Luton Council approves 79.7% of planning applications, based on 3,133 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Luton sits 5.3 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 777 decided applications, Luton Council approved 83.1% of planning applications in 2025. Across 3,133 decisions on record (May 2012 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Luton is 79.7%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Luton council planning portal records · Data to 29 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 Luton.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,258 | 259 | 1,517 | 82.9% |
| Other | 1,016 | 190 | 1,206 | 84.2% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 690 | 12 | 702 | 98.3% |
| Prior Approval | 630 | 41 | 671 | 93.9% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 275 | 61 | 336 | 81.8% |
| Trees | 69 | 1 | 70 | 98.6% |
| Advertisement | 54 | 7 | 61 | 88.5% |
| Change of Use | 30 | 19 | 49 | 61.2% |
| Listed Building | 11 | 0 | 11 | 100.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South | 440 | 74 | 514 | 85.6% |
| Saints | 334 | 39 | 373 | 89.5% |
| Challney | 334 | 39 | 373 | 89.5% |
| Dallow | 299 | 39 | 338 | 88.5% |
| Leagrave | 228 | 38 | 266 | 85.7% |
| Biscot | 212 | 45 | 257 | 82.5% |
| Stopsley | 220 | 27 | 247 | 89.1% |
| Farley | 213 | 29 | 242 | 88.0% |
| Lewsey | 210 | 22 | 232 | 90.5% |
| High Town | 191 | 30 | 221 | 86.4% |
| Barnfield | 189 | 29 | 218 | 86.7% |
| Round Green | 179 | 29 | 208 | 86.1% |
| Wigmore | 187 | 20 | 207 | 90.3% |
| Vauxhall | 160 | 33 | 193 | 82.9% |
| Icknield | 160 | 23 | 183 | 87.4% |
| Limbury | 145 | 27 | 172 | 84.3% |
| Sundon Park | 121 | 16 | 137 | 88.3% |
| Bramingham | 97 | 16 | 113 | 85.8% |
| Northwell | 75 | 7 | 82 | 91.5% |
| Central | 19 | 5 | 24 | 79.2% |
How Luton’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 9.6pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Luton council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00791/FULHH Round Green | Erection of a front and side canopy with changes to fenestration (retrospective) | Approved |
| 26/00762/FULHH Round Green | Erection of single storey rear/side extension | Approved |
| 26/00597/DOC Northwell | Erection of 5 four bedroom terraced dwellinghouses with amenity space, car parki | Approved |
| 26/00426/FUL Barnfield | Erection of 3 no. 2-bedroom terraced dwellings on part of the rear garden land o | Approved |
| 26/00775/MMAMD Stopsley | Erection of single storey rear extension with changes to fenestration. Minor Mat | Approved |
| 26/00792/FULHH Saints | Erection of single and two storey side and rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/00253/FUL High Town | Erection of three-storey residential building comprising 7 flats (5 x two-bedroo | Approved |
| 26/00732/FUL Biscot | Conversion and change of use of veterinary clinic (Class E) to three apartments | Refused |
| 26/00714/FUL Round Green | Change of use of dwellinghouse ( Class C3) to a children's home ( Class C2) for | Approved |
| 26/00668/FUL Farley | Erection of a one bed dwellinghouse. | Refused |
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 Luton's 3,133 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Luton's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Luton'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 Luton. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 3,133 real decisions from Luton 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 Luton'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 3,133 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Luton is 79.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 3,133 planning decisions from Luton council. 2,498 were approved and 635 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, May 2012 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Luton is 79.7%, 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 Luton? 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.