Maidstone Council approves 82.2% of planning applications, based on 1,538 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Maidstone sits 6.1 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 75 decided applications, Maidstone Council approved 76.0% of planning applications in 2025. Across 1,538 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Maidstone is 82.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Maidstone council planning portal records · Updated June 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 Maidstone.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 519 | 130 | 649 | 80.0% |
| Other | 413 | 51 | 464 | 89.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 88 | 38 | 126 | 69.8% |
| Trees | 112 | 7 | 119 | 94.1% |
| Listed Building | 78 | 35 | 113 | 69.0% |
| Prior Approval | 36 | 8 | 44 | 81.8% |
| Advertisement | 18 | 5 | 23 | 78.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marden And Yalding | 207 | 74 | 281 | 73.7% |
| High Street | 153 | 40 | 193 | 79.3% |
| Boughton Monchelsea And Chart Sutton | 101 | 27 | 128 | 78.9% |
| Staplehurst | 100 | 25 | 125 | 80.0% |
| Harrietsham, Lenham And North Downs | 98 | 21 | 119 | 82.4% |
| Headcorn And Sutton Valence | 85 | 20 | 105 | 81.0% |
| Loose And Linton | 66 | 12 | 78 | 84.6% |
| Leeds And Langley | 64 | 5 | 69 | 92.8% |
| Boxley Downs | 54 | 11 | 65 | 83.1% |
| Bearsted And Downswood | 48 | 10 | 58 | 82.8% |
| Coxheath And Farleigh | 46 | 5 | 51 | 90.2% |
| Grove Green And Vinters Park | 41 | 9 | 50 | 82.0% |
| Fant And Oakwood | 32 | 7 | 39 | 82.1% |
| Barming Heath And Teston | 34 | 0 | 34 | 100.0% |
| Shepway | 30 | 2 | 32 | 93.8% |
| Penenden Heath | 27 | 2 | 29 | 93.1% |
| Palace Wood | 29 | 0 | 29 | 100.0% |
| Allington And Bridge | 19 | 2 | 21 | 90.5% |
| Tovil | 18 | 2 | 20 | 90.0% |
| Park Wood And Mangravet | 6 | 0 | 6 | 100.0% |
| Ringlestone | 6 | 0 | 6 | 100.0% |
How Maidstone’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 14.9pp since 2023.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Maidstone council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/501597/FULL Harrietsham, Lenham And North Downs | Demolition of existing conservatory and erection of a two storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/501601/FULL Headcorn And Sutton Valence | Erection of dwelling house and new access | Approved |
| 26/501585/FULL Ringlestone | Demolition of existing garage and erection of a two storey side and part two sto | Approved |
| 26/501548/FULL Boughton Monchelsea And Chart Sutton | Erection of a self- build chalet bungalow to replace the exising residential out | Approved |
| 26/501331/FULL High Street | Replacement of curtain walling on the ground floor with double glazing, and repl | Approved |
| 26/501613/LBC Leeds And Langley | Re-point brickwork on the south and east elevations, replacement of damaged bric | Approved |
| 26/501555/FULL Bearsted And Downswood | Erection of a single storey front extension and steps. | Approved |
| 26/501500/LAWPRO Headcorn And Sutton Valence | Lawful development certificate for proposed change of use of outbuilding to a se | Refused |
| 26/501459/FULL Leeds And Langley | Erection of detached two storey C2 Assisted Living Unit (amended alternative sch | Approved |
| 26/501287/LDCEX Headcorn And Sutton Valence | Lawful Development Certificate for the existing use of land as domestic garden l | 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 Maidstone's 1,538 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Maidstone's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Maidstone'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 Maidstone. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 1,538 real decisions from Maidstone 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 Maidstone'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 1,538 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Maidstone is 82.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,538 planning decisions from Maidstone council. 1,264 were approved and 274 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Maidstone is 82.2%, 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 Maidstone? 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.