Southend-on-Sea Council approves 89.0% of planning applications, based on 1,108 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Southend-on-Sea sits 4.0 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 788 decided applications, Southend-on-Sea Council approved 86.9% of planning applications in 2025. Across 1,108 decisions on record (June 2025 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Southend-on-Sea is 89.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Southend-on-Sea 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 Southend-on-Sea.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 903 | 59 | 962 | 93.9% |
| Other | 360 | 43 | 403 | 89.3% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 204 | 44 | 248 | 82.3% |
| Trees | 119 | 6 | 125 | 95.2% |
| Prior Approval | 17 | 35 | 52 | 32.7% |
| Advertisement | 45 | 1 | 46 | 97.8% |
| Listed Building | 20 | 0 | 20 | 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 | 215 | 25 | 240 | 89.6% |
| Leigh | 183 | 12 | 195 | 93.8% |
| Chalkwell | 139 | 15 | 154 | 90.3% |
| West Leigh | 137 | 9 | 146 | 93.8% |
| Thorpe | 109 | 17 | 126 | 86.5% |
| Kursaal | 99 | 17 | 116 | 85.3% |
| Belfairs | 95 | 12 | 107 | 88.8% |
| Eastwood Park | 88 | 15 | 103 | 85.4% |
| Blenheim Park | 85 | 13 | 98 | 86.7% |
| Shoeburyness | 84 | 4 | 88 | 95.5% |
| Prittlewell | 79 | 8 | 87 | 90.8% |
| Victoria | 75 | 10 | 85 | 88.2% |
| St Lukes | 79 | 3 | 82 | 96.3% |
| Southchurch | 58 | 9 | 67 | 86.6% |
| West Shoebury | 59 | 5 | 64 | 92.2% |
| St Laurence | 45 | 9 | 54 | 83.3% |
| Westborough | 38 | 5 | 43 | 88.4% |
How Southend-on-Sea’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 5.1pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/01159/NON Southchurch | Subdivision of approved commercial unit into 2 commercial units with additional | Approved |
| 26/01070/CLP Westborough | Dormer to rear to form habitable accommodation in the loft space and rooflights | Approved |
| 26/01031/FULH Thorpe | Erect detached garage to rear | Approved |
| 26/01027/FULH Thorpe | Form habitable accommodation in loftspace with rooflights to front and rear, ere | Approved |
| 26/01005/FUL Blenheim Park | Erect carport and install 26 solar panels to roof (Retrospective) | Approved |
| 26/01000/FULH St Lukes | Erect single storey rear extension with roof lantern, install side access door | Approved |
| 26/00968/TPO Southchurch | Fell T1 (TPO T19) Fraxinus (Ash) on front boundary to ground level and grind out | Approved |
| 26/01123/TCA Milton | Pollard two Sycamore trees by 30% in rear garden (Application for works to trees | Approved |
| 26/01065/CLP Leigh | Dormer to rear and rooflights to front to form habitable accommodation in the lo | Approved |
| 26/01038/AMDT Southchurch | Application to vary condition 02 (approved plans) - location of garage (Material | 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 1,108 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 1,108 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 1,108 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Southend-on-Sea is 89.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 1,108 planning decisions from Southend-on-Sea council. 986 were approved and 122 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, June 2025 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Southend-on-Sea is 89.0%, 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 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.