 319 | 63.3% |
| Beam Park | 158 | 60 | 218 | 72.5% |
Showing top 25 of 33 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Havering’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 9.3pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Havering council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| P0378.26 Marshalls & Rise Pk | Proposed Garage Conversion and Minor Remedial Works | Approved |
| P1443.25 St Edwards | Demolition of existing building to facilitate redevelopment comprising Shared Li | Approved |
| P0538.26 Upminster | Construction of a two storey 2 x bed detached residential dwelling | Approved |
| P0719.26 St Andrew's | Single storey rear extension with external alterations to rear first floor eleva | Approved |
| P0856.26 St Albans | Change of use of existing Use Class C3 (Dwellinghouse) to Use Class C4 (HMO) wit | Refused |
| Y0192.26 Squirrels Heath | Single storey rear extension with an overall depth of 6m, a maximum height of 3. | Approved |
| Y0194.26 Rush Grn & Crowlands | Single storey rear extension with an overall depth of 5m, a maximum height of 3. | Approved |
| Y0197.26 Rainham & Wennington | Single storey rear extension with an overall depth of 6m, a maximum height of 3m | Approved |
| Y0190.26 Heaton | Single storey rear extension with an overall depth of 8m, a maximum height of 3. | Refused |
| Y0193.26 Hacton | Single storey rear extension with an overall depth of 6m, a maximum height of 3m | 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 Havering's 19,145 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Havering's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Havering'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 Havering. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 19,145 real decisions from Havering 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 Havering'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 19,145 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Havering is 78.5%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 19,145 planning decisions from Havering council. 15,020 were approved and 4,125 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, February 1987 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Havering is 78.5%, 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.
The typical time from validation to decision in Havering is 8.0 weeks, the median across 19,033 applications decided since January 2020. This PlanningLens figure is calculated from decision dates published by Havering council itself, reflecting actual elapsed time rather than statutory targets.
Writing about planning in Havering? 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.