Data-backed planning intelligence · 2,500,000+ decisions analysed across England, Scotland and Wales

Planning Approval Rates by Ward: Why Your Postcode Matters

Council-wide approval rates are useful context. But they hide the real story. Within a single council, the gap between the easiest and hardest ward can be bigger than the gap between the easiest and hardest council in the entire country.

2,466,445 real planning decisions·179 councils·Updated March 2026
93.0%
Biggest ward gap
13.9%
Average ward gap
179
Councils analysed
2,466,445
Total decisions

Check Your Postcode for Approval Chances

See your council's approval rate, your ward data and comparable decisions near your property.

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Councils With the Biggest Ward Gaps

These councils have the most dramatic variation between their best and worst performing wards. If you live in one of these areas, your postcode isn't just relevant — it's the single biggest factor in whether your application succeeds.

#CouncilBest WardWorst WardGap
1Islington8 (95.1%)48 (2.1%)93.0%
2Barking & DagenhamTHAMES (99.6%)Mayesbrook (58.1%)41.5%
3GreenwichCHARLTON (97.8%)ELTHAM PAGE (59.3%)38.5%
4LiverpoolWaterfront South (98.4%)Kensington & Fairfield (62.0%)36.4%
5HaveringGOOSHAYS (99.2%)St Albans (63.3%)35.9%
6CardiffCATHAYS (85.8%)LLANISHEN (50.4%)35.4%
7BrentDUDDEN HILL (99.3%)Harlesden - WARD NO LONGER EXISTS (64.5%)34.8%
8Hounslow013609 (99.0%)Hounslow Central (64.3%)34.7%
9EnfieldSOUTHGATE GREEN (98.2%)LE (64.7%)33.5%
10LewishamEVELYN (99.5%)Whitefoot (67.5%)32.0%
11MertonVILLAGE (98.4%)Cricket Green (67.2%)31.2%
12LambethPRINCE'S (98.5%)GIPSYH (67.6%)30.9%
13CroydonSELHURST (98.8%)SE18 (68.2%)30.6%
14BromleyADJ_LA (99.2%)DARWIN (69.0%)30.2%
15HarrowKENTON WEST (95.9%)Wealdstone North (66.3%)29.6%
16East HertfordshireBishop's Stortford Thorley Manor (87.0%)Datchworth And Aston (57.9%)29.1%
17BarnetGOLDERS GREEN (98.6%)BO (69.7%)28.9%
18Waltham ForestLEYTON (99.1%)Valley (70.6%)28.5%
19KingstonNORBITON (97.3%)Chessington South & Malden Rushett (69.1%)28.2%
20HackneyCAZENOVE (99.2%)Stamford Hill West Ward (72.8%)26.4%
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Your council's approval rate is just the starting point

Two streets in the same ward can get opposite outcomes. The only thing that predicts your result is what's been decided near your property.

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The average ward gap across 179 councils is 13.9%. That means in a typical council, moving a few streets in one direction can shift your approval chances by 13.9%. Council averages don't capture this. Your postcode does.

