Which council has the highest planning approval rate in the UK?

North Lanarkshire has the highest approval rate at 99.8% based on 808 decisions.

Which council is hardest to get planning permission from?

Of the councils we track, Barking & Dagenham has the lowest approval rate at 71.7% based on 9,041 decisions.

What is the average planning approval rate in the UK?

Across 277 councils and 3,209,628 decisions, the average approval rate is 90.2%. But rates vary enormously by council, ward and project type.

Hardest and Easiest UK Councils for Planning: 277 Ranked (June 2026)

10 Easiest Councils for Planning Permission

These councils approve the highest proportion of applications. But a high council-wide rate doesn't guarantee your application will sail through, ward and proposal type shift the odds significantly.

#	Council	Decisions	Rate
1	North Lanarkshire	808	99.8%
2	Dacorum	1,647	99.6%
3	Staffordshire	1,882	99.4%
4	Falkirk	1,005	99.2%
5	Fareham	2,812	99.1%
6	Western Isles	1,875	98.9%
7	City of London	10,342	98.8%
8	Mansfield	3,087	98.8%
9	Mid Devon	6,098	98.7%
10	Somerset	553	98.7%

Found your council? See what's happening at street level →

10 Hardest Councils for Planning Permission

These councils have the toughest track records. If your property falls in one of these areas, understanding your local data before applying isn't optional, it's essential.

#	Council	Decisions	Rate
1	Barking & Dagenham	9,041	71.7%
2	East Hertfordshire	17,065	73.5%
3	Uttlesford	873	73.8%
4	Maldon	4,238	75.6%
5	Harrow	21,804	75.9%
6	Brent	32,958	76.0%
7	Waltham Forest	21,093	76.2%
8	Greenwich	22,979	78.2%
9	Caerphilly	4,904	78.4%
10	Redbridge	33,004	78.5%

