Which ward in Tower Hamlets has the highest planning approval rate?

LIMEHOUSE at 100.0% based on 215 decisions.

Which ward in Tower Hamlets has the lowest planning approval rate?

St Dunstans at 75.6% based on 406 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Tower Hamlets?

There is a 24.4% gap between LIMEHOUSE and St Dunstans. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Tower Hamlets

Planning outcomes in Tower Hamlets are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 24.4% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

25,660 real decisions·39 wards·Updated August 2026

All 39 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	LIMEHOUSE	215	215	0	100.0%
2	EAST INDIA AND LANSBURY	194	193	1	99.5%
3	BROMLEY-BY-BOW	170	169	1	99.4%
4	MILLWALL	300	298	2	99.3%
5	SPITALFIELDS AND BANGLATOWN	401	398	3	99.3%
6	BETHNAL GREEN SOUTH	244	242	2	99.2%
7	WEAVERS	343	340	3	99.1%
8	MILE END AND GLOBE TOWN	159	157	2	98.7%
9	WHITECHAPEL	568	559	9	98.4%
10	ST. DUNSTAN'S AND STEPNEY GREEN	189	186	3	98.4%
11	MILE END EAST	182	179	3	98.4%
12	SHADWELL	241	237	4	98.3%
13	BLACKWALL AND CUBITT TOWN	290	284	6	97.9%
14	ST. KATHARINE'S AND WAPPING	227	222	5	97.8%
15	BOW EAST	225	220	5	97.8%
16	BOW WEST	215	209	6	97.2%
17	BETHNAL GREEN NORTH	277	269	8	97.1%
18	Canary Wharf	1,167	1,096	71	93.9%
19	Bromley South	262	244	18	93.1%
20	St Katharines and Wapping	857	787	70	91.8%
21	Poplar	420	380	40	90.5%
22	Lansbury	701	632	69	90.2%
23	Blackwall and Cubitt Town	935	838	97	89.6%
24	Whitechapel	1,596	1,398	198	87.6%
25	Bethnal Green East	474	415	59	87.6%
26	Spitalfields and Banglatown	1,312	1,141	171	87.0%
27	Bow East	717	618	99	86.2%
28	Bethnal Green	341	292	49	85.6%
29	Bow West	1,176	1,005	171	85.5%
30	Bethnal Green West	420	359	61	85.5%
31	Limehouse	230	195	35	84.8%
32	Mile End	619	522	97	84.3%
33	Weavers	729	611	118	83.8%
34	Bromley North	263	220	43	83.7%
35	Shadwell	357	298	59	83.5%
36	St Peters	335	279	56	83.3%
37	Stepney Green	414	330	84	79.7%
38	Island Gardens	388	298	90	76.8%
39	St Dunstans	406	307	99	75.6%

See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

A 24.4% gap separates the best and worst wards. LIMEHOUSE approves 100.0% of applications while St Dunstans approves just 75.6%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

2,841 planning applications in Tower Hamlets have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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More Tower Hamlets planning data

Nearby councils ward breakdowns

Methodology: Covers 25,660 planning decisions in Tower Hamlets, January 2020 to August 2026. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Tower Hamlets Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →