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PlanIndex study · Year to December 2026

Planning approval rates, by council

Of the applications UK councils actually decided in the year to December 2026 — granted or refused, nothing else — 90% were approvals. Behind that number the 314 ranked authorities run from 74% to 98%, measured across 40,067 clear-cut outcomes.

90%approved

90%National approval rateOf clear-cut outcomes
35,970Granted4,097 refused
98%Most approving councilCumberland
74%Most refusing councilEnfield

What an approval rate does and does not say

Year to December 2026 · 40,067 clear-cut outcomes

The rate counts only applications a council granted or refused. Withdrawn applications, split decisions and procedural outcomes are left out on purpose: an application pulled back before refusal says something about the applicant's judgement, not the council's.

Read the spread with care. Applicants withdraw schemes heading for refusal, pre-application advice filters weak proposals before they are submitted, and the mix of work differs by area. A high rate can mean a permissive authority, or one whose applicants only submit what will pass. The sample column is part of the claim: 1,352 outcomes at Cumberland is a different kind of evidence from 100 somewhere small.

The two ends of the table

Ranked on at least 100 clear-cut outcomes in the window

Most approving

  1. Cumberland 98%
  2. Mid Ulster 98%
  3. The Broads Authority 98%
  4. West Dunbartonshire 98%
  5. Highland 97%
  6. Hammersmith and Fulham 97%
  7. Canterbury 97%
  8. Cheltenham 97%
  9. Belfast 97%
  10. North Norfolk 97%

Most refusing

  1. Enfield 74%
  2. Epping Forest 76%
  3. Ashfield 77%
  4. Brent 77%
  5. Stafford 78%
  6. Bassetlaw 78%
  7. Dartford 78%
  8. Ebbsfleet Development Corporation 78%
  9. Barnet 78%
  10. Elmbridge 78%

Every council with a publishable rate

314 councils ranked, most approving first · screened councils listed unranked with the reason · Year to December 2026

A council is listed without a rank when its sample is small, when its published wording defeats our classifier for too many decisions, or when its data shows almost no refusals against thousands of grants — a pattern that means refusals are missing from what the council publishes where we can read it, not that nothing is ever refused.

