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

Handcross And Pease Pottage at 97.8% based on 46 decisions.

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

Ashurst Wood And East Grinstead South at 86.4% based on 81 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Mid Sussex?

There is a 11.4% 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 11.4% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

8,785 real decisions·28 wards·Updated August 2026

All 28 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Handcross And Pease Pottage	46	45	1	97.8%
2	Burgess Hill - Meeds And Hammonds	108	105	3	97.2%
3	Burgess Hill - Dunstall	180	175	5	97.2%
4	East Grinstead - Baldwins	163	158	5	96.9%
5	Haywards Heath - Bentswood And Heath	120	116	4	96.7%
6	Haywards Heath - Lucastes And Bolnore	142	137	5	96.5%
7	East Grinstead - Herontye	173	167	6	96.5%
8	Burgess Hill - Leylands	130	125	5	96.2%
9	Burgess Hill - Victoria	197	189	8	95.9%
10	East Grinstead - Ashplats	214	205	9	95.8%
11	East Grinstead - Imberhorne	266	253	13	95.1%
12	East Grinstead - Town	331	314	17	94.9%
13	Lindfield	588	556	32	94.6%
14	Crawley Down	391	368	23	94.1%
15	--	1,954	1,838	116	94.1%
16	Haywards Heath - Franklands	277	260	17	93.9%
17	Haywards Heath - Ashenground	191	179	12	93.7%
18	Burgess Hill - St Andrews	200	187	13	93.5%
19	Hassocks	507	473	34	93.3%
20	Downland Villages	176	164	12	93.2%
21	Burgess Hill - Franklands	369	343	26	93.0%
22	Hurstpierpoint	650	604	46	92.9%
23	Lindfield Rural And High Weald	306	283	23	92.5%
24	Ardingly, Balcombe And Turners Hill	306	283	23	92.5%
25	Haywards Heath - North	52	48	4	92.3%
26	Copthorne And Worth	329	301	28	91.5%
27	Cuckfield, Bolney And Ansty	332	294	38	88.6%
28	Ashurst Wood And East Grinstead South	81	70	11	86.4%

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 11.4% gap separates the best and worst wards. Handcross And Pease Pottage approves 97.8% of applications while Ashurst Wood And East Grinstead South approves just 86.4%. 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

539 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 8,785 planning decisions in Mid Sussex, January 2020 to August 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 →