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 9,159 decisions.

What is the average planning approval rate in the UK?

Across 291 councils and 3,694,661 decisions, the average approval rate is 90.3%. But rates vary enormously by council, ward and project type.

Hardest and Easiest UK Councils for Planning: 291 Ranked (August 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	2,007	99.6%
3	Staffordshire	1,890	99.4%
4	Falkirk	1,027	99.2%
5	Fareham	2,903	99.0%
6	Mansfield	3,168	98.9%
7	Mid Ulster District Council	3,039	98.9%
8	Western Isles	1,936	98.9%
9	City of London	10,562	98.8%
10	Mid Devon	6,198	98.7%

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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	9,159	71.7%
2	East Hertfordshire	17,285	73.6%
3	Uttlesford	1,096	74.5%
4	Maldon	4,348	75.9%
5	Harrow	22,078	75.9%
6	Brent	32,963	76.0%
7	Waltham Forest	21,395	76.2%
8	Greenwich	23,213	78.2%
9	Caerphilly	4,948	78.3%
10	Elmbridge	73,568	78.4%

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

All 291 Councils Ranked

#	Council	Decisions	Rate
1	North Lanarkshire	808	99.8%
2	Dacorum	2,007	99.6%
3	Staffordshire	1,890	99.4%
4	Falkirk	1,027	99.2%
5	Fareham	2,903	99.0%
6	Mansfield	3,168	98.9%
7	Mid Ulster District Council	3,039	98.9%
8	Western Isles	1,936	98.9%
9	City of London	10,562	98.8%
10	Mid Devon	6,198	98.7%
11	Somerset	553	98.7%
12	LLDC	3,226	98.6%
13	Shetland	9,013	98.3%
14	North Ayrshire	1,360	98.1%
15	Harlow	2,652	97.9%
16	Moray	1,550	97.9%
17	Clackmannanshire	1,069	97.8%
18	Carlisle	5,059	97.5%
19	Dumfries & Galloway	23,365	97.4%
20	Monmouthshire	2,395	97.4%
21	North Kesteven	695	97.4%
22	Derry City and Strabane District Council	7,298	97.3%
23	Gosport	1,747	97.3%
24	OPDC	1,281	97.1%
25	Ards and North Down Borough Council	7,954	97.0%
26	Rushmoor	4,448	96.8%
27	South Lanarkshire	26,307	96.8%
28	Inverclyde	1,092	96.6%
29	Halton	2,257	96.5%
30	Fermanagh and Omagh District Council	8,576	96.4%
31	Renfrewshire	3,749	96.4%
32	East Dunbartonshire	1,180	96.3%
33	Angus	14,096	96.1%
34	Argyll & Bute	4,519	96.0%
35	Cheltenham	14,232	96.0%
36	Hambleton	4,825	96.0%
37	Orkney	7,933	96.0%
38	Aberdeenshire	2,891	95.7%
39	Cotswold	24,385	95.6%
40	Melton	3,898	95.4%
41	Neath Port Talbot	26,588	95.4%
42	South Ribble	4,357	95.4%
43	South Tyneside	3,256	95.4%
44	Lincoln	7,053	95.3%
45	South Ayrshire	1,156	95.3%
46	Stirling	12,420	95.3%
47	Hartlepool	3,502	95.2%
48	Bolsover	2,160	95.1%
49	Canterbury	11,108	95.1%
50	South Norfolk	7,160	95.1%
51	Stockton-on-Tees	2,588	95.1%
52	Highland	2,750	95.0%
53	Swindon	4,549	95.0%
54	County Durham	15,455	94.9%
55	Winchester	6,943	94.9%
56	Broads Authority	2,393	94.8%
57	North Norfolk	2,696	94.7%
58	Tamworth	5,841	94.7%
59	Broxtowe	5,270	94.6%
60	West Lancashire	6,958	94.6%
61	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council	10,265	94.5%
62	East Ayrshire	1,596	94.5%
63	East Lindsey	7,184	94.5%
64	Huntingdonshire	5,091	94.5%
65	Knowsley	4,467	94.5%
66	North Tyneside	6,249	94.5%
67	North York Moors	3,130	94.5%
68	West Oxfordshire	7,539	94.5%
69	Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park	7,995	94.4%
70	Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council	9,684	94.3%
71	North West Leicestershire	1,981	94.3%
72	Nottingham	7,338	94.3%
73	Perth & Kinross	22,590	94.3%