Share of clear-cut planning outcomes approved, by UK local planning authority, year to December 2026. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.
# Council Approved Granted Refused Sample Region
1 Cumberland 98% 1,319 33 1,352 North West
2 Mid Ulster 98% 597 14 611 Northern Ireland
3 The Broads Authority 98% 147 3 150 East of England
4 West Dunbartonshire 98% 144 3 147 Scotland
5 Highland 97% 1,625 50 1,675 Scotland
6 Hammersmith and Fulham 97% 1,302 47 1,349 London
7 Canterbury 97% 1,258 36 1,294 South East
8 Cheltenham 97% 1,082 30 1,112 South West
9 Belfast 97% 941 27 968 Northern Ireland
10 North Norfolk 97% 866 31 897 East of England
11 Argyll and Bute 97% 765 21 786 Scotland
12 North Lanarkshire 97% 558 18 576 Scotland
13 Causeway Coast and Glens 97% 547 18 565 Northern Ireland
14 Lisburn and Castlereagh 97% 450 12 462 Northern Ireland
15 Moray 97% 448 12 460 Scotland
16 Wyre Forest 97% 389 14 403 West Midlands
17 Neath Port Talbot 97% 388 12 400 Wales
18 Amber Valley 97% 350 9 359 East Midlands
19 Oldham 97% 343 10 353 North West
20 South Ribble 97% 193 7 200 North West
21 Inverclyde 97% 181 5 186 Scotland
22 Bolsover 97% 138 5 143 East Midlands
23 Blackburn with Darwen 97% 134 4 138 North West
24 Bath and North East Somerset 96% 2,459 96 2,555 South West
25 Fife 96% 1,848 85 1,933 Scotland
26 East Suffolk 96% 1,365 62 1,427 East of England
27 West Oxfordshire 96% 1,266 57 1,323 South East
28 Winchester 96% 969 37 1,006 South East
29 North Devon 96% 852 34 886 South West
30 East Lothian 96% 725 28 753 Scotland
31 Monmouthshire 96% 696 29 725 Wales
32 Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon 96% 602 23 625 Northern Ireland
33 Ards and North Down 96% 540 20 560 Northern Ireland
34 Fylde 96% 465 18 483 North West
35 Newry, Mourne and Down 96% 461 18 479 Northern Ireland
36 Renfrewshire 96% 424 16 440 Scotland
37 Angus 96% 416 19 435 Scotland
38 Norwich 96% 411 17 428 East of England
39 Dundee City 96% 410 17 427 Scotland
40 Stockton-on-Tees 96% 338 14 352 North East
41 Preston 96% 321 13 334 North West
42 North Ayrshire 96% 303 14 317 Scotland
43 Redcar and Cleveland 96% 300 12 312 North East
44 Blaby 96% 297 12 309 East Midlands
45 East Dunbartonshire 96% 263 11 274 Scotland
46 Darlington 96% 226 10 236 North East
47 Hinckley and Bosworth 96% 218 9 227 East Midlands
48 Gosport 96% 205 9 214 South East
49 Orkney Islands 96% 159 7 166 Scotland
50 Clackmannanshire 96% 146 6 152 Scotland
51 Lincoln 96% 107 4 111 East Midlands
52 Tamworth 96% 98 4 102 West Midlands
53 Wiltshire 95% 4,373 254 4,627 South West
54 Kensington and Chelsea 95% 2,238 106 2,344 London
55 South Norfolk 95% 1,979 113 2,092 East of England
56 Southwark 95% 1,812 104 1,916 London
57 North Somerset 95% 1,448 83 1,531 South West
58 West Suffolk 95% 1,325 66 1,391 East of England
59 Aberdeenshire 95% 1,202 61 1,263 Scotland
60 Tonbridge and Malling 95% 1,124 59 1,183 South East
61 Dumfries and Galloway 95% 1,075 52 1,127 Scotland
62 Horsham 95% 975 56 1,031 South East
63 Herefordshire, County of 95% 754 40 794 West Midlands
64 Newark and Sherwood 95% 679 32 711 East Midlands
65 Rhondda Cynon Taf 95% 606 35 641 Wales
66 Ipswich 95% 605 35 640 East of England
67 Forest of Dean 95% 555 30 585 South West
68 Nottingham 95% 495 27 522 East Midlands
69 Torfaen 95% 289 16 305 Wales
70 Knowsley 95% 201 11 212 North West
71 Halton 95% 140 8 148 North West
72 Hartlepool 95% 139 7 146 North East
73 Camden 94% 2,871 171 3,042 London
74 Broadland 94% 1,971 116 2,087 East of England
75 Cotswold 94% 1,869 116 1,985 South West
76 Cardiff 94% 1,621 97 1,718 Wales
77 Mid Sussex 94% 1,485 102 1,587 South East
78 Tunbridge Wells 94% 1,369 80 1,449 South East
79 Vale of White Horse 94% 1,130 77 1,207 South East
80 Stockport 94% 1,092 65 1,157 North West
81 South Cambridgeshire 94% 1,077 68 1,145 East of England
82 Westmorland and Furness 94% 1,067 72 1,139 North West
83 Basingstoke and Deane 94% 1,057 62 1,119 South East
84 Stratford-on-Avon 94% 1,024 60 1,084 West Midlands
85 Swindon 94% 1,004 62 1,066 South West
86 Isle of Wight 94% 967 60 1,027 South East
87 Cambridge 94% 855 50 905 East of England
88 Basildon 94% 727 50 777 East of England
