Southend-on-Sea Council approves 88.2% of planning applications, based on 1,455 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Southend-on-Sea is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 788 decided applications, Southend-on-Sea Council approved 86.9% of planning applications in 2025. Across 1,455 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Southend-on-Sea is 88.2%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Southend-on-Sea council planning portal records · Updated June 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 Southend-on-Sea.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 699 | 59 | 758 | 92.2% |
| Other | 271 | 39 | 310 | 87.4% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 161 | 38 | 199 | 80.9% |
| Trees | 99 | 6 | 105 | 94.3% |
| Prior Approval | 11 | 28 | 39 | 28.2% |
| Advertisement | 28 | 1 | 29 | 96.6% |
| Listed Building | 15 | 0 | 15 | 100.0% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton | 165 | 24 | 189 | 87.3% |
| Leigh | 142 | 10 | 152 | 93.4% |
| Chalkwell | 108 | 14 | 122 | 88.5% |
| West Leigh | 105 | 7 | 112 | 93.8% |
| Thorpe | 86 | 16 | 102 | 84.3% |
| Kursaal | 83 | 17 | 100 | 83.0% |
| Blenheim Park | 65 | 12 | 77 | 84.4% |
| Belfairs | 66 | 10 | 76 | 86.8% |
| Prittlewell | 68 | 8 | 76 | 89.5% |
| Eastwood Park | 58 | 13 | 71 | 81.7% |
| Shoeburyness | 66 | 4 | 70 | 94.3% |
| Victoria | 56 | 8 | 64 | 87.5% |
| St Lukes | 60 | 3 | 63 | 95.2% |
| West Shoebury | 50 | 4 | 54 | 92.6% |
| Southchurch | 45 | 8 | 53 | 84.9% |
| St Laurence | 29 | 8 | 37 | 78.4% |
| Westborough | 31 | 5 | 36 | 86.1% |
How Southend-on-Sea’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 2.9pp since 2025.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Southend-on-Sea council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/00586/CLP Victoria | Install rear dormer to form habitable accommodation in the loftspace, install ro | Approved |
| 26/00565/CLP Prittlewell | Use dwellinghouse (Class C3) as a 5-person HMO (Class C4), alter elevations, rem | Approved |
| 26/00569/CLP Kursaal | Use dwellinghouse (Class C3) as a 6 person HMO (Class C4), replace rear door wit | Approved |
| 26/00531/FUL Leigh | Install vehicle crossover onto Leigh Hall Road and layout parking to front | Approved |
| 26/00317/FUL West Shoebury | Change of use from a Church (Class F1(f)) to a Day Nursery (Class E(f)), alter e | Approved |
| 26/00554/FUL Milton | Replace existing windows to all elevations | Approved |
| 26/00560/FULH Shoeburyness | Convert existing garage to habitable accommodation, replace garage door with win | Approved |
| 26/00537/CLP Kursaal | Use dwelling (Class C3) as a 6-person House in Multiple Occupation (Class C4) (C | Approved |
| 26/00519/FULH Thorpe | Erect single storey side extension, erect single storey rear extension with roof | Approved |
| 26/00450/FULH Chalkwell | Alter elevations including replacement of windows to front and rear, installatio | 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 Southend-on-Sea's 1,455 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Southend-on-Sea's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Southend-on-Sea'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 Southend-on-Sea. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 1,455 real decisions from Southend-on-Sea 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 Southend-on-Sea'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 1,455 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Southend-on-Sea is 88.2%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,455 planning decisions from Southend-on-Sea council. 1,284 were approved and 171 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Southend-on-Sea is 88.2%, 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 Southend-on-Sea? 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.