All 179 Councils by Ward Variation

#CouncilGapBest Ward RateWorst Ward RateWards
1Islington93.0%95.1%2.1%44
2Barking & Dagenham41.5%99.6%58.1%23
3Greenwich38.5%97.8%59.3%41
4Liverpool36.4%98.4%62.0%56
5Havering35.9%99.2%63.3%41
6Cardiff35.4%85.8%50.4%10
7Brent34.8%99.3%64.5%43
8Hounslow34.7%99.0%64.3%69
9Enfield33.5%98.2%64.7%88
10Lewisham32.0%99.5%67.5%35
11Merton31.2%98.4%67.2%54
12Lambeth30.9%98.5%67.6%66
13Croydon30.6%98.8%68.2%50
14Bromley30.2%99.2%69.0%52
15Harrow29.6%95.9%66.3%45
16East Hertfordshire29.1%87.0%57.9%48
17Barnet28.9%98.6%69.7%65
18Waltham Forest28.5%99.1%70.6%37
19Kingston28.2%97.3%69.1%39
20Hackney26.4%99.2%72.8%38
21Sutton26.2%99.8%73.6%55
22Gloucester25.4%93.0%67.6%16
23Newham25.0%99.6%74.6%44
24Sevenoaks24.6%92.8%68.2%26
25Trafford24.4%94.5%70.1%33
26Redbridge23.6%96.9%73.3%33
27Tower Hamlets23.6%99.5%75.9%38
28Basingstoke & Deane22.7%94.6%71.9%17
29Richmond22.7%99.4%76.7%54
30Ealing22.6%99.5%76.9%51
31Haringey21.7%98.8%77.1%42
32Windsor & Maidenhead21.2%92.6%71.4%19
33Bexley19.7%99.5%79.8%27
34Manchester19.4%93.3%73.9%32
35North East Derbyshire19.1%96.7%77.6%23
36Middlesbrough19.0%88.7%69.7%13
37Sheffield18.8%96.0%77.2%21
38Maldon18.7%83.6%64.9%14
39Dorset18.6%98.1%79.5%45
40Oxford18.6%98.9%80.3%25
41Cheshire East18.5%96.1%77.6%45
42Westminster18.3%99.8%81.5%83
43Hillingdon18.2%86.5%68.3%43
44Pembrokeshire18.2%86.8%68.6%17
45Swansea17.6%92.4%74.8%8
46Lichfield17.4%94.4%77.0%10
47Flintshire17.3%95.9%78.6%25
48Slough17.3%91.3%74.0%9
49Sunderland16.7%94.9%78.2%25
50Camden16.1%98.3%82.2%48
51Hammersmith & Fulham16.0%99.7%83.7%41
52Leeds16.0%94.1%78.1%33
53Tameside15.6%94.2%78.6%18
54Bradford15.4%85.5%70.1%30
55Sefton15.4%92.1%76.7%21
56Newark & Sherwood15.2%93.3%78.1%21
57Guildford15.1%92.0%76.9%21
58Newport14.7%94.8%80.1%18
59Dudley14.5%96.4%81.9%48
60Warwick14.5%96.3%81.8%22
61Barnsley14.0%96.3%82.3%24
62Isle of Wight14.0%93.8%79.8%48
63Kingston upon Hull13.8%93.2%79.4%21
64Thurrock13.8%87.9%74.1%20
65Dartford13.7%95.5%81.8%19
66Wandsworth13.7%99.8%86.1%52
67Bath & NE Somerset13.6%97.9%84.3%41
68Lancaster13.5%96.2%82.7%14
69Oldham13.5%94.2%80.7%20
70Surrey Heath13.5%94.7%81.2%15
71Hertsmere13.0%91.8%78.8%15
72Lewes & Eastbourne12.7%98.2%85.5%7
73Test Valley12.6%95.5%82.9%18
74Brentwood12.5%90.0%77.5%17
75Tewkesbury12.5%96.4%83.9%19
76Broadland12.3%98.1%85.8%16
77Southwark12.2%99.6%87.4%43
78Rushcliffe11.9%93.3%81.4%22
79Calderdale11.7%93.2%81.5%17
80Three Rivers11.6%96.9%85.3%11
81Castle Point11.5%90.1%78.6%11
82Selby11.5%88.5%77.0%19
83Brighton & Hove11.4%95.0%83.6%13
84Cambridge11.4%96.2%84.8%31
85Coventry11.4%92.0%80.6%7
86East Ayrshire11.4%99.3%87.9%5
87North Tyneside11.4%99.1%87.7%24
88Bristol11.3%90.4%79.1%34
89Bury11.1%95.9%84.8%17
90Rugby11.1%97.8%86.7%16
91Bolton11.0%92.2%81.2%15
92Ceredigion11.0%90.5%79.5%16
93North East Lincolnshire11.0%97.5%86.5%12
94South Downs11.0%99.3%88.3%34
95Fife10.8%96.6%85.8%17
96York10.7%97.1%86.4%21
97East Cambridgeshire10.6%93.3%82.7%17
98Chorley10.2%96.3%86.1%18
99Darlington10.2%97.5%87.3%8
100Kirklees10.2%90.3%80.1%23
101Exeter10.1%93.8%83.7%13
102New Forest10.1%93.2%83.1%16
103Gedling10.0%97.7%87.7%16
104North Somerset10.0%94.6%84.6%34
105Derby9.8%98.1%88.3%17
106Nottingham9.8%98.2%88.4%20
107Swindon9.8%99.6%89.8%14
108Horsham9.6%97.5%87.9%22
109Plymouth9.6%96.1%86.5%20
110Pembrokeshire Coast NPA9.5%96.3%86.8%12
111South Gloucestershire9.5%92.2%82.7%28
112Doncaster9.4%96.0%86.6%21
113Luton9.4%95.0%85.6%16
114County Durham9.3%99.1%89.8%48
115Highland9.3%98.8%89.5%8
116Kensington & Chelsea9.3%99.3%90.0%34
