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, East Hertfordshire has the lowest approval rate at 73.6% based on 17,433 decisions.

What is the average planning approval rate in the UK?

Across 296 councils and 3,740,318 decisions, 88.6% of planning applications are approved (as of September 2026). That is a decision-weighted figure: total approvals divided by total decisions. The unweighted average of each council's own rate is 90.4%, which answers a different question - what the typical council approves, rather than the odds for a typical application. Rates vary enormously by council, ward and project type.

Hardest and Easiest UK Councils for Planning: 296 Ranked (September 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	2,182	99.6%
3	Staffordshire	1,898	99.4%
4	Falkirk	1,058	99.2%
5	Fareham	2,992	99.1%
6	Mansfield	3,210	98.9%
7	Mid Ulster District Council	3,126	98.9%
8	Western Isles	1,985	98.9%
9	City of London	10,725	98.8%
10	Mid Devon	6,292	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	East Hertfordshire	17,433	73.6%
2	Uttlesford	1,297	74.4%
3	Barking & Dagenham	12,001	75.4%
4	Harrow	22,332	75.9%
5	Brent	32,963	76.0%
6	Maldon	4,414	76.1%
7	Waltham Forest	21,639	76.2%
8	Greenwich	23,381	78.2%
9	Caerphilly	5,005	78.2%
10	Elmbridge	73,774	78.3%

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

All 296 Councils Ranked

#	Council	Decisions	Rate
1	North Lanarkshire	808	99.8%
2	Dacorum	2,182	99.6%
3	Staffordshire	1,898	99.4%
4	Falkirk	1,058	99.2%
5	Fareham	2,992	99.1%
6	Mansfield	3,210	98.9%
7	Mid Ulster District Council	3,126	98.9%
8	Western Isles	1,985	98.9%
9	City of London	10,725	98.8%
10	Mid Devon	6,292	98.7%
11	Somerset	553	98.7%
12	LLDC	3,226	98.6%
13	Shetland	9,060	98.3%
14	North Ayrshire	1,554	98.2%
15	Harlow	2,709	97.9%
16	Moray	1,610	97.8%
17	Clackmannanshire	1,091	97.7%
18	North Kesteven	795	97.7%
19	Carlisle	5,148	97.5%
20	Dumfries & Galloway	23,538	97.4%
21	Monmouthshire	2,476	97.4%
22	Derry City and Strabane District Council	7,298	97.3%
23	Gosport	1,770	97.3%
24	OPDC	1,290	97.1%
25	Ards and North Down Borough Council	7,954	97.0%
26	East Lothian	776	96.8%
27	South Lanarkshire	26,402	96.8%
28	Rushmoor	4,505	96.7%
29	Inverclyde	1,109	96.5%
30	Fermanagh and Omagh District Council	8,576	96.4%
31	Halton	2,295	96.4%
32	Renfrewshire	3,828	96.4%
33	East Dunbartonshire	1,243	96.2%
34	Angus	14,155	96.1%
35	Argyll & Bute	4,647	96.0%
36	Cheltenham	14,338	96.0%
37	Hambleton	4,825	96.0%
38	Orkney	7,933	96.0%
39	Aberdeenshire	3,056	95.7%
40	St Helens	529	95.7%
41	Cotswold	24,655	95.6%
42	Neath Port Talbot	26,647	95.4%
43	South Ayrshire	1,216	95.4%
44	South Ribble	4,430	95.4%
45	South Tyneside	3,270	95.4%
46	Lincoln	7,112	95.3%
47	Melton	3,954	95.3%
48	Stirling	12,462	95.3%
49	Bolsover	2,193	95.2%
50	Canterbury	11,379	95.2%
51	Hartlepool	3,502	95.2%
52	Stockton-on-Tees	2,657	95.1%
53	Swindon	4,658	95.1%
54	Highland	3,102	95.0%
55	South Norfolk	7,480	95.0%
56	Winchester	7,288	95.0%
57	Broads Authority	2,454	94.9%
58	County Durham	15,732	94.9%
59	North Norfolk	2,834	94.9%
60	Blaenau Gwent	303	94.7%
61	Tamworth	5,842	94.7%
62	West Northamptonshire	432	94.7%
63	Broxtowe	5,342	94.6%
64	East Ayrshire	1,658	94.6%
65	West Lancashire	7,058	94.6%
66	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council	10,265	94.5%
67	East Lindsey	7,283	94.5%
68	Knowsley	4,509	94.5%
69	Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park	8,106	94.5%
70	North Tyneside	6,346	94.5%
71	North York Moors	3,130	94.5%
72	West Oxfordshire	7,702	94.5%
73	Nottingham	7,483	94.4%
74	Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council	9,684	94.3%
75	Perth & Kinross	22,719	94.3%
76	Aberdeen	21,992	94.2%
77	Belfast City Council	13,582	94.2%
78	Dundee	10,645	94.2%
79	Huntingdonshire	5,328	94.2%
80	Midlothian	1,422	94.2%
81	Redcar and Cleveland	11,461	94.2%
82	North West Leicestershire	2,087	94.1%
83	Newcastle-under-Lyme	1,227	94.0%
84	Rugby	13,952	94.0%
85	Stevenage	3,947	94.0%
86	Mid and East Antrim Borough Council	7,142	93.9%
87	North East Lincolnshire	3,366	93.9%
88	North Hertfordshire	2,221	93.9%
89	Mid Sussex	8,932	93.8%
90	Broadland	7,600	93.7%
91	West Suffolk	40,321	93.7%
92	Gateshead	7,504	93.6%
93	Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council	7,589	93.6%
94	Blaby	3,309	93.5%
95	Southwark	30,692	93.5%
96	Cambridge	9,139	93.4%
97	Camden	26,201	93.4%
98	North Northamptonshire	5,489	93.4%
99	Sandwell	7,089	93.4%
100	Arun	3,485	93.3%
101	Bath & NE Somerset	36,813	93.3%
102	Bromsgrove & Redditch	2,484	93.3%
103	Newcastle upon Tyne	12,434	93.3%
104	South Kesteven	9,686	93.3%
105	Torridge	8,502	93.3%
106	Chorley	4,430	93.2%
107	Dover	6,755	93.2%
108	South Downs	11,298	93.2%
109	Wandsworth	28,422	93.2%
110	Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council	6,397	93.1%
111	Erewash	3,747	93.1%
112	Plymouth	7,319	93.1%
113	Cornwall	25,073	93.0%
114	Rhondda Cynon Taf	5,329	93.0%
115	Dorset	25,326	92.9%
116	Derby	4,819	92.8%
117	Derbyshire Dales	4,691	92.8%
118	South Holland	1,624	92.8%
119	Darlington	3,367	92.7%
120	Norwich	8,645	92.7%
121	Rotherham	2,503	92.7%
122	Westmorland and Furness	52,290	92.7%
123	Kensington & Chelsea	33,223	92.5%
124	Stockport	455	92.5%
125	Torfaen	4,934	92.5%
126	Gedling	4,524	92.4%
127	Telford & Wrekin	15,050	92.4%
128	Hammersmith & Fulham	19,673	92.3%
129	Cannock Chase	5,418	92.2%
130	Middlesbrough	18,800	92.2%
131	Three Rivers	3,916	92.2%
132	Exmoor NPA	1,826	92.0%
133	Doncaster	12,441	91.9%
134	Hinckley & Bosworth	4,133	91.9%
135	Pembrokeshire Coast National Park	6,976	91.9%
136	Solihull	5,927	91.9%
137	BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)	800	91.8%
138	Lancaster	4,900	91.7%
139	Fife	6,469	91.6%
140	Swale	1,767	91.6%
141	King's Lynn & West Norfolk	2,784	91.5%
142	Lewes & Eastbourne	2,328	91.5%
143	Oxford	6,455	91.5%
144	Test Valley	6,207	91.5%