74	Aberdeen	21,892	94.2%
75	Belfast City Council	13,582	94.2%
76	Dundee	10,596	94.2%
77	Redcar and Cleveland	11,371	94.2%
78	Midlothian	1,384	94.1%
79	Newcastle-under-Lyme	1,152	94.1%
80	Rugby	13,893	94.0%
81	Stevenage	3,915	94.0%
82	Mid Sussex	8,721	93.9%
83	Mid and East Antrim Borough Council	7,142	93.9%
84	North East Lincolnshire	3,294	93.9%
85	Broadland	7,309	93.8%
86	North Hertfordshire	2,079	93.8%
87	North Northamptonshire	5,251	93.8%
88	West Suffolk	40,126	93.7%
89	Gateshead	7,453	93.6%
90	Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council	7,589	93.6%
91	Blaby	3,255	93.5%
92	Southwark	30,389	93.5%
93	Arun	3,371	93.4%
94	Bromsgrove & Redditch	2,379	93.4%
95	Camden	25,833	93.4%
96	South Holland	1,523	93.4%
97	Bath & NE Somerset	36,813	93.3%
98	Newcastle upon Tyne	12,292	93.3%
99	Sandwell	6,982	93.3%
100	South Kesteven	9,556	93.3%
101	Torridge	8,398	93.3%
102	Wandsworth	27,920	93.3%
103	Chorley	4,332	93.2%
104	Dover	6,755	93.2%
105	South Downs	10,862	93.2%
106	Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council	6,397	93.1%
107	Erewash	3,691	93.1%
108	Plymouth	7,197	93.1%
109	Cambridge	8,530	93.0%
110	Cornwall	24,970	93.0%
111	Rhondda Cynon Taf	5,230	92.9%
112	Derby	4,695	92.8%
113	Derbyshire Dales	4,626	92.8%
114	Dorset	24,930	92.8%
115	Norwich	8,572	92.7%
116	Rotherham	2,503	92.7%
117	Westmorland and Furness	52,290	92.7%
118	Darlington	3,290	92.6%
119	Kensington & Chelsea	33,223	92.5%
120	Stockport	455	92.5%
121	Gedling	4,454	92.4%
122	Telford & Wrekin	15,050	92.4%
123	Torfaen	4,885	92.4%
124	Middlesbrough	18,768	92.3%
125	Three Rivers	3,799	92.3%
126	Cannock Chase	5,391	92.2%
127	Hammersmith & Fulham	19,544	92.2%
128	Solihull	5,776	92.2%
129	King's Lynn & West Norfolk	2,618	92.1%
130	Exmoor NPA	1,826	92.0%
131	Pembrokeshire Coast National Park	6,935	92.0%
132	Doncaster	12,311	91.9%
133	Lancaster	4,774	91.9%
134	Hinckley & Bosworth	3,999	91.7%
135	Oxford	6,129	91.5%
136	Watford	4,911	91.5%
137	Wiltshire	210,645	91.5%
138	BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)	408	91.4%
139	Fife	6,228	91.4%
140	Harborough	3,899	91.4%
141	Lewes & Eastbourne	2,295	91.4%
142	Rossendale	636	91.4%
143	Lake District NPA	32,084	91.3%
144	Swale	1,657	91.3%
145	Test Valley	5,995	91.3%
146	Babergh Mid Suffolk	19,237	91.2%
147	Horsham	13,113	91.2%
148	Rutland	21,614	91.2%
149	Exeter	7,225	90.8%
150	Forest of Dean	6,389	90.8%
151	Merthyr Tydfil	1,198	90.8%
152	Westminster	65,312	90.8%
153	Northumberland	578	90.7%
154	Southampton	1,007	90.7%
155	Tewkesbury	7,063	90.7%
156	West Lothian	13,680	90.7%
157	Bury	6,014	90.6%
158	East Cambridgeshire	11,377	90.6%
159	East Hampshire	9,754	90.6%
160	Sheffield	7,133	90.6%
161	Tendring	1,750	90.5%
162	Brecon Beacons National Park	13,122	90.4%
163	Great Yarmouth	2,651	90.4%
164	Basildon	1,603	90.3%
165	New Forest National Park	12,792	90.3%
166	North Somerset	20,111	90.3%
167	Tonbridge & Malling	8,645	90.3%
168	North East Derbyshire	6,477	90.2%
169	Basingstoke & Deane	11,708	90.1%
170	Surrey Heath	5,081	90.1%
171	York	11,828	90.1%
172	Barnsley	24,616	90.0%
173	Chichester	4,628	90.0%
174	Brighton & Hove	3,163	89.8%
175	City of Edinburgh	63,954	89.8%
176	Warwick	12,569	89.8%
177	Wakefield	13,310	89.7%
178	West Berkshire	1,216	89.6%
179	Kingston upon Hull	6,480	89.5%
