Middlesbrough Council approves 92.0% of planning applications, based on 15,727 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Middlesbrough sits 7.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 528 decided applications, Middlesbrough Council approved 82.2% of planning applications in 2025. Across 15,727 decisions on record (July 2001 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Middlesbrough is 92.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Middlesbrough 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 Middlesbrough.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 11,445 | 661 | 12,106 | 94.5% |
| Full | 3,229 | 500 | 3,729 | 86.6% |
| Advertisement | 991 | 69 | 1,060 | 93.5% |
| Trees | 644 | 68 | 712 | 90.4% |
| Change of Use | 336 | 86 | 422 | 79.6% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 256 | 19 | 275 | 93.1% |
| Listed Building | 248 | 18 | 266 | 93.2% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 114 | 21 | 135 | 84.4% |
| Prior Approval | 103 | 18 | 121 | 85.1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nunthorpe | 1,092 | 94 | 1,186 | 92.1% |
| Coulby Newham | 1,084 | 53 | 1,137 | 95.3% |
| Linthorpe | 998 | 119 | 1,117 | 89.3% |
| Central | 960 | 108 | 1,068 | 89.9% |
| Marton West | 952 | 67 | 1,019 | 93.4% |
| Park | 726 | 106 | 832 | 87.3% |
| Marton East | 747 | 76 | 823 | 90.8% |
| Kader | 721 | 84 | 805 | 89.6% |
| Stainton And Thornton | 537 | 31 | 568 | 94.5% |
| Brambles/Thorntree | 440 | 34 | 474 | 92.8% |
| Ladgate | 400 | 22 | 422 | 94.8% |
| Acklam | 348 | 44 | 392 | 88.8% |
| Newport | 220 | 58 | 278 | 79.1% |
| Hemlington | 232 | 16 | 248 | 93.5% |
| Longlands/Beechwood | 202 | 42 | 244 | 82.8% |
| Park End/Beckfield | 217 | 14 | 231 | 93.9% |
| Berwick Hills/Pallister | 205 | 15 | 220 | 93.2% |
| Ayresome | 148 | 36 | 184 | 80.4% |
| North Ormesby | 136 | 22 | 158 | 86.1% |
| Trimdon | 131 | 15 | 146 | 89.7% |
| Marton West, Nunthorpe | 8 | 0 | 8 | 100.0% |
| Ayresome, Kader | 6 | 2 | 8 | 75.0% |
How Middlesbrough’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 13.0pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Middlesbrough council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/0306/COU Central | Change of use from 5 bed HMO (Use class C4) to childrens residential care home ( | Refused |
| 26/0285/FUL Marton West | Single storey extension to front and rear with single storey side extension to f | Approved |
| 26/0334/FUL Marton West | Dormer window extension to front | Approved |
| 26/0286/FUL Trimdon | Retrospective Single storey extension to rear (demolition of existing conservato | Approved |
| 26/0327/FUL Coulby Newham | Erection of 2no. Single storey extensions to Parish hall, including erection of | Approved |
| 26/0341/FUL Park | Proposed replacement tiles like for like (slate) | Approved |
| 26/0350/FUL Longlands/Beechwood | Retrospective alterations to existing garage for the creation of an annexe | Approved |
| 25/0617/FUL Trimdon | Change of use from Stud farm (Sui Generis) to Mindfulness and Wellbeing Rehabili | Approved |
| 26/0271/FUL Park | Single storey extension to rear | Approved |
| 26/0319/FUL Kader | Retrospective single storey extension to garage | Refused |
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 Middlesbrough's 15,727 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Middlesbrough's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Middlesbrough'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 Middlesbrough. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 15,727 real decisions from Middlesbrough 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 Middlesbrough'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 15,727 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Middlesbrough is 92.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 15,727 planning decisions from Middlesbrough council. 14,462 were approved and 1,265 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, July 2001 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Middlesbrough is 92.0%, 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 Middlesbrough? 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.