Mid Sussex Council approves 93.1% of planning applications, based on 5,410 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Mid Sussex sits 8.1 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,072 decided applications, Mid Sussex Council approved 93.2% of planning applications in 2025. Across 5,410 decisions on record (January 2018 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Mid Sussex is 93.1%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Mid Sussex council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Mid Sussex.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,789 | 303 | 4,092 | 92.6% |
| Trees | 1,711 | 45 | 1,756 | 97.4% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 1,478 | 26 | 1,504 | 98.3% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 525 | 56 | 581 | 90.4% |
| Other | 297 | 69 | 366 | 81.1% |
| Listed Building | 257 | 26 | 283 | 90.8% |
| Prior Approval | 218 | 24 | 242 | 90.1% |
| Change of Use | 118 | 7 | 125 | 94.4% |
| Advertisement | 98 | 2 | 100 | 98.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurstpierpoint | 625 | 47 | 672 | 93.0% |
| Lindfield | 576 | 34 | 610 | 94.4% |
| Hassocks | 489 | 36 | 525 | 93.1% |
| Crawley Down | 375 | 24 | 399 | 94.0% |
| Burgess Hill - Franklands | 356 | 26 | 382 | 93.2% |
| Cuckfield, Bolney And Ansty | 308 | 42 | 350 | 88.0% |
| Copthorne And Worth | 309 | 30 | 339 | 91.2% |
| East Grinstead - Town | 318 | 17 | 335 | 94.9% |
| Lindfield Rural And High Weald | 301 | 24 | 325 | 92.6% |
| Ardingly, Balcombe And Turners Hill | 297 | 23 | 320 | 92.8% |
| Haywards Heath - Franklands | 269 | 18 | 287 | 93.7% |
| East Grinstead - Imberhorne | 261 | 13 | 274 | 95.3% |
| East Grinstead - Ashplats | 217 | 9 | 226 | 96.0% |
| Haywards Heath - Ashenground | 190 | 13 | 203 | 93.6% |
| Burgess Hill - St Andrews | 189 | 13 | 202 | 93.6% |
| Burgess Hill - Victoria | 193 | 8 | 201 | 96.0% |
| Downland Villages | 180 | 13 | 193 | 93.3% |
| Burgess Hill - Dunstall | 187 | 5 | 192 | 97.4% |
| East Grinstead - Herontye | 168 | 6 | 174 | 96.6% |
| East Grinstead - Baldwins | 159 | 5 | 164 | 97.0% |
| Haywards Heath - Lucastes And Bolnore | 146 | 6 | 152 | 96.1% |
| Burgess Hill - Leylands | 127 | 5 | 132 | 96.2% |
| Haywards Heath - Bentswood And Heath | 123 | 4 | 127 | 96.9% |
| Burgess Hill - Meeds And Hammonds | 113 | 4 | 117 | 96.6% |
| Ashurst Wood And East Grinstead South | 73 | 12 | 85 | 85.9% |
Showing top 25 of 27 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Mid Sussex’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.6pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Mid Sussex council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| DM/26/2011 Lindfield | First floor rear extension over existing ground floor and repositioning of first | Refused |
| DM/26/1350 Crawley Down | Proposed double garage to front drive area and new front gates. | Approved |
| DM/26/1943 Hassocks | Proposed single storey side extension connecting an existing garage. | Approved |
| DM/26/1867 Hurstpierpoint | Proposed construction of part double and part single storey rear extensions. Pro | Approved |
| DM/26/1928 Lindfield | Proposed garage conversion into a habitable space, the construction of a front b | Approved |
| DM/26/1874 Burgess Hill - Franklands | Proposed demolition of existing conservatory and construction of a single storey | Approved |
| DM/26/1740 Ashurst Wood And East Grinstead South | Retrospective application for a replacement dwelling and replacement of outbuild | Approved |
| DM/26/1475 East Grinstead - Imberhorne | Demolition of existing external concrete staircase. Erection of replacement exte | Approved |
| DM/26/1165 Hurstpierpoint | Part-retrospective application for alterations to existing wall to reduce height | Approved |
| DM/26/0553 Lindfield | Lean to shed to left side of house. | 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 Mid Sussex's 5,410 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Mid Sussex's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Mid Sussex'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 Mid Sussex. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 5,410 real decisions from Mid Sussex 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 Mid Sussex'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 5,410 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Mid Sussex is 93.1%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 5,410 planning decisions from Mid Sussex council. 5,039 were approved and 371 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2018 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Mid Sussex is 93.1%, 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 Mid Sussex? 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.