Luton planning approval rate
Luton council approved 87.3% of planning applications and refused 12.7%, based on 4,506 decisions analysed. Ranked 75th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
87.3%
overall approval rate
4,506
Decisions analysed
3,932
Approved
574
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.
83.3%
83.9%
98.3%
93.8%
98.5%
89.7%
61.7%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Luton, mined from 4,506 proposal descriptions.
90.0%
90.0%
79.2%
81.0%
79.3%
84.5%
80.0%
80.0%
81.4%
87.9%
63.9%
82.1%
92.3%
73.0%
27.8%
81.2%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Luton. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
SOUTH
85.7%
SAINTS
89.5%
CHALLNEY
89.8%
DALLOW
88.5%
LEAGRAVE
86.2%
BISCOT
82.5%
FARLEY
88.1%
STOPSLEY
88.9%
LEWSEY
90.4%
HIGH TOWN
86.5%
BARNFIELD
86.1%
WIGMORE
90.3%
ROUND GREEN
85.6%
VAUXHALL
83.3%
ICKNIELD
87.4%
LIMBURY
84.3%
SUNDON PARK
88.4%
BRAMINGHAM
86.1%
NORTHWELL
91.1%
Wards in Luton
SOUTH
85.7% approval · 505 decisions
SAINTS
89.5% approval · 370 decisions
CHALLNEY
89.8% approval · 364 decisions
DALLOW
88.5% approval · 330 decisions
LEAGRAVE
86.2% approval · 261 decisions
BISCOT
82.5% approval · 252 decisions
FARLEY
88.1% approval · 236 decisions
STOPSLEY
88.9% approval · 234 decisions
LEWSEY
90.4% approval · 229 decisions
HIGH TOWN
86.5% approval · 215 decisions
BARNFIELD
86.1% approval · 208 decisions
WIGMORE
90.3% approval · 206 decisions
ROUND GREEN
85.6% approval · 202 decisions
VAUXHALL
83.3% approval · 186 decisions
ICKNIELD
87.4% approval · 183 decisions
LIMBURY
84.3% approval · 172 decisions
SUNDON PARK
88.4% approval · 129 decisions
BRAMINGHAM
86.1% approval · 108 decisions
NORTHWELL
91.1% approval · 79 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Luton, showing how the council decides real applications.
Development of the vacant site to provide 246 residential units (Class C3) and f · CENTRAL · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Alterations to fenestration to facilitate a conversion of garage to habitable sp · CHALLNEY · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Erection of a front and rear extension to garage to convert to a granny annexe. · SUNDON PARK · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more 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 4,506 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Luton
What is the planning approval rate in Luton?
Based on 4,506 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Luton approved 87.3% of applications and refused 12.7%. The council is ranked 75th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Luton?
Luton refuses 12.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 4,506 decided applications since 2020, 574 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 NORTHWELL (91.1%), LEWSEY (90.4%), and WIGMORE (90.3%). 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 (1,495 decisions, 83.3% approved), Other (1,154, 83.9%), and Discharge of Conditions (690, 98.3%).
How long does a planning application take in Luton?
Planning applications in Luton take an average of 12.8 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,266 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 751 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 4,506 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.