Waltham Forest Council approves 73.7% of planning applications, based on 14,067 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Waltham Forest sits 11.3 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,570 decided applications, Waltham Forest Council approved 75.7% of planning applications in 2025. Across 14,067 decisions on record (July 2019 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Waltham Forest is 73.7%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Waltham Forest council planning portal records · Data to 28 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 Waltham Forest.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 16,569 | 5,180 | 21,749 | 76.2% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoe Street | 1,072 | 316 | 1,388 | 77.2% |
| Leytonstone | 867 | 362 | 1,229 | 70.5% |
| Chapel End | 901 | 211 | 1,112 | 81.0% |
| High Street | 865 | 239 | 1,104 | 78.4% |
| Grove Green | 783 | 295 | 1,078 | 72.6% |
| Lea Bridge | 788 | 265 | 1,053 | 74.8% |
| Chingford Green | 765 | 286 | 1,051 | 72.8% |
| Cann Hall | 800 | 247 | 1,047 | 76.4% |
| William Morris | 824 | 221 | 1,045 | 78.9% |
| Forest | 730 | 254 | 984 | 74.2% |
| Wood Street | 772 | 202 | 974 | 79.3% |
| Leyton | 733 | 239 | 972 | 75.4% |
| Markhouse | 732 | 183 | 915 | 80.0% |
| Valley | 647 | 260 | 907 | 71.3% |
| Larkswood | 655 | 223 | 878 | 74.6% |
| Higham Hill | 564 | 196 | 760 | 74.2% |
| Endlebury | 563 | 195 | 758 | 74.3% |
| Cathall | 425 | 153 | 578 | 73.5% |
| St James | 366 | 86 | 452 | 81.0% |
| Hale End and Highams Park | 366 | 82 | 448 | 81.7% |
| Hatch Lane & Highams Park North | 341 | 104 | 445 | 76.6% |
| Hatch Lane | 289 | 91 | 380 | 76.1% |
| Upper Walthamstow | 268 | 94 | 362 | 74.0% |
| Hale End and Highams Park South | 234 | 78 | 312 | 75.0% |
How Waltham Forest’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.6pp since 2019.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Waltham Forest council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 261853 Larkswood | Construction of a single storey rear extension and first floor rear extension. | Approved |
| 261848 Upper Walthamstow | Construction of a single storey wraparound rear extension. | Approved |
| 261847 Upper Walthamstow | Construction of a single storey wraparound rear extension. | Approved |
| 261758 Hale End and Highams Park South | Lawful Development Certificate (Proposed) - Construction of a single storey rear | Approved |
| 261549 Grove Green | Restoration of the damaged roof, installation of replacement windows to the fro | Approved |
| 261254 Grove Green | Construction of single storey wraparound rear extension. | Approved |
| 261970 Lea Bridge | Prior approval for the construction of a single storey rear extension which woul | Refused |
| 261862 Hatch Lane & Highams Park North | Construction of a single storey rear extension and raised patio. | Refused |
| 261858 Hatch Lane & Highams Park North | Prior approval for the construction of a single storey rear extension which woul | Approved |
| 261743 Endlebury | Construction of a single storey rear extension and replacement of outbuilding at | Refused |
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 Waltham Forest's 14,067 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Waltham Forest's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Waltham Forest'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 Waltham Forest. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 14,067 real decisions from Waltham Forest 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 Waltham Forest'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 14,067 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Waltham Forest is 73.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 14,067 planning decisions from Waltham Forest council. 10,362 were approved and 3,705 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, July 2019 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Waltham Forest is 73.7%, 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 Waltham Forest? 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.