Maidstone Council approves 83.6% of planning applications, based on 1,843 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Maidstone sits 5.0 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 1,843 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Maidstone is 83.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Maidstone council planning portal records · Updated August 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 | 651 | 144 | 795 | 81.9% |
| Other | 490 | 55 | 545 | 89.9% |
| Trees | 147 | 8 | 155 | 94.8% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 99 | 45 | 144 | 68.8% |
| Listed Building | 92 | 38 | 130 | 70.8% |
| Prior Approval | 41 | 8 | 49 | 83.7% |
| Advertisement | 20 | 5 | 25 | 80.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marden And Yalding | 233 | 78 | 311 | 74.9% |
| High Street | 161 | 43 | 204 | 78.9% |
| Harrietsham, Lenham And North Downs | 125 | 28 | 153 | 81.7% |
| Headcorn And Sutton Valence | 119 | 21 | 140 | 85.0% |
| Staplehurst | 113 | 26 | 139 | 81.3% |
| Boughton Monchelsea And Chart Sutton | 108 | 28 | 136 | 79.4% |
| Loose And Linton | 79 | 13 | 92 | 85.9% |
| Leeds And Langley | 82 | 7 | 89 | 92.1% |
| Boxley Downs | 76 | 12 | 88 | 86.4% |
| Bearsted And Downswood | 62 | 12 | 74 | 83.8% |
| Coxheath And Farleigh | 58 | 5 | 63 | 92.1% |
| Grove Green And Vinters Park | 53 | 9 | 62 | 85.5% |
| Fant And Oakwood | 44 | 7 | 51 | 86.3% |
| Barming Heath And Teston | 46 | 0 | 46 | 100.0% |
| Shepway | 43 | 2 | 45 | 95.6% |
| Penenden Heath | 37 | 4 | 41 | 90.2% |
| Palace Wood | 37 | 3 | 40 | 92.5% |
| Allington And Bridge | 26 | 2 | 28 | 92.9% |
| Tovil | 23 | 3 | 26 | 88.5% |
| Park Wood And Mangravet | 9 | 0 | 9 | 100.0% |
| Ringlestone | 6 | 0 | 6 | 100.0% |
How Maidstone’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 15.6pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/502577/PIP Headcorn And Sutton Valence | Permission in Principle for the erection of one dwelling. | Approved |
| 26/502203/FULL Headcorn And Sutton Valence | Conversion of the existing attached workshop, utility and log store building to | Approved |
| 26/501425/FULL Harrietsham, Lenham And North Downs | Construction of an off-street parking bay for 2no. vehicles, with integrated ref | Approved |
| 26/500610/FULL Leeds And Langley | Removal of 3no. derelict outbuildings and the self-build erection of a 4 bedroom | Refused |
| 26/502346/FULL Park Wood And Mangravet | Demolition of existing conservatory. Erection of single storey rear extension, a | Approved |
| 26/502323/FULL Grove Green And Vinters Park | Erection of a first floor side extension and the creation of second floor loft b | Approved |
| 26/502279/FULL Headcorn And Sutton Valence | Retrospective Application for the Change of Use from a Dog Groomers and Ancillar | Approved |
| 26/502205/FULL Harrietsham, Lenham And North Downs | Replacement of existing rotten dormer window with matching dormer including new | Refused |
| 23/505673/LBC Headcorn And Sutton Valence | Listed Building Consent for the conversion of an existing agricultural barn to f | Approved |
| 23/505672/FULL Headcorn And Sutton Valence | Conversion of an existing agricultural barn to form an annexe including insertio | 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 1,843 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 1,843 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 1,843 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Maidstone is 83.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,843 planning decisions from Maidstone council. 1,540 were approved and 303 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Maidstone is 83.6%, 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.