Waltham Forest planning approval rate
Waltham Forest council approved 76.2% of planning applications and refused 23.8%, based on 21,395 decisions analysed. Ranked 7th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
76.2%
overall approval rate
21,395
Decisions analysed
16,304
Approved
5,091
Refused
24
Wards covered
Planning in Waltham Forest? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Waltham Forest. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
76.2%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Waltham Forest, mined from 21,395 proposal descriptions.
75.2%
79.7%
78.0%
71.4%
66.0%
79.5%
81.4%
80.3%
50.9%
23.2%
76.7%
60.4%
63.1%
69.0%
76.6%
34.4%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Waltham Forest. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Hoe Street
77.3%
Leytonstone
70.3%
Chapel End
81.0%
High Street
78.6%
Grove Green
72.6%
Lea Bridge
74.9%
Cann Hall
76.4%
Chingford Green
72.8%
William Morris
79.0%
Forest
74.1%
Leyton
75.2%
Wood Street
79.5%
Markhouse
79.7%
Valley
71.7%
Larkswood
74.5%
Endlebury
74.4%
Higham Hill
74.5%
Cathall
73.3%
Hale End and Highams Park
81.7%
St James
80.8%
Wards in Waltham Forest
Hoe Street
77.3% approval · 1,363 decisions
Leytonstone
70.3% approval · 1,209 decisions
Chapel End
81.0% approval · 1,098 decisions
High Street
78.6% approval · 1,082 decisions
Grove Green
72.6% approval · 1,062 decisions
Lea Bridge
74.9% approval · 1,033 decisions
Cann Hall
76.4% approval · 1,032 decisions
Chingford Green
72.8% approval · 1,031 decisions
William Morris
79.0% approval · 1,029 decisions
Forest
74.1% approval · 967 decisions
Leyton
75.2% approval · 965 decisions
Wood Street
79.5% approval · 959 decisions
Markhouse
79.7% approval · 902 decisions
Valley
71.7% approval · 891 decisions
Larkswood
74.5% approval · 858 decisions
Endlebury
74.4% approval · 751 decisions
Higham Hill
74.5% approval · 740 decisions
Cathall
73.3% approval · 569 decisions
Hale End and Highams Park
81.7% approval · 448 decisions
St James
80.8% approval · 442 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Waltham Forest, showing how the council decides real applications.
Prior approval for the construction of a single storey rear extension which woul · Higham Hill · 2026-08-03
Prior approval for the construction of a single storey rear extension which woul · Higham Hill · 2026-08-03
Submission of details pursuant to condition 10 (construction/demolition method s · Higham Hill · 2026-08-03
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Waltham Forest, 1 in 4 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Waltham Forest
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Waltham Forest →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Waltham Forest
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 21,395 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Waltham Forest
What is the planning approval rate in Waltham Forest?
Based on 21,395 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Waltham Forest approved 76.2% of applications and refused 23.8%. The council is ranked 7th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Waltham Forest?
Waltham Forest refuses 23.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 4. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 21,395 decided applications since 2020, 5,091 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Waltham Forest have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Waltham Forest are in Hale End and Highams Park (81.7%), Chapel End (81.0%), and St James (80.8%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Waltham Forest?
The most common planning application types in Waltham Forest are: Other (21,395 decisions, 76.2% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Waltham Forest?
Most planning applications in Waltham Forest are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 21,395 decisions analysed since 2020, Waltham Forest processes approximately 3,566 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Waltham Forest?
You can search planning applications in Waltham Forest directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 21,395 historical decisions in Waltham Forest to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Waltham Forest calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Waltham Forest's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.