89 South Lanarkshire 94% 624 37 661 Scotland
90 Torridge 94% 557 37 594 South West
91 Havant 94% 546 34 580 South East
92 Rugby 94% 523 36 559 West Midlands
93 Antrim and Newtownabbey 94% 503 32 535 Northern Ireland
94 East Ayrshire 94% 423 25 448 Scotland
95 Barnsley 94% 343 22 365 Yorkshire and The Humber
96 Kingston upon Hull, City of 94% 317 21 338 Yorkshire and The Humber
97 Telford and Wrekin 94% 309 19 328 West Midlands
98 South Tyneside 94% 243 15 258 North East
99 North Lincolnshire 94% 146 10 156 Yorkshire and The Humber
100 Cornwall 93% 4,718 375 5,093 South West
101 Babergh 93% 2,292 176 2,468 East of England
102 Mid Suffolk 93% 2,275 175 2,450 East of England
103 County Durham 93% 2,035 146 2,181 North East
104 South Oxfordshire 93% 1,585 113 1,698 South East
105 Wokingham 93% 1,525 122 1,647 South East
106 Bristol, City of 93% 1,378 98 1,476 South West
107 Hart 93% 1,040 81 1,121 South East
108 Cheshire West and Chester 93% 979 77 1,056 North West
109 Scottish Borders 93% 742 55 797 Scotland
110 Aberdeen City 93% 701 56 757 Scotland
111 Mid Devon 93% 686 52 738 South West
112 Thanet 93% 591 45 636 South East
113 Wrexham 93% 494 36 530 Wales
114 Isle of Anglesey 93% 476 38 514 Wales
115 Warwick 93% 460 33 493 West Midlands
116 East Lindsey 93% 339 26 365 East Midlands
117 Redditch 93% 338 27 365 West Midlands
118 East Cambridgeshire 93% 317 23 340 East of England
119 St. Helens 93% 294 23 317 North West
120 Midlothian 93% 293 21 314 Scotland
121 Newcastle-under-Lyme 93% 277 20 297 West Midlands
122 North West Leicestershire 93% 270 21 291 East Midlands
123 Brighton and Hove 93% 149 12 161 South East
124 North East Lincolnshire 93% 129 10 139 Yorkshire and The Humber
125 Exmoor National Park 92% 3,863 350 4,213 South West
126 Dorset 92% 3,851 355 4,206 South West
127 West Northamptonshire 92% 2,467 211 2,678 East Midlands
128 Haringey 92% 2,285 194 2,479 London
129 Lake District National Park 92% 1,861 167 2,028 North West
130 New Forest National Park 92% 1,502 137 1,639 South East
131 Cherwell 92% 1,459 119 1,578 South East
132 Oxford 92% 939 78 1,017 South East
133 Perth and Kinross 92% 887 75 962 Scotland
134 Dover 92% 799 71 870 South East
135 Harborough 92% 742 64 806 East Midlands
136 South Kesteven 92% 618 52 670 East Midlands
137 Peak District National Park 92% 600 53 653 East Midlands
138 Derby 92% 504 45 549 East Midlands
139 Crawley 92% 431 39 470 South East
140 South Derbyshire 92% 372 34 406 East Midlands
141 Erewash 92% 198 17 215 East Midlands
142 Merthyr Tydfil 92% 165 14 179 Wales
143 Yorkshire Dales National Park 91% 3,820 389 4,209 Yorkshire and The Humber
144 Islington 91% 1,685 175 1,860 London
145 South Hams 91% 1,579 160 1,739 South West
146 West Devon 91% 1,561 154 1,715 South West
147 Reigate and Banstead 91% 1,371 143 1,514 South East
148 Tower Hamlets 91% 1,291 126 1,417 London
149 Ashford 91% 1,216 113 1,329 South East
150 Test Valley 91% 1,014 101 1,115 South East
151 Southampton 91% 898 84 982 South East
152 East Devon 91% 844 81 925 South West
153 Vale of Glamorgan 91% 741 72 813 Wales
154 East Renfrewshire 91% 481 47 528 Scotland
155 Lewes 91% 447 44 491 South East
156 Bromsgrove 91% 384 37 421 West Midlands
157 West Lindsey 91% 337 33 370 East Midlands
158 Rochdale 91% 336 33 369 North West
159 Broxbourne 91% 279 29 308 East of England
160 Chesterfield 91% 245 23 268 East Midlands
161 Merton 91% 211 20 231 London
162 Rossendale 91% 193 20 213 North West
163 North East Derbyshire 91% 193 19 212 East Midlands
164 North York Moors National Park 90% 4,762 524 5,286 Yorkshire and The Humber
165 North Yorkshire 90% 3,452 380 3,832 Yorkshire and The Humber
166 Westminster 90% 2,287 264 2,551 London
167 North Northamptonshire 90% 1,538 167 1,705 East Midlands
168 Guildford 90% 1,457 157 1,614 South East
169 Waverley 90% 1,394 157 1,551 South East
170 Huntingdonshire 90% 1,290 150 1,440 East of England
171 Bexley 90% 1,106 127 1,233 London
172 Rotherham 90% 884 98 982 Yorkshire and The Humber
173 Chichester 90% 873 99 972 South East
174 Glasgow City 90% 850 98 948 Scotland
175 South Downs National Park 90% 854 94 948 South East
176 Surrey Heath 90% 753 82 835 South East
