Which ward in Luton has the highest planning approval rate?

NORTHWELL at 91.5% based on 82 decisions.

Which ward in Luton has the lowest planning approval rate?

CENTRAL at 79.2% based on 24 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Luton?

There is a 12.3% gap between NORTHWELL and CENTRAL. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Luton

Planning outcomes in Luton are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 12.3% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

3,133 real decisions·20 wards·Updated September 2026

79.7% approved overall. But 635 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in Luton shifts your odds by up to 12.3%. The council average doesn't tell you which side of that gap you're on.

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All 20 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	NORTHWELL	82	75	7	91.5%
2	LEWSEY	232	210	22	90.5%
3	WIGMORE	207	187	20	90.3%
4	SAINTS	373	334	39	89.5%
5	CHALLNEY	373	334	39	89.5%
6	STOPSLEY	247	220	27	89.1%
7	DALLOW	338	299	39	88.5%
8	SUNDON PARK	137	121	16	88.3%
9	FARLEY	242	213	29	88.0%
10	ICKNIELD	183	160	23	87.4%
11	BARNFIELD	218	189	29	86.7%
12	HIGH TOWN	221	191	30	86.4%
13	ROUND GREEN	208	179	29	86.1%
14	BRAMINGHAM	113	97	16	85.8%
15	LEAGRAVE	266	228	38	85.7%
16	SOUTH	514	440	74	85.6%
17	LIMBURY	172	145	27	84.3%
18	VAUXHALL	193	160	33	82.9%
19	BISCOT	257	212	45	82.5%
20	CENTRAL	24	19	5	79.2%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in NORTHWELL but face serious resistance in CENTRAL.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 12.3% gap separates the best and worst wards. NORTHWELL approves 91.5% of applications while CENTRAL approves just 79.2%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

635 planning applications in Luton have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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Free · Property report emailed in minutes · Based on 3,840,000+ real decisions

More Luton planning data

Methodology: Covers 3,133 planning decisions in Luton, January 2020 to September 2026. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Luton Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →