Luton planning approval rate
Luton council approved 87.7% of planning applications and refused 12.3%, based on 4,287 decisions analysed. Ranked 81st out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
87.7%
overall approval rate
4,287
Decisions analysed
3,761
Approved
526
Refused
20
Wards covered
Planning in Luton? 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 Luton. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
83.8%
84.4%
98.6%
93.7%
98.4%
89.7%
62.5%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Luton, mined from 4,287 proposal descriptions.
90.3%
91.3%
79.6%
81.2%
79.5%
84.8%
80.6%
80.9%
82.0%
89.4%
61.9%
82.7%
91.8%
73.5%
29.4%
81.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Luton. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
SOUTH
85.1%
SAINTS
90.1%
CHALLNEY
90.4%
DALLOW
88.3%
LEAGRAVE
86.7%
BISCOT
83.1%
FARLEY
88.5%
STOPSLEY
89.8%
LEWSEY
90.6%
HIGH TOWN
86.1%
WIGMORE
91.9%
ROUND GREEN
86.7%
BARNFIELD
86.5%
ICKNIELD
87.4%
VAUXHALL
84.7%
LIMBURY
84.3%
SUNDON PARK
89.9%
BRAMINGHAM
87.6%
NORTHWELL
90.6%
Wards in Luton
SOUTH
85.1% approval · 478 decisions
SAINTS
90.1% approval · 355 decisions
CHALLNEY
90.4% approval · 354 decisions
DALLOW
88.3% approval · 326 decisions
LEAGRAVE
86.7% approval · 249 decisions
BISCOT
83.1% approval · 243 decisions
FARLEY
88.5% approval · 226 decisions
STOPSLEY
89.8% approval · 215 decisions
LEWSEY
90.6% approval · 212 decisions
HIGH TOWN
86.1% approval · 209 decisions
WIGMORE
91.9% approval · 197 decisions
ROUND GREEN
86.7% approval · 195 decisions
BARNFIELD
86.5% approval · 192 decisions
ICKNIELD
87.4% approval · 183 decisions
VAUXHALL
84.7% approval · 177 decisions
LIMBURY
84.3% approval · 172 decisions
SUNDON PARK
89.9% approval · 119 decisions
BRAMINGHAM
87.6% approval · 97 decisions
NORTHWELL
90.6% approval · 64 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Luton, showing how the council decides real applications.
Conversion and change of use of 6 person House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Clas · DALLOW · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Erection of front and rear dormer windows with roof increment and alterations to · CENTRAL · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Change of use of dwellinghouse (C3) to a children's home (C2) for up to two chil · NORTHWELL · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Luton, 1 in 8 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 Luton
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Luton →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Luton
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 4,287 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Luton
What is the planning approval rate in Luton?
Based on 4,287 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Luton approved 87.7% of applications and refused 12.3%. The council is ranked 81st out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Luton?
Luton refuses 12.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is close to the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 4,287 decided applications since 2020, 526 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Luton have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Luton are in WIGMORE (91.9%), LEWSEY (90.6%), and NORTHWELL (90.6%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Luton?
The most common planning application types in Luton are: Full (1,469 decisions, 83.8% approved), Other (1,053, 84.4%), and Discharge of Conditions (662, 98.6%).
How long does a planning application take in Luton?
Planning applications in Luton take an average of 13.5 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,047 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. Luton decides approximately 714 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Luton?
You can search planning applications in Luton directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 4,287 historical decisions in Luton to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Luton calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Luton'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.