177 North Hertfordshire 90% 717 80 797 East of England
178 Sheffield 90% 712 79 791 Yorkshire and The Humber
179 Welwyn Hatfield 90% 708 75 783 East of England
180 Bracknell Forest 90% 588 68 656 South East
181 Flintshire 90% 557 64 621 Wales
182 Mid and East Antrim 90% 479 52 531 Northern Ireland
183 Wolverhampton 90% 384 44 428 West Midlands
184 Bridgend 90% 304 33 337 Wales
185 Pendle 90% 291 33 324 North West
186 Cannock Chase 90% 253 27 280 West Midlands
187 Melton 90% 235 25 260 East Midlands
188 Shropshire 90% 186 20 206 West Midlands
189 Harlow 90% 174 19 193 East of England
190 Richmond upon Thames 89% 2,595 323 2,918 London
191 Manchester 89% 2,218 285 2,503 North West
192 South Gloucestershire 89% 1,765 209 1,974 South West
193 Sevenoaks 89% 1,634 197 1,831 South East
194 York 89% 1,203 154 1,357 Yorkshire and The Humber
195 West Berkshire 89% 1,193 140 1,333 South East
196 Central Bedfordshire 89% 1,128 146 1,274 East of England
197 East Riding of Yorkshire 89% 1,092 131 1,223 Yorkshire and The Humber
198 Stroud 89% 1,031 132 1,163 South West
199 Northumberland 89% 860 106 966 North East
200 Northumberland National Park 89% 862 104 966 North East
201 Tewkesbury 89% 839 105 944 South West
202 Reading 89% 665 83 748 South East
203 Rutland 89% 629 74 703 East Midlands
204 New Forest 89% 609 75 684 South East
205 Doncaster 89% 592 71 663 Yorkshire and The Humber
206 Three Rivers 89% 576 74 650 East of England
207 Southend-on-Sea 89% 504 65 569 East of England
208 Wigan 89% 425 53 478 North West
209 Sandwell 89% 396 47 443 West Midlands
210 Tameside 89% 382 46 428 North West
211 Derbyshire Dales 89% 351 44 395 East Midlands
212 Calderdale 89% 308 40 348 Yorkshire and The Humber
213 Sefton 89% 289 37 326 North West
214 Chorley 89% 289 35 324 North West
215 Wyre 89% 179 23 202 North West
216 Gateshead 89% 144 17 161 North East
217 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 88% 3,139 443 3,582 South West
218 Wandsworth 88% 2,156 282 2,438 London
219 Lewisham 88% 1,673 230 1,903 London
220 City of Edinburgh 88% 1,210 162 1,372 Scotland
221 St Albans 88% 1,147 155 1,302 East of England
222 Kirklees 88% 1,053 137 1,190 Yorkshire and The Humber
223 Solihull 88% 941 126 1,067 West Midlands
224 Folkestone and Hythe 88% 859 122 981 South East
225 Exeter 88% 850 116 966 South West
226 Tendring 88% 749 99 848 East of England
227 Peterborough 88% 627 87 714 East of England
228 Spelthorne 88% 549 74 623 South East
229 Great Yarmouth 88% 474 67 541 East of England
230 Brentwood 88% 460 60 520 East of England
231 Rochford 88% 395 56 451 East of England
232 Malvern Hills 88% 345 45 390 West Midlands
233 Sunderland 88% 240 33 273 North East
234 Castle Point 88% 226 31 257 East of England
235 Middlesbrough 88% 115 16 131 North East
236 Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation 87% 2,845 438 3,283 London
237 Hillingdon 87% 1,691 243 1,934 London
238 Sutton 87% 916 134 1,050 London
239 Woking 87% 898 132 1,030 South East
240 Epsom and Ewell 87% 816 120 936 South East
241 Chelmsford 87% 770 119 889 East of England
242 Trafford 87% 764 118 882 North West
243 Bury 87% 367 55 422 North West
244 Worcester 87% 176 26 202 West Midlands
245 Ealing 86% 2,662 428 3,090 London
246 Wealden 86% 1,530 259 1,789 South East
247 Swansea 86% 993 162 1,155 Wales
248 Dacorum 86% 815 134 949 East of England
249 Eastleigh 86% 690 109 799 South East
250 Colchester 86% 536 86 622 East of England
251 Wychavon 86% 514 83 597 West Midlands
252 Thurrock 86% 447 74 521 East of England
253 West Lancashire 86% 284 45 329 North West
254 Fenland 86% 236 39 275 East of England
255 Birmingham 85% 3,042 554 3,596 West Midlands
256 Buckinghamshire 85% 2,700 463 3,163 South East
257 Hounslow 85% 1,880 328 2,208 London
258 Greenwich 85% 1,853 328 2,181 London
259 Newham 85% 1,251 218 1,469 London
260 East Hertfordshire 85% 585 103 688 East of England
261 East Staffordshire 85% 491 88 579 West Midlands
262 Conwy 85% 431 75 506 Wales
263 Lancaster 85% 391 70 461 North West
264 Portsmouth 85% 227 39 266 South East
265 Hyndburn 85% 141 25 166 North West
266 Milton Keynes 84% 1,188 221 1,409 South East
267 Bradford 84% 850 166 1,016 Yorkshire and The Humber
268 Tandridge 84% 848 157 1,005 South East
