Horsham Council approves 91.2% of planning applications, based on 13,113 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Horsham sits 2.6 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 13,113 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Horsham is 91.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Horsham 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 Horsham.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 5,459 | 597 | 6,056 | 90.1% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 2,158 | 87 | 2,245 | 96.1% |
| Other | 1,505 | 175 | 1,680 | 89.6% |
| Trees | 1,360 | 43 | 1,403 | 96.9% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 600 | 107 | 707 | 84.9% |
| Listed Building | 455 | 14 | 469 | 97.0% |
| Prior Approval | 284 | 120 | 404 | 70.3% |
| Advertisement | 126 | 16 | 142 | 88.7% |
| 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 | 1,138 | 100 | 1,238 | 91.9% |
| Billingshurst | 924 | 85 | 1,009 | 91.6% |
| Itchingfield, Slinfold and Warnham | 785 | 94 | 879 | 89.3% |
| Storrington and Washington | 773 | 99 | 872 | 88.6% |
| Colgate and Rusper | 755 | 89 | 844 | 89.5% |
| Denne | 761 | 51 | 812 | 93.7% |
| Cowfold, Shermanbury and West Grinstead | 635 | 85 | 720 | 88.2% |
| Steyning and Ashurst | 596 | 33 | 629 | 94.8% |
| Henfield | 560 | 64 | 624 | 89.7% |
| Nuthurst and Lower Beeding | 527 | 68 | 595 | 88.6% |
| Bramber, Upper Beeding and Woodmancote | 511 | 56 | 567 | 90.1% |
| Southwater South and Shipley | 501 | 62 | 563 | 89.0% |
| Forest | 516 | 42 | 558 | 92.5% |
| Pulborough, Coldwaltham and Amberley | 457 | 53 | 510 | 89.6% |
| Rudgwick | 382 | 48 | 430 | 88.8% |
| Holbrook West | 406 | 10 | 416 | 97.6% |
| Trafalgar | 365 | 25 | 390 | 93.6% |
| Southwater North | 353 | 35 | 388 | 91.0% |
| Roffey South | 297 | 10 | 307 | 96.7% |
| Roffey North | 274 | 24 | 298 | 91.9% |
| Broadbridge Heath | 206 | 19 | 225 | 91.6% |
| Holbrook East | 213 | 6 | 219 | 97.3% |
How Horsham’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.0pp 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/26/0867 Colgate and Rusper | Demolition of existing garage and erection of a two storey garage with solar pan | Approved |
| DC/26/0929 Cowfold, Shermanbury and West Grinstead | Repairs to the south elevation of the Guest House. (Listed Building Consent). | Approved |
| DC/26/0877 Roffey North | Demolition of existing single storey rear extensions and erection of a single st | Approved |
| DC/26/0846 Steyning and Ashurst | Erection of a two storey rear extension and alterations to fenestration. | Refused |
| DC/26/0824 Denne | Demolition of modular classroom and erection of a replacement classroom. | Approved |
| DC/25/1887 Pulborough, Coldwaltham and Amberley | Retention of two timber pergolas and a 4-foot timber boundary fence and change o | Approved |
| DC/26/0950 Holbrook West | Demolition of the existing conservatory and erection of a single storey rear ext | Approved |
| DC/26/0870 Bramber, Upper Beeding and Woodmancote | Permission in Principle for the erection of 1no. replacement detached two-storey | Refused |
| DC/26/0627 Steyning and Ashurst | Demolition of existing stable buildings and erection of a single barn structure. | Approved |
| DC/26/0960 Forest | Conversion of loft into habitable living space with the installation of a rear d | 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 13,113 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 13,113 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 13,113 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Horsham is 91.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 13,113 planning decisions from Horsham council. 11,953 were approved and 1,160 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Horsham is 91.2%, 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.