Horsham Council approves 88.0% of planning applications, based on 7,438 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Horsham sits 3.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,281 decided applications, Horsham Council approved 92.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 7,438 decisions on record (January 2019 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Horsham is 88.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Horsham council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 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 Horsham.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 5,622 | 613 | 6,235 | 90.2% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 2,260 | 94 | 2,354 | 96.0% |
| Other | 1,555 | 178 | 1,733 | 89.7% |
| Trees | 1,394 | 43 | 1,437 | 97.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 629 | 109 | 738 | 85.2% |
| Listed Building | 472 | 14 | 486 | 97.1% |
| Prior Approval | 297 | 122 | 419 | 70.9% |
| Advertisement | 129 | 16 | 145 | 89.0% |
| Change of Use | 6 | 1 | 7 | 85.7% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Chiltington, Thakeham and Ashington | 1,176 | 102 | 1,278 | 92.0% |
| Billingshurst | 950 | 86 | 1,036 | 91.7% |
| Itchingfield, Slinfold and Warnham | 804 | 97 | 901 | 89.2% |
| Storrington and Washington | 800 | 100 | 900 | 88.9% |
| Colgate and Rusper | 788 | 90 | 878 | 89.7% |
| Denne | 785 | 51 | 836 | 93.9% |
| Cowfold, Shermanbury and West Grinstead | 669 | 88 | 757 | 88.4% |
| Steyning and Ashurst | 620 | 34 | 654 | 94.8% |
| Henfield | 576 | 65 | 641 | 89.9% |
| Nuthurst and Lower Beeding | 542 | 70 | 612 | 88.6% |
| Southwater South and Shipley | 522 | 64 | 586 | 89.1% |
| Bramber, Upper Beeding and Woodmancote | 527 | 58 | 585 | 90.1% |
| Forest | 533 | 43 | 576 | 92.5% |
| Pulborough, Coldwaltham and Amberley | 474 | 56 | 530 | 89.4% |
| Rudgwick | 397 | 50 | 447 | 88.8% |
| Holbrook West | 420 | 10 | 430 | 97.7% |
| Trafalgar | 383 | 26 | 409 | 93.6% |
| Southwater North | 371 | 37 | 408 | 90.9% |
| Roffey South | 301 | 11 | 312 | 96.5% |
| Roffey North | 280 | 24 | 304 | 92.1% |
| Broadbridge Heath | 211 | 19 | 230 | 91.7% |
| Holbrook East | 217 | 7 | 224 | 96.9% |
How Horsham’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.3pp since 2019.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Horsham council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| DC/26/1394 Colgate and Rusper | Non Material Amendment to previously approved application DC/25/1514 (Demolition | Approved |
| DC/26/1310 Trafalgar | Loft conversion with hip to gable roof extension and rear dormer. Replacement of | Approved |
| DC/26/0946 Steyning and Ashurst | Demolition of the existing club house and changing building and the construction | Approved |
| DC/26/1431 Southwater North | Removal and replacement of 3no. antennas, removal of 2no. cabinets and installat | Approved |
| DC/26/1398 Storrington and Washington | Non Material Amendment to previously approved application DC/26/0140 (Extension | Approved |
| DC/26/1346 Holbrook West | Demolition of existing conservatory and erection of single storey rear extension | Approved |
| DC/26/1306 Forest | Erection of a single storey rear extension and associated alterations. | Approved |
| DC/26/1172 Steyning and Ashurst | Conversion of garage into habitable living space, with the installation of 2no. | Approved |
| DC/26/0968 Colgate and Rusper | Change of use from agricultural to dog walking area (Retrospective) | Approved |
| DC/26/0723 Southwater South and Shipley | Change of use of land from paddock to residential, formation of access and closu | 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 Horsham's 7,438 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Horsham's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Horsham'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 Horsham. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 7,438 real decisions from Horsham 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 Horsham'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 7,438 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Horsham is 88.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 7,438 planning decisions from Horsham council. 6,544 were approved and 894 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2019 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Horsham is 88.0%, 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 Horsham? 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.