269 Dudley 84% 783 144 927 West Midlands
270 Arun 84% 621 116 737 South East
271 Hastings 84% 359 69 428 South East
272 South Staffordshire 84% 351 66 417 West Midlands
273 Ribble Valley 84% 334 63 397 North West
274 Leeds 83% 4,030 848 4,878 Yorkshire and The Humber
275 Kingston upon Thames 83% 1,428 286 1,714 London
276 Leicester 83% 558 111 669 East Midlands
277 Salford 83% 557 112 669 North West
278 Teignbridge 83% 458 97 555 South West
279 Lambeth 82% 1,328 284 1,612 London
280 Carmarthenshire 82% 714 157 871 Wales
281 Powys 82% 664 142 806 Wales
282 Gravesham 82% 577 128 705 South East
283 Runnymede 82% 515 114 629 South East
284 Pembrokeshire 82% 490 105 595 Wales
285 Caerphilly 82% 464 104 568 Wales
286 Gloucester 82% 396 85 481 South West
287 Maldon 82% 379 84 463 East of England
288 Luton 82% 357 77 434 East of England
289 Walsall 82% 318 68 386 West Midlands
290 Lichfield 82% 301 65 366 West Midlands
291 Redbridge 81% 2,017 482 2,499 London
292 Windsor and Maidenhead 81% 1,718 402 2,120 South East
293 Mole Valley 81% 941 218 1,159 South East
294 Uttlesford 81% 921 211 1,132 East of England
295 South Holland 81% 402 96 498 East Midlands
296 Watford 81% 347 79 426 East of England
297 Newport 80% 557 141 698 Wales
298 Bolton 80% 508 124 632 North West
299 Torbay 80% 427 104 531 South West
300 West Lothian 80% 372 92 464 Scotland
301 Burnley 80% 155 38 193 North West
302 Slough 79% 598 156 754 South East
303 Staffordshire Moorlands 79% 275 74 349 West Midlands
304 Bromley 78% 2,146 611 2,757 London
305 Elmbridge 78% 1,348 389 1,737 South East
306 Barnet 78% 1,164 334 1,498 London
307 Ebbsfleet Development Corporation 78% 640 179 819 South East
308 Dartford 78% 632 178 810 South East
309 Bassetlaw 78% 198 57 255 East Midlands
310 Stafford 78% 173 50 223 West Midlands
311 Brent 77% 1,463 437 1,900 London
312 Ashfield 77% 122 37 159 East Midlands
313 Epping Forest 76% 588 181 769 East of England
314 Enfield 74% 844 290 1,134 London
— City of London Refusals look missing 100% 1,311 3 1,314 London
— Eastbourne Refusals look missing 100% 405 0 405 South East
— High Peak Refusals look missing 100% 235 0 235 East Midlands
— Boston Outcomes partly unreadable 100% 43 0 43 East Midlands
— Havering Refusals look missing 99% 1,935 28 1,963 London
— Stirling Refusals look missing 99% 413 3 416 Scotland
— Falkirk Refusals look missing 99% 350 5 355 Scotland
— Na h-Eileanan Siar Refusals look missing 99% 307 2 309 Scotland
— Shetland Islands Refusals look missing 99% 243 3 246 Scotland
— Fermanagh and Omagh Refusals look missing 98% 621 12 633 Northern Ireland
— North Kesteven Refusals look missing 98% 516 10 526 East Midlands
— South Ayrshire Refusals look missing 98% 499 9 508 Scotland
— Derry City and Strabane Refusals look missing 98% 410 7 417 Northern Ireland
— North Warwickshire Refusals look missing 98% 128 2 130 West Midlands
— Rushmoor Outcomes partly unreadable 95% 163 8 171 South East
— Mansfield Outcomes partly unreadable 94% 163 10 173 East Midlands
— North Tyneside Outcomes partly unreadable 94% 99 6 105 North East
— Isles of Scilly Small sample 94% 73 5 78 South West
— Plymouth Outcomes partly unreadable 92% 586 51 637 South West
— Rushcliffe Outcomes partly unreadable 91% 327 31 358 East Midlands
— King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Outcomes partly unreadable 90% 523 61 584 East of England
— Wakefield Outcomes partly unreadable 90% 411 46 457 Yorkshire and The Humber
— Gedling Outcomes partly unreadable 90% 182 21 203 East Midlands
— Broxtowe Outcomes partly unreadable 90% 122 13 135 East Midlands
— Hertsmere Outcomes partly unreadable 87% 388 56 444 East of England
— Croydon Outcomes partly unreadable 86% 442 70 512 London
— Blackpool Outcomes partly unreadable 79% 60 16 76 North West
— Oadby and Wigston Outcomes partly unreadable 78% 54 15 69 East Midlands
— Adur Outcomes partly unreadable 77% 277 82 359 South East
— Bedford Outcomes partly unreadable 77% 167 49 216 East of England
— Worthing Outcomes partly unreadable 76% 261 82 343 South East
— Stevenage Outcomes partly unreadable 62% 18 11 29 East of England
— Medway Outcomes partly unreadable 46% 91 107 198 South East