180	Adur & Worthing	35,617	89.4%
181	Dudley	13,082	89.4%
182	Oldham	7,355	89.4%
183	Powys	7,210	89.4%
184	East Riding of Yorkshire	8,764	89.3%
185	Rushcliffe	7,949	89.2%
186	Fenland	5,132	89.0%
187	Southend-on-Sea	1,637	89.0%
188	North Yorkshire	3,789	88.9%
189	Tower Hamlets	25,660	88.9%
190	Haringey	24,295	88.7%
191	Reigate & Banstead	14,128	88.7%
192	Gwynedd	11,029	88.6%
193	Liverpool	48,035	88.6%
194	Newry, Mourne and Down District Council	12,427	88.6%
195	Sunderland	11,018	88.6%
196	Craven	486	88.5%
197	Portsmouth	9,214	88.5%
198	Wigan	5,585	88.5%
199	Isle of Wight	14,682	88.3%
200	Newport	5,794	88.2%
201	Trafford	13,295	88.2%
202	Glasgow	39,805	88.1%
203	Newark & Sherwood	10,805	88.0%
204	Sefton	7,112	88.0%
205	Ceredigion	37,500	87.9%
206	Hounslow	73,045	87.9%
207	Epsom & Ewell	8,665	87.8%
208	Flintshire	14,317	87.7%
209	Hertsmere	4,100	87.7%
210	Calderdale	13,710	87.6%
211	Dartford	7,829	87.6%
212	New Forest	9,419	87.6%
213	Peterborough	33,546	87.6%
214	Richmond	33,156	87.6%
215	Wirral	7,977	87.6%
216	Ealing	69,987	87.5%
217	Luton	4,439	87.4%
218	Runnymede	13,692	87.2%
219	Thanet	27,008	87.1%
220	Bristol	25,848	87.0%
221	South Gloucestershire	15,856	87.0%
222	Warrington	11,150	87.0%
223	Hastings	6,131	86.9%
224	Tameside	4,397	86.9%
225	Hackney	21,357	86.8%
226	Sevenoaks	12,682	86.8%
227	South Staffordshire	1,616	86.7%
228	Dartmoor NPA	4,339	86.6%
229	Leeds	45,743	86.5%
230	Spelthorne	1,613	86.4%
231	Kirklees	29,619	86.3%
232	Merton	18,164	86.2%
233	Pendle	3,514	86.2%
234	High Peak	8,972	86.1%
235	Swansea	3,821	85.9%
236	Castle Point	3,026	85.8%
237	Hart	10,493	85.8%
238	Woking	7,875	85.8%
239	Chelmsford	505	85.7%
240	Bolton	4,796	85.5%
241	Bexley	21,485	85.2%
242	Pembrokeshire	29,428	85.1%
243	Gloucester	4,318	85.0%
244	Newham	21,829	84.8%
245	Lichfield	2,966	84.6%
246	Stafford	4,589	84.6%
247	Lambeth	31,751	84.5%
248	Scarborough	327	84.4%
249	Blackpool	740	84.3%
250	Cheshire East	15,071	84.3%
251	Windsor & Maidenhead	7,798	84.3%
252	Bassetlaw	4,669	84.2%
253	Sutton	18,483	84.2%
254	Brentwood	12,120	84.0%
255	Coventry	2,632	83.9%
256	Birmingham	33,120	83.8%
257	Maidstone	1,800	83.4%
258	Wyre	698	83.4%
259	Leicester	538	83.3%
260	Staffordshire Moorlands	10,451	83.2%
261	Lewisham	25,624	82.9%
262	Slough	17,855	82.9%
263	Islington	85,152	82.8%
264	Selby	6,030	82.8%
265	Gravesham	1,640	82.5%
266	Cardiff	5,109	82.3%
267	Guildford	18,120	82.1%
268	Oadby & Wigston	2,290	81.9%
269	Barnet	55,397	81.7%
270	Stoke-on-Trent	1,743	81.5%
271	Croydon	40,528	81.3%
272	Bromley	36,167	81.0%
273	Thurrock	11,147	81.0%
274	Torbay	5,658	80.9%
275	Eastleigh	25,022	80.6%
276	Kingston	24,676	80.4%
277	Enfield	31,619	79.9%
278	Hillingdon	30,783	79.9%
279	Havering	24,144	79.5%
280	Bradford	28,122	79.2%
281	Redbridge	33,279	78.6%
282	Elmbridge	73,568	78.4%
283	Caerphilly	4,948	78.3%
284	Greenwich	23,213	78.2%
285	Waltham Forest	21,395	76.2%
286	Brent	32,963	76.0%
287	Harrow	22,078	75.9%
288	Maldon	4,348	75.9%
289	Uttlesford	1,096	74.5%
290	East Hertfordshire	17,285	73.6%
291	Barking & Dagenham	9,159	71.7%

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

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 291 Councils Ranked

What the data tells us

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

More national planning data