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All 277 Councils Ranked

#	Council	Decisions	Rate
1	North Lanarkshire	808	99.8%
2	Dacorum	1,647	99.6%
3	Staffordshire	1,882	99.4%
4	Falkirk	1,005	99.2%
5	Fareham	2,812	99.1%
6	Western Isles	1,875	98.9%
7	City of London	10,342	98.8%
8	Mansfield	3,087	98.8%
9	Mid Devon	6,098	98.7%
10	Somerset	553	98.7%
11	LLDC	3,226	98.6%
12	North Ayrshire	1,312	98.1%
13	Clackmannanshire	1,046	98.0%
14	Moray	1,511	97.9%
15	Harlow	2,602	97.8%
16	Monmouthshire	2,252	97.8%
17	Shetland	436	97.7%
18	Dumfries & Galloway	23,176	97.5%
19	Carlisle	4,938	97.4%
20	Gosport	1,717	97.4%
21	North Kesteven	571	97.4%
22	Derry City and Strabane District Council	7,298	97.3%
23	OPDC	1,267	97.2%
24	Ards and North Down Borough Council	7,954	97.0%
25	South Lanarkshire	26,166	96.8%
26	Rushmoor	4,373	96.7%
27	Halton	2,142	96.5%
28	Inverclyde	1,059	96.5%
29	Renfrewshire	3,686	96.5%
30	Fermanagh and Omagh District Council	8,576	96.4%
31	Hambleton	4,657	96.2%
32	Angus	14,067	96.1%
33	East Dunbartonshire	1,117	96.1%
34	Cheltenham	14,041	96.0%
35	Orkney	7,933	96.0%
36	South Norfolk	4,579	96.0%
37	Argyll & Bute	4,351	95.9%
38	Aberdeenshire	2,809	95.8%
39	Cotswold	24,038	95.7%
40	Melton	3,818	95.4%
41	Neath Port Talbot	20,184	95.4%
42	South Ribble	4,251	95.3%
43	South Tyneside	3,244	95.3%
44	Stirling	12,361	95.3%
45	Hartlepool	3,502	95.2%
46	Lincoln	6,956	95.2%
47	South Ayrshire	1,081	95.2%
48	Bolsover	2,128	95.1%
49	Stockton-on-Tees	2,470	95.1%
50	Canterbury	10,849	95.0%
51	County Durham	15,049	94.9%
52	Winchester	6,515	94.9%
53	Broads Authority	2,368	94.8%
54	Highland	2,338	94.8%
55	Swindon	4,413	94.8%
56	Huntingdonshire	4,888	94.7%
57	North Norfolk	2,219	94.7%
58	Tamworth	5,843	94.7%
59	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council	10,265	94.5%
60	Broxtowe	5,195	94.5%
61	East Lindsey	7,059	94.5%
62	Knowsley	4,419	94.5%
63	North Tyneside	5,900	94.5%
64	North York Moors	3,130	94.5%
65	West Lancashire	6,826	94.5%
66	West Oxfordshire	7,254	94.5%
67	West Suffolk	18,659	94.4%
68	Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council	9,684	94.3%
69	East Ayrshire	1,537	94.3%
70	Newcastle-under-Lyme	1,038	94.3%
71	Perth & Kinross	22,468	94.3%
72	Aberdeen	21,779	94.2%
73	Belfast City Council	13,582	94.2%
74	Dundee	10,532	94.2%
75	Nottingham	7,135	94.2%
76	Redcar and Cleveland	11,294	94.2%
77	Midlothian	1,314	94.1%
78	South Holland	1,398	94.1%
79	Rugby	13,816	94.0%
80	Broadland	6,871	93.9%
81	Mid Sussex	8,479	93.9%
82	Mid and East Antrim Borough Council	7,142	93.9%
83	North Northamptonshire	4,914	93.9%
84	Stevenage	3,863	93.9%
85	North East Lincolnshire	3,214	93.8%
86	Gateshead	7,366	93.7%
87	Arun	3,254	93.6%
88	Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council	7,589	93.6%
89	Blaby	3,147	93.4%
90	North Hertfordshire	1,524	93.4%
91	Southwark	30,054	93.4%
92	Bath & NE Somerset	36,819	93.3%
93	Newcastle upon Tyne	12,110	93.3%
94	South Kesteven	9,367	93.3%
95	Torridge	8,293	93.3%
96	Wandsworth	27,479	93.3%
97	Bromsgrove & Redditch	2,219	93.2%
98	Dover	6,755	93.2%
99	Sandwell	6,733	93.2%
100	South Downs	10,511	93.2%
101	Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council	6,397	93.1%
102	Chorley	4,216	93.1%
103	Plymouth	7,031	93.1%
104	Cornwall	23,536	93.0%
105	Cambridge	8,253	92.9%
106	Derbyshire Dales	4,538	92.9%
107	Derby	4,507	92.8%
108	Rotherham	2,503	92.7%
109	Norwich	8,461	92.6%
110	Darlington	3,194	92.5%
111	Kensington & Chelsea	33,240	92.5%
112	King's Lynn & West Norfolk	2,312	92.5%
113	Solihull	5,467	92.5%
114	Three Rivers	3,627	92.5%
115	Torfaen	4,871	92.5%
116	Dorset	8,267	92.4%
117	Telford & Wrekin	15,051	92.4%
118	Camden	20,687	92.3%
119	Cannock Chase	5,351	92.3%
120	Gedling	4,362	92.3%
121	Middlesbrough	18,723	92.3%
122	Hammersmith & Fulham	19,400	92.2%
123	Lancaster	4,620	92.1%
124	Pembrokeshire Coast National Park	6,873	92.1%
125	Exmoor NPA	1,828	92.0%
126	Babergh Mid Suffolk	10,898	91.9%
127	Hinckley & Bosworth	3,962	91.9%
128	Doncaster	12,085	91.8%
129	Watford	4,818	91.5%
130	Lake District NPA	31,946	91.4%
131	Oxford	5,623	91.4%
132	Horsham	12,690	91.3%
133	Rutland	21,492	91.3%
134	Harborough	3,703	91.2%
135	Lewes & Eastbourne	2,190	91.2%
136	Rossendale	589	91.2%
137	Swale	1,517	91.2%
138	Test Valley	5,558	91.2%
139	Fife	5,821	91.0%
140	Tendring	316	90.8%
141	West Lothian	13,611	90.8%
142	Westminster	64,246	90.8%
143	Exeter	7,061	90.7%
144	Forest of Dean	6,291	90.7%
145	Southampton	1,007	90.7%
146	Tewkesbury	6,912	90.7%
147	Basildon	1,446	90.6%
148	Bury	5,876	90.6%
149	East Hampshire	9,660	90.6%
150	Merthyr Tydfil	1,154	90.6%
151	East Cambridgeshire	11,070	90.5%