145	Watford	4,986	91.5%
146	Wiltshire	210,709	91.5%
147	Babergh Mid Suffolk	20,012	91.4%
148	Harborough	4,029	91.4%
149	Lake District NPA	32,180	91.3%
150	Northumberland	886	91.3%
151	Horsham	13,406	91.2%
152	Rutland	21,725	91.2%
153	Merthyr Tydfil	1,230	91.0%
154	Exeter	7,348	90.9%
155	Forest of Dean	6,478	90.9%
156	Rossendale	679	90.9%
157	Westminster	66,118	90.8%
158	East Cambridgeshire	11,468	90.7%
159	Sheffield	7,382	90.7%
160	Southampton	1,007	90.7%
161	West Lothian	13,736	90.7%
162	East Hampshire	9,848	90.6%
163	Tewkesbury	7,160	90.6%
164	Bury	6,113	90.5%
165	Brecon Beacons National Park	13,167	90.4%
166	New Forest National Park	12,904	90.4%
167	North East Derbyshire	6,610	90.4%
168	Tendring	1,915	90.4%
169	Tonbridge & Malling	8,809	90.4%
170	North Somerset	20,295	90.3%
171	Great Yarmouth	2,717	90.2%
172	Basingstoke & Deane	11,836	90.1%
173	Surrey Heath	5,184	90.1%
174	York	12,015	90.1%
175	Barnsley	24,616	90.0%
176	Chichester	4,790	90.0%
177	Warwick	12,747	89.9%
178	Basildon	1,709	89.8%
179	Brighton & Hove	3,163	89.8%
180	City of Edinburgh	63,954	89.8%
181	Burnley	310	89.7%
182	Wakefield	13,440	89.7%
183	Kingston upon Hull	6,547	89.6%
184	Oldham	7,459	89.6%
185	West Berkshire	1,389	89.5%
186	Adur & Worthing	35,726	89.4%
187	Dudley	13,082	89.4%
188	Powys	7,210	89.4%
189	Southend-on-Sea	1,765	89.4%
190	East Riding of Yorkshire	9,071	89.3%
191	Rushcliffe	8,059	89.3%
192	Fenland	5,225	89.0%
193	Tower Hamlets	25,769	88.9%
194	North Yorkshire	4,279	88.8%
195	Haringey	24,508	88.7%
196	Reigate & Banstead	14,325	88.7%
197	Sefton	7,654	88.7%
198	Gwynedd	11,058	88.6%
199	Liverpool	48,035	88.6%
200	New Forest	10,354	88.6%
201	Newark & Sherwood	11,428	88.6%
202	Newry, Mourne and Down District Council	12,427	88.6%
203	Sunderland	11,107	88.6%
204	Craven	486	88.5%
205	Glasgow	41,440	88.5%
206	Portsmouth	9,214	88.5%
207	Wigan	5,682	88.5%
208	Isle of Wight	14,806	88.4%
209	Newport	5,933	88.2%
210	Trafford	13,295	88.2%
211	Ceredigion	37,538	87.9%
212	Epsom & Ewell	8,782	87.9%
213	Hounslow	73,304	87.9%
214	Hertsmere	4,228	87.8%
215	Flintshire	14,409	87.7%
216	Richmond	33,391	87.7%
217	Ealing	70,179	87.6%
218	Peterborough	33,633	87.6%
219	Calderdale	13,812	87.5%
220	Dartford	7,924	87.5%
221	Luton	4,556	87.3%
222	Runnymede	13,714	87.2%
223	Tameside	4,495	87.1%
224	Thanet	27,008	87.1%
225	Hastings	6,195	87.0%
226	South Gloucestershire	16,154	87.0%
227	Warrington	11,271	87.0%
228	Bristol	26,311	86.9%
229	Dartmoor NPA	4,551	86.9%
230	Hackney	21,450	86.8%
231	Sevenoaks	12,682	86.8%
232	Leeds	46,374	86.5%
233	South Staffordshire	1,701	86.5%
234	Pendle	3,577	86.4%
235	Kirklees	29,619	86.3%
236	Merton	18,315	86.3%
237	Spelthorne	1,702	86.3%
238	Wirral	8,205	86.2%
239	High Peak	8,972	86.1%
240	Hart	10,597	85.9%
241	Castle Point	3,063	85.8%
242	Woking	8,017	85.8%
243	Chelmsford	505	85.7%
244	Bolton	4,935	85.4%
245	Cheshire East	16,332	85.3%
246	Bexley	21,717	85.2%
247	Pembrokeshire	29,498	85.1%
248	Gloucester	4,364	84.9%
249	Newham	22,042	84.8%
250	Swansea	4,122	84.7%
251	Blackpool	781	84.5%
252	Lambeth	32,033	84.5%
253	Scarborough	327	84.4%
254	Stafford	4,656	84.4%
255	Lichfield	3,035	84.3%
256	Windsor & Maidenhead	8,053	84.2%
257	Sutton	18,651	84.1%
258	Bassetlaw	4,734	84.0%
259	Birmingham	33,120	83.8%
260	Coventry	2,814	83.8%
261	Maidstone	1,986	83.8%
262	Leicester	538	83.3%
263	Brentwood	12,328	83.2%
264	Staffordshire Moorlands	10,451	83.2%
265	Gravesham	1,734	83.0%
266	Lewisham	25,789	83.0%
267	Cardiff	5,369	82.9%
268	Islington	85,350	82.8%
269	Selby	6,033	82.8%
270	Slough	17,943	82.8%
271	Guildford	18,330	82.1%
272	Oadby & Wigston	2,333	81.9%
273	Stoke-on-Trent	1,818	81.7%
274	Barnet	55,813	81.6%
275	Croydon	40,789	81.3%
276	Thurrock	11,265	81.2%
277	Eastleigh	25,640	81.1%
278	Wyre	773	81.1%
279	Bromley	36,167	81.0%
280	Torbay	5,711	80.9%
281	Kingston	24,920	80.4%
282	Hillingdon	30,963	80.0%
283	Enfield	32,028	79.9%
284	Havering	24,333	79.5%
285	Bradford	28,513	79.2%
286	Redbridge	33,566	78.6%
287	Elmbridge	73,774	78.3%
288	Caerphilly	5,005	78.2%
289	Greenwich	23,381	78.2%
290	Waltham Forest	21,639	76.2%
291	Maldon	4,414	76.1%
292	Brent	32,963	76.0%
293	Harrow	22,332	75.9%
294	Barking & Dagenham	12,001	75.4%
295	Uttlesford	1,297	74.4%
296	East Hertfordshire	17,433	73.6%

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. East Hertfordshire approves just 73.6%. 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 296 Councils Ranked

What the data tells us

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

More national planning data