Tower Hamlets Council approves 88.9% of planning applications, based on 25,537 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Tower Hamlets is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 1,814 decided applications, Tower Hamlets Council approved 86.1% of planning applications in 2025. The average time from validation to decision in Tower Hamlets is 12.4 weeks, measured across 20,892 decided applications. Across 25,537 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Tower Hamlets is 88.9%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Tower Hamlets council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
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Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Tower Hamlets.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 20,817 | 2,426 | 23,243 | 89.6% |
| Full | 1,651 | 363 | 2,014 | 82.0% |
| Prior Approval | 239 | 41 | 280 | 85.4% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitechapel | 1,953 | 205 | 2,158 | 90.5% |
| Bow West | 1,200 | 177 | 1,377 | 87.1% |
| Spitalfields and Banglatown | 1,135 | 169 | 1,304 | 87.0% |
| Canary Wharf | 1,089 | 72 | 1,161 | 93.8% |
| Weavers | 945 | 121 | 1,066 | 88.6% |
| Bow East | 829 | 103 | 932 | 88.9% |
| Blackwall and Cubitt Town | 835 | 96 | 931 | 89.7% |
| St Katharines and Wapping | 780 | 70 | 850 | 91.8% |
| Lansbury | 628 | 69 | 697 | 90.1% |
| Mile End | 521 | 96 | 617 | 84.4% |
| Shadwell | 535 | 65 | 600 | 89.2% |
| Bethnal Green East | 401 | 57 | 458 | 87.6% |
| Limehouse | 409 | 35 | 444 | 92.1% |
| Poplar | 378 | 39 | 417 | 90.6% |
| Bethnal Green West | 354 | 59 | 413 | 85.7% |
| St Dunstans | 305 | 99 | 404 | 75.5% |
| Stepney Green | 320 | 84 | 404 | 79.2% |
| Spitalfields And Banglatown | 398 | 3 | 401 | 99.3% |
| Island Gardens | 286 | 89 | 375 | 76.3% |
| Bethnal Green | 292 | 51 | 343 | 85.1% |
| St Peters | 279 | 56 | 335 | 83.3% |
| Millwall | 298 | 2 | 300 | 99.3% |
| Blackwall And Cubitt Town | 284 | 6 | 290 | 97.9% |
| Bethnal Green North | 269 | 8 | 277 | 97.1% |
| Bromley North | 219 | 41 | 260 | 84.2% |
Showing top 25 of 33 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Tower Hamlets’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 5.7pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Tower Hamlets council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| PA/24/02227/A1 Bethnal Green East | Demolition of Albert Jacob House and redevelopment of the Site to provide a mixe | Approved |
| PA/25/01216/NC Bethnal Green West | Replacing specific existing leaded glazed window sections. The glazed sections w | Approved |
| PA/26/00093/NC Bromley South | Replacement of the cladding to existing bin chutes running down the entire heigh | Approved |
| PA/26/00092/NC Bromley South | Retrospecitve application for replacement of the cladding to existing bin chutes | Approved |
| PA/26/00786/NC Bow West | Proposed side return and mansard roof extension | Approved |
| PA/26/00016/S Canary Wharf | Submission of details for Condition 12 (Details of kitchen extract ventilation) | Approved |
| PA/26/00769/NC Island Gardens | Proposal for a single-storey rear extension with a flat roof. External walls fin | Approved |
| PA/26/00265/NC St Katharines and Wapping | Erection of new dormer extensions, installation of air source heat pumps, new ai | Approved |
| PA/26/00580/NC Bow West | Replacement of existing single glazed windows with new double glazed timber sash | Approved |
| PA/26/00711/NC Bethnal Green West | New rooflights, internal alterations, replacement of an external window with a d | 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 Tower Hamlets's 25,537 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Tower Hamlets's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Tower Hamlets'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 Tower Hamlets. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 25,537 real decisions from Tower Hamlets 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 Tower Hamlets'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 25,537 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Tower Hamlets is 88.9%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 25,537 planning decisions from Tower Hamlets council. 22,707 were approved and 2,830 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Tower Hamlets is 88.9%, 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.
The average time from validation to decision in Tower Hamlets is 12.4 weeks, measured across 20,892 decided applications. This PlanningLens figure is calculated from decision dates published by Tower Hamlets council itself, reflecting actual elapsed time rather than statutory targets.
Writing about planning in Tower Hamlets? 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.