Newham planning approval rate
Newham council approved 84.8% of planning applications and refused 15.2%, based on 21,897 decisions analysed. Ranked 48th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
84.8%
overall approval rate
21,897
Decisions analysed
18,570
Approved
3,327
Refused
48
Wards covered
Planning in Newham? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Newham. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
86.3%
85.2%
67.9%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Newham, mined from 21,897 proposal descriptions.
78.6%
78.7%
78.5%
78.7%
87.1%
79.9%
80.7%
85.7%
77.1%
73.1%
88.6%
39.1%
87.4%
80.0%
61.4%
71.4%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Newham. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
FGSTH
80.1%
BECK
86.5%
FGNTH
79.9%
MPARK
76.9%
GSEAST
76.9%
BOLEYN
82.8%
GSWEST
77.1%
EHSTH
81.1%
CTNTH
86.4%
PSOUTH
77.9%
PNORTH
80.3%
ILFORD
76.6%
CTS
90.9%
WALL
76.6%
WHAM
80.0%
CH
81.2%
EHCENT
77.6%
STRFRD
88.3%
EHAM
84.8%
ROYALV
94.9%
Wards in Newham
FGSTH
80.1% approval · 1,537 decisions
BECK
86.5% approval · 1,032 decisions
FGNTH
79.9% approval · 940 decisions
MPARK
76.9% approval · 931 decisions
GSEAST
76.9% approval · 876 decisions
BOLEYN
82.8% approval · 854 decisions
GSWEST
77.1% approval · 818 decisions
EHSTH
81.1% approval · 810 decisions
CTNTH
86.4% approval · 718 decisions
PSOUTH
77.9% approval · 698 decisions
PNORTH
80.3% approval · 685 decisions
ILFORD
76.6% approval · 668 decisions
CTS
90.9% approval · 661 decisions
WALL
76.6% approval · 657 decisions
WHAM
80.0% approval · 636 decisions
CH
81.2% approval · 565 decisions
EHCENT
77.6% approval · 527 decisions
STRFRD
88.3% approval · 469 decisions
EHAM
84.8% approval · 468 decisions
ROYALV
94.9% approval · 434 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Newham, showing how the council decides real applications.
None
Alterations to the approved development under planning permission reference 17/0 · EHAM · 12/08/2026
None
Application for a lawful development certificate (proposed) for the erection of · GSWEST · 12/08/2026
None
Site alterations including the removal of an existing guard hut, installation of · CTNTH · 11/08/2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Newham, 1 in 7 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Newham
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Newham →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Newham
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 21,897 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Newham
What is the planning approval rate in Newham?
Based on 21,897 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Newham approved 84.8% of applications and refused 15.2%. The council is ranked 48th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Newham?
Newham refuses 15.2% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 7. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 21,897 decided applications since 2020, 3,327 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Newham have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Newham are in CANNING TOWN NORTH (99.6%), BECKTON (99.3%), and EAST HAM NORTH (99.3%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Newham?
The most common planning application types in Newham are: Other (16,662 decisions, 86.3% approved), Full (3,697, 85.2%), and Prior Approval (1,538, 67.9%).
How long does a planning application take in Newham?
Planning applications in Newham take an average of 9.9 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 18,713 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Newham decides approximately 3,650 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Newham?
You can search planning applications in Newham directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 21,897 historical decisions in Newham to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Newham calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Newham's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.