117West Oxfordshire9.3%98.0%88.7%25
118Tonbridge & Malling9.2%96.4%87.2%17
119Thanet9.1%94.3%85.2%23
120Hastings9.0%89.9%80.9%16
121Forest of Dean8.9%94.9%86.0%19
122Lake District NPA8.9%97.1%88.2%21
123Bromsgrove & Redditch8.6%95.3%86.7%3
124Wigan8.6%95.5%86.9%15
125Cotswold8.5%99.1%90.6%30
126Hart8.5%90.9%82.4%11
127Portsmouth8.5%91.8%83.3%14
128Argyll & Bute8.2%98.1%89.9%11
129Glasgow8.2%93.4%85.2%23
130Hambleton8.1%99.0%90.9%13
131Cheltenham8.0%97.7%89.7%20
132Carlisle7.9%98.0%90.1%12
133Telford & Wrekin7.8%96.6%88.8%24
134Newcastle upon Tyne7.7%96.7%89.0%26
135Wakefield7.6%93.9%86.3%21
136Broxtowe7.4%97.5%90.1%17
137Adur & Worthing7.1%97.1%90.0%27
138Midlothian7.0%98.0%91.0%6
139Rotherham7.0%97.2%90.2%9
140Mid Sussex6.9%96.7%89.8%23
141Stockton-on-Tees6.8%99.2%92.4%7
142Epsom & Ewell6.6%90.3%83.7%13
143Winchester6.6%97.7%91.1%14
144Cannock Chase6.5%93.5%87.0%4
145King's Lynn & West Norfolk6.5%97.0%90.5%4
146Torfaen6.3%95.8%89.5%10
147Angus6.2%97.5%91.3%11
148Dover6.2%96.2%90.0%14
149Sandwell6.2%95.0%88.8%24
150Gateshead6.1%96.3%90.2%22
151Knowsley6.0%97.6%91.6%15
152City of London5.9%99.7%93.8%20
153Huntingdonshire5.9%98.4%92.5%21
154Lincoln5.9%98.7%92.8%11
155Reigate & Banstead5.7%92.0%86.3%15
156Torridge5.7%96.8%91.1%15
157Norwich5.6%94.9%89.3%13
158Solihull5.6%94.9%89.3%14
159Rushmoor5.5%99.0%93.5%13
160West Lothian5.4%93.7%88.3%9
161Perth & Kinross5.1%97.3%92.2%12
162Caerphilly5.0%86.4%81.4%5
163Derbyshire Dales5.0%96.1%91.1%13
164South Norfolk4.7%98.9%94.2%19
165Stevenage4.7%96.0%91.3%13
166Gosport4.0%98.8%94.8%3
167North Norfolk4.0%98.2%94.2%5
168Clackmannanshire3.8%99.2%95.4%4
169Aberdeen3.7%96.4%92.7%13
170Mansfield3.1%99.4%96.3%7
171South Lanarkshire3.1%98.2%95.1%20
172Dartmoor NPA2.7%88.7%86.0%3
173Moray2.7%99.4%96.7%6
174Dumfries & Galloway2.6%99.2%96.6%13
175Dundee2.4%95.8%93.4%8
176Orkney2.4%97.7%95.3%6
177Shetland2.4%99.1%96.7%3
178Cornwall2.1%97.3%95.2%4
179Stirling1.6%96.0%94.4%7
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What the data tells us

1
Ward variation is often bigger than council variation. The gap between the UK's easiest and hardest councils might be 20 percentage points. The gap between wards within Islington alone is 93.0%.
2
Your postcode is the strongest predictor of outcome. Planning officers make decisions based on local character, precedent and neighbourhood context. Two identical proposals on different streets can get opposite outcomes.
3
National and council averages are starting points, not predictions. They tell you the landscape. The comparable decisions near your specific property tell you the story. That's what the PlanningLens free check and Pro Report are built to show you.

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

Your PlanningLens Pro Report analyses the decisions that actually matter — the ones within walking distance of your front door. Every decision links to the council record so you can verify it yourself.

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More national planning data

Methodology: Ward gaps calculated from 2,466,445 planning decisions across 179 councils, January 2020 to present. Only wards with 100+ decisions are included in gap calculations. Wards with 100% approval rates are excluded as likely small-sample anomalies. Councils with fewer than 500 total decisions are excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions as published by each council. See our full methodology →
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