Which ward in Mid Sussex has the highest planning approval rate?

Handcross And Pease Pottage at 97.9% based on 48 decisions.

Which ward in Mid Sussex has the lowest planning approval rate?

Ashurst Wood And East Grinstead South at 85.9% based on 85 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Mid Sussex?

There is a 12.0% gap between Handcross And Pease Pottage and Ashurst Wood And East Grinstead South. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Mid Sussex

Planning outcomes in Mid Sussex are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 12.0% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

5,410 real decisions·28 wards·Updated September 2026

93.1% approved overall. But 371 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in Mid Sussex shifts your odds by up to 12.0%. The council average doesn't tell you which side of that gap you're on.

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All 28 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Handcross And Pease Pottage	48	47	1	97.9%
2	Burgess Hill - Dunstall	192	187	5	97.4%
3	East Grinstead - Baldwins	164	159	5	97.0%
4	Haywards Heath - Bentswood And Heath	127	123	4	96.9%
5	East Grinstead - Herontye	174	168	6	96.6%
6	Burgess Hill - Meeds And Hammonds	117	113	4	96.6%
7	Burgess Hill - Leylands	132	127	5	96.2%
8	Haywards Heath - Lucastes And Bolnore	152	146	6	96.1%
9	Burgess Hill - Victoria	201	193	8	96.0%
10	East Grinstead - Ashplats	226	217	9	96.0%
11	East Grinstead - Imberhorne	274	261	13	95.3%
12	East Grinstead - Town	335	318	17	94.9%
13	Lindfield	610	576	34	94.4%
14	--	1,954	1,838	116	94.1%
15	Crawley Down	399	375	24	94.0%
16	Haywards Heath - Franklands	287	269	18	93.7%
17	Burgess Hill - St Andrews	202	189	13	93.6%
18	Haywards Heath - Ashenground	203	190	13	93.6%
19	Downland Villages	193	180	13	93.3%
20	Burgess Hill - Franklands	382	356	26	93.2%
21	Hassocks	525	489	36	93.1%
22	Hurstpierpoint	672	625	47	93.0%
23	Ardingly, Balcombe And Turners Hill	320	297	23	92.8%
24	Lindfield Rural And High Weald	325	301	24	92.6%
25	Haywards Heath - North	54	50	4	92.6%
26	Copthorne And Worth	339	309	30	91.2%
27	Cuckfield, Bolney And Ansty	350	308	42	88.0%
28	Ashurst Wood And East Grinstead South	85	73	12	85.9%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Handcross And Pease Pottage but face serious resistance in Ashurst Wood And East Grinstead South.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 12.0% gap separates the best and worst wards. Handcross And Pease Pottage approves 97.9% of applications while Ashurst Wood And East Grinstead South approves just 85.9%. 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

371 planning applications in Mid Sussex 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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More Mid Sussex planning data

Nearby councils ward breakdowns

Methodology: Covers 5,410 planning decisions in Mid Sussex, January 2020 to September 2026. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Mid Sussex Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →