Research · Planning odds

Will your project be approved? Planning odds by council

Real approval rates and typical decision times for common home projects, by council, from public planning decision records — no ads, no paid placement. Pick a project to see which councils approve the most and fewest, then open a council for its full track record.

Based on decisions on the public record over the last 5 years, as of 10 Jul 2026.

Extension

Of 371 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Lowest approval

Portsmouth — 20%
Slough — 54%
Burnley — 59%
Greenwich — 67%
Brent — 72%

Rear extension

Of 318 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Ards and North Down — 99%
Halton — 99%
South Tyneside — 99%
North Norfolk — 99%
Blaby — 99%

Lowest approval

Slough — 57%
Burnley — 55%
Greenwich — 67%
Brent — 70%
Kingston — 73%

Demolition

Of 298 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Old Oak Park Royal — 98%
Ards and North Down — 99%
Knowsley — 98%
North Devon — 98%
Southwark — 97%

Lowest approval

Barking and Dagenham — 66%
Epping Forest — 67%
Croydon — 71%
Gravesham — 71%
Mole Valley — 74%

Change of use

Of 285 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Angus — 98%
Western Isles — 99%
Havering — 97%
Orkney — 98%
Mansfield — 95%

Lowest approval

Portsmouth — 12%
Burnley — 36%
Waltham Forest — 39%
Newham — 46%
Barking and Dagenham — 47%

Tree work

Of 265 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Greenwich — 99%
Camden — 98%
New Forest (Park) — 99%
Canterbury — 99%
Westminster — 99%

Lowest approval

Wakefield — 59%
Basingstoke — 64%
Eastleigh — 71%
Dudley — 69%
Chichester — 70%

Side extension

Of 262 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

East Dunbartonshire — 99%
Ards and North Down — 99%
Blaby — 99%
Fareham — 99%
Oldham — 99%

Lowest approval

Barking and Dagenham — 59%
Greenwich — 61%
Brent — 71%
Dartford — 66%
Staffordshire Moorlands — 65%

Two-storey extension

Of 209 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Ards and North Down — 99%
Knowsley — 98%
Erewash — 98%
Amber Valley — 99%
Halton — 98%

Lowest approval

Barking and Dagenham — 50%
Greenwich — 47%
Middlesbrough — 58%
Mole Valley — 58%
Dartford — 54%

Loft conversion

Of 207 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Havering — 99%
East Dunbartonshire — 99%
South Oxfordshire — 99%
Rushmoor — 98%
North Ayrshire — 99%

Lowest approval

Slough — 33%
Gloucester — 54%
Middlesbrough — 59%
Greenwich — 66%
Oadby and Wigston — 62%

Porch

Of 187 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Solihull — 98%
Knowsley — 99%
Bury — 97%
Waverley — 98%
North Norfolk — 99%

Lowest approval

Greenwich — 56%
Barking and Dagenham — 66%
Brent — 69%
Waltham Forest — 65%
Hounslow — 69%

Roof / fenestration

Of 180 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Havering — 99%
Tunbridge Wells — 98%
Guernsey — 97%
Kensington — 96%
North Norfolk — 99%

Lowest approval

Slough — 34%
Greenwich — 70%
Brent — 75%
Kingston — 76%
Windsor — 78%

Outbuilding / garden room

Of 176 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Cotswold — 99%
North York Moors — 99%
Falkirk — 98%
Rushmoor — 98%
Camden — 94%

Lowest approval

Barking and Dagenham — 65%
Brent — 67%
Uttlesford — 62%
Mole Valley — 66%
Epping Forest — 71%

Boundary wall / fence / gates

Of 166 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Lowest approval

Bromley — 66%
Windsor — 63%
Brent — 73%
BCP — 68%
Sutton — 74%

Listed building / conservation

Of 143 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

West Suffolk — 99%
Gosport — 99%
Hambleton — 99%
Babergh Mid Suffolk — 99%
Swindon — 99%

Lowest approval

Bromley — 59%
Wycombe — 70%
Epping Forest — 71%
Lambeth — 79%
Richmondshire — 79%

New dwelling

Of 133 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Southwark — 99%
Camden — 96%
Sedgemoor — 96%
Merton — 94%
Aberdeenshire — 96%

Lowest approval

Middlesbrough — 58%
Braintree — 59%
Croydon — 57%
Epping Forest — 62%
Lichfield — 60%

Conservatory / orangery

Of 130 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Hammersmith and Fulham — 99%
Rushmoor — 99%
Knowsley — 99%
South Oxfordshire — 99%
Halton — 99%

Lowest approval

Brent — 71%
Hillingdon — 81%
Sutton — 81%
Barking and Dagenham — 77%
Greenwich — 80%

Advertisement / signage

Of 85 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Belfast — 99%
Stevenage — 99%
Kensington — 96%
North Lanarkshire — 98%
Knowsley — 98%

Lowest approval

Lewisham — 64%
Newport — 68%
Trafford — 69%
Wandsworth — 77%
Bromley — 77%

Solar / renewables

Of 84 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Camden — 96%
Kensington — 98%
Western Isles — 99%
North Norfolk — 99%
Shetlands — 98%

Lowest approval

Kingston — 67%
East Hertfordshire — 70%
Greenwich — 68%
Lambeth — 77%
Powys — 73%

Windows & doors

Of 77 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

East Lothian — 99%
Hammersmith and Fulham — 96%
Camden — 95%
Kensington — 96%
North York Moors — 98%

Lowest approval

Kingston — 67%
Hart — 69%
Lambeth — 80%
Greenwich — 81%
Tower Hamlets — 78%

Driveway / dropped kerb

Of 73 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Erewash — 98%
Knowsley — 98%
East Lothian — 96%
Cheltenham — 97%
Rhondda — 96%

Lowest approval

Bromley — 63%
Richmond — 57%
Brent — 69%
Enfield — 61%
Wycombe — 65%

Balcony / roof terrace

Of 53 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Kensington — 94%
Camden — 92%
Southwark — 94%
City — 98%
Thanet — 96%

Lowest approval

Waltham Forest — 50%
Newham — 60%
Richmond — 65%
Kingston — 67%
Sutton — 68%

Shopfront / commercial

Of 36 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Camden — 93%
Kensington — 93%
Nottingham — 98%
Havering — 98%
Wandsworth — 91%

Lowest approval

Kingston — 68%
Brent — 69%
Redbridge — 70%
Waltham Forest — 71%
Newham — 73%

Basement

Of 26 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Camden — 95%
City — 98%
Kensington — 95%
Southwark — 96%
Ealing — 95%

Lowest approval

Croydon — 63%
Kingston — 71%
Redbridge — 67%
Lewisham — 71%
Brent — 78%

Garage conversion

Of 18 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Central Bedfordshire — 98%
Solihull — 96%
Basildon — 98%
Stockport — 98%
Walsall — 95%

Lowest approval

Oadby and Wigston — 77%
Windsor — 83%
Bromley — 87%
Bedford — 87%
Wokingham — 93%

Annexe

Of 8 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

South Oxfordshire — 98%
North York Moors — 96%
North Norfolk — 96%
Camden — 94%
Anglesey — 93%

Lowest approval

Bromley — 64%
Merton — 88%

Swimming pool

Of 2 councils with enough recent decisions to compare.

Highest approval

Jersey — 97%
Camden — 95%

Method

Approval rate = approved ÷ (approved + refused) over public planning decisions, matched to a type of work from the application description. We lead with the last 5 years so the figure reflects how a council decides today, with the longer record shown as context. A council only appears in a highest- or lowest-approval list when it has enough recent decisions for the comparison to be reliable. Aggregate figures only, never an individual application. Journalists are welcome to cite these with attribution to MyTrustedTraders. Read the full method and limits.