152	Sheffield	6,768	90.5%
153	Brecon Beacons National Park	13,083	90.4%
154	Great Yarmouth	2,578	90.4%
155	New Forest National Park	12,665	90.3%
156	Surrey Heath	4,906	90.3%
157	Tonbridge & Malling	8,429	90.3%
158	North East Derbyshire	6,477	90.2%
159	North Somerset	19,440	90.2%
160	York	11,446	90.2%
161	Barnsley	24,616	90.0%
162	Basingstoke & Deane	11,547	90.0%
163	Chichester	4,451	89.9%
164	Brighton & Hove	3,163	89.8%
165	City of Edinburgh	63,954	89.8%
166	Wakefield	13,123	89.7%
167	Warwick	11,967	89.7%
168	Kingston upon Hull	6,408	89.5%
169	Powys	7,183	89.5%
170	Adur & Worthing	35,366	89.4%
171	Dudley	13,083	89.4%
172	Fenland	5,008	89.1%
173	Oldham	7,038	89.0%
174	Tower Hamlets	25,537	88.9%
175	Rushcliffe	7,470	88.8%
176	West Berkshire	947	88.8%
177	Gwynedd	11,003	88.6%
178	Liverpool	48,036	88.6%
179	Newry, Mourne and Down District Council	12,427	88.6%
180	Reigate & Banstead	13,594	88.6%
181	Sunderland	10,884	88.6%
182	Wigan	5,457	88.6%
183	Portsmouth	9,214	88.5%
184	Haringey	24,131	88.4%
185	Isle of Wight	14,505	88.3%
186	Newport	5,674	88.2%
187	Southend-on-Sea	1,455	88.2%
188	Trafford	13,295	88.2%
189	Glasgow	39,587	88.1%
190	Ceredigion	37,504	87.9%
191	Epsom & Ewell	8,139	87.9%
192	Manchester	13,750	87.9%
193	Dartford	7,697	87.8%
194	Newark & Sherwood	10,645	87.8%
195	Flintshire	14,217	87.7%
196	Luton	4,287	87.7%
197	New Forest	9,108	87.7%
198	Calderdale	13,536	87.6%
199	Hounslow	72,995	87.6%
200	Peterborough	33,444	87.6%
201	Wirral	7,846	87.6%
202	Richmond	32,944	87.5%
203	Sefton	6,655	87.5%
204	Hertsmere	3,948	87.4%
205	Runnymede	13,659	87.1%
206	Thanet	27,009	87.1%
207	South Gloucestershire	15,481	87.0%
208	South Staffordshire	1,490	87.0%
209	Tameside	4,272	87.0%
210	Warrington	11,005	87.0%
211	Bristol	25,431	86.9%
212	Ealing	70,894	86.8%
213	Sevenoaks	12,687	86.8%
214	Hastings	6,065	86.7%
215	Leeds	45,050	86.6%
216	Dartmoor NPA	4,303	86.5%
217	Kirklees	29,619	86.3%
218	Hackney	8,400	86.2%
219	Merton	18,043	86.2%
220	Spelthorne	1,484	86.2%
221	High Peak	8,972	86.1%
222	Pendle	3,441	86.1%
223	Castle Point	2,950	85.8%
224	Woking	7,724	85.8%
225	Bolton	4,630	85.7%
226	Chelmsford	505	85.7%
227	Swansea	3,668	85.7%
228	Hart	10,209	85.6%
229	Pembrokeshire	29,349	85.2%
230	Gloucester	4,243	85.1%
231	Bexley	21,260	85.0%
232	Stafford	4,451	84.9%
233	Newham	21,604	84.8%
234	Lichfield	2,866	84.6%
235	Lambeth	31,464	84.5%
236	Coventry	2,372	84.4%
237	Cheshire East	14,656	84.3%
238	Windsor & Maidenhead	7,447	84.3%
239	Bassetlaw	4,572	84.2%
240	Sutton	18,303	84.2%
241	Blackpool	675	84.1%
242	Brentwood	11,998	83.9%
243	Birmingham	33,120	83.8%
244	Leicester	538	83.3%
245	Staffordshire Moorlands	10,451	83.2%
246	Wyre	625	83.0%
247	Lewisham	25,419	82.9%
248	Slough	17,748	82.9%
249	Gravesham	1,474	82.8%
250	Islington	85,009	82.8%
251	Selby	5,967	82.7%
252	Maidstone	1,538	82.2%
253	Oadby & Wigston	2,238	82.2%
254	Stoke-on-Trent	1,697	82.2%
255	Guildford	17,793	82.0%
256	Barnet	54,846	81.7%
257	Cardiff	4,803	81.7%
258	Bromley	36,213	80.9%
259	Croydon	40,009	80.9%
260	Torbay	5,561	80.9%
261	Eastleigh	25,024	80.6%
262	Thurrock	10,789	80.4%
263	Kingston	24,477	80.2%
264	Enfield	31,137	80.0%
265	Havering	23,776	79.3%
266	Bradford	27,622	79.0%
267	Hillingdon	30,584	79.0%
268	Redbridge	33,004	78.5%
269	Caerphilly	4,904	78.4%
270	Greenwich	22,979	78.2%
271	Waltham Forest	21,093	76.2%
272	Brent	32,958	76.0%
273	Harrow	21,804	75.9%
274	Maldon	4,238	75.6%
275	Uttlesford	873	73.8%
276	East Hertfordshire	17,065	73.5%
277	Barking & Dagenham	9,041	71.7%

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What the data tells us

1

The gap between councils is enormous. North Lanarkshire approves 99.8% of applications. Barking & Dagenham approves just 71.7%. Same country, completely different planning environments.

2

Council averages mask what actually matters. A council with a 78% approval rate still refuses thousands of applications. The difference between approval and refusal comes down to your specific ward, your neighbours, and your proposal.

3

National averages hide local variation. These rankings are a useful starting point, but the decisions that predict your outcome are the ones near your property, not the ones across the borough.

Hardest and Easiest Councils for Planning Permission

Check Your Postcode for Approval Chances

10 Easiest Councils for Planning Permission

10 Hardest Councils for Planning Permission

Your council's approval rate is just the starting point

All 277 Councils Ranked

What the data tells us

The UK average is meaningless. Your street isn't average.

More national planning data