Common questions

What counts as an approval?

Only clear-cut outcomes: an application granted or refused, as the council published it. Withdrawn applications, split decisions and procedural outcomes are left out, so the rate answers one question: of the applications this council actually decided, how many did it approve? Nationally that is 90% across 40,067 clear-cut outcomes in the year to December 2026.

Does a high approval rate mean permission is easy there?

Not by itself. Applicants withdraw schemes heading for refusal, pre-application advice filters weak proposals before they are submitted, and the mix of application types differs by area. A high rate can mean a permissive authority, or one whose applicants only submit what will pass. Cumberland approves 98% and Enfield approves 74%; the gap is real, but read it alongside the sample sizes and the decision-times page for each council.

Why is a council missing or unranked?

Three screens. A council needs at least 25 clear-cut outcomes before we publish a rate, and at least 100 before it is ranked. A council whose published wording we cannot read for too many of its decisions is listed but not ranked, because the rate would describe our parser rather than the council. And a council whose data shows almost no refusals at all against thousands of grants is listed but not ranked, because no authority at that scale refuses so rarely: its refusals are being published somewhere we cannot yet see, and ranking it would reward the gap.

Can I cite or reuse these figures?

Yes. The full table is downloadable as CSV, every figure carries its measurement window and sample, and the preferred citation is "PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk". Please link the page you took the figure from, because the rates are rebuilt as councils publish more decisions.

Cite these figures

Click the text to select the whole citation.

UK planning approval rates, year to December 2026: 90% of clear-cut outcomes (granted or refused) were approvals, across 40,067 decisions from 314 ranked local planning authorities. Council rates range from 74% to 98%. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.

Or take the data itself: download the approval-rates table (CSV), under the Open Government Licence with attribution.

Approval is half the story; the wait is the other half. The companion study on how long planning decisions take ranks the same councils on speed, and each council's page there carries both figures together.