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 75.5% based on 404 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Tower Hamlets?

There is a 24.5% 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 24.5% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

25,537 real decisions·39 wards·Updated June 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	1,161	1,089	72	93.8%
19	Bromley South	260	242	18	93.1%
20	St Katharines and Wapping	850	780	70	91.8%
21	Poplar	417	378	39	90.6%
22	Lansbury	697	628	69	90.1%
23	Blackwall and Cubitt Town	931	835	96	89.7%
24	Whitechapel	1,590	1,394	196	87.7%
25	Bethnal Green East	458	401	57	87.6%
26	Spitalfields and Banglatown	1,304	1,135	169	87.0%
27	Bow East	707	609	98	86.1%
28	Bethnal Green West	413	354	59	85.7%
29	Bow West	1,162	991	171	85.3%
30	Bethnal Green	343	292	51	85.1%
31	Limehouse	229	194	35	84.7%
32	Mile End	617	521	96	84.4%
33	Bromley North	260	219	41	84.2%
34	Weavers	723	605	118	83.7%
35	St Peters	335	279	56	83.3%
36	Shadwell	359	298	61	83.0%
37	Stepney Green	404	320	84	79.2%
38	Island Gardens	375	286	89	76.3%
39	St Dunstans	404	305	99	75.5%

See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

A 24.5% gap separates the best and worst wards. LIMEHOUSE approves 100.0% of applications while St Dunstans approves just 75.5%. 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

2,830 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 25,537 planning decisions in Tower Hamlets, January 2020 to present. 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 →