UK planning permission statistics by council
What is the planning permission approval rate in England?
In the year to December 2025, English local planning authorities granted 87% of all planning decisions — 261,678 approvals out of 300,645 decisions, unchanged year on year — with 90% of major applications decided within 13 weeks, per MHCLG Planning Application Statistics (table P134), published 18 December 2025.
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) — Planning Application Statistics · Year ending December 2025 · published 18 December 2025. Updated quarterly (last refreshed 2026-06-18).
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Approval rate in Adur
92%
5 pts above the England average (87%).
Gera Planning Approval Index
93 / 100
Ranked #93 of 310 authorities.
Decisions made (yr to Dec 2025)
310
286 granted.
Single-storey rear extensions within size limits are frequently permitted development for houses — but limits are tighter for flats, listed buildings, and conservation areas. Confirm with your council.
Approval rate and index are this authority’s record across all decision types (year ending December 2025, MHCLG live table P134) — not a prediction for your specific application, and not broken down by project type. Permitted-development guidance is general (England); always confirm with your council or a planning professional.
Highest-scoring councils — Gera Planning Approval Index
| # | Local planning authority | Approval rate | GPAI | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hammersmith and Fulham | 97% | 97 | 1,401 |
| 2 | Cumberland | 97% | 97 | 1,146 |
| 3 | Vale of White Horse | 96% | 97 | 986 |
| 4 | North Tyneside | 96% | 97 | 648 |
| 5 | North Kesteven | 97% | 97 | 637 |
| 6 | Herefordshire, County of | 94% | 96 | 1,389 |
| 7 | Cheltenham | 96% | 96 | 1,021 |
| 8 | Amber Valley | 96% | 96 | 690 |
| 9 | Fareham | 98% | 96 | 595 |
| 10 | Norwich | 96% | 96 | 546 |
| 11 | City of London | 96% | 96 | 448 |
| 12 | South Tyneside | 96% | 96 | 376 |
| 13 | Lincoln | 95% | 96 | 329 |
| 14 | Rushmoor | 96% | 96 | 313 |
| 15 | Halton | 95% | 96 | 255 |
Lowest-scoring councils
| # | Local planning authority | Approval rate | GPAI | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 310 | Epping Forest | 66% | 75 | 1,350 |
| 309 | Barking and Dagenham | 66% | 76 | 713 |
| 308 | Hounslow | 68% | 77 | 1,284 |
| 307 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 69% | 78 | 1,576 |
| 306 | Oadby and Wigston | 72% | 79 | 279 |
| 305 | Gravesham | 72% | 80 | 627 |
| 304 | Mole Valley | 73% | 80 | 1,025 |
| 303 | Waltham Forest | 74% | 81 | 1,332 |
| 302 | Havering | 73% | 81 | 1,476 |
| 301 | Hyndburn | 77% | 82 | 252 |
All 310 local planning authorities
Frequently asked questions
What is the planning permission approval rate in England?
Across England, 87% of planning decisions were granted in the year to December 2025 — 261,678 of 300,645 decisions — unchanged from a year earlier (MHCLG, published 18 December 2025).
How long does planning permission take?
In July to September 2025, 90% of major applications were decided within 13 weeks or an agreed time, and 88% of minor applications within 8 weeks or an agreed time (MHCLG).
What is the approval rate for householder extensions?
Authorities granted 90% of householder development applications (e.g. extensions, loft conversions) in July to September 2025, per MHCLG.
What is the Gera Planning Approval Index?
The Gera Planning Approval Index (GPAI) is computed transparently from two real MHCLG figures for each local planning authority: the percentage of planning decisions granted (weighted 70%) and the percentage of decisions delegated to planning officers (weighted 30%). GPAI = round(0.70 × granted% + 0.30 × delegated%), on a 0–100 scale. A higher score means an authority where applications are both more likely to be approved and more likely to be handled efficiently by officers rather than held for committee. It is a descriptive index of the published year-ending-December-2025 record, not a prediction of any individual application’s outcome.
How the Gera Planning Approval Index is calculated
The Gera Planning Approval Index (GPAI) is computed transparently from two real MHCLG figures for each local planning authority: the percentage of planning decisions granted (weighted 70%) and the percentage of decisions delegated to planning officers (weighted 30%). GPAI = round(0.70 × granted% + 0.30 × delegated%), on a 0–100 scale. A higher score means an authority where applications are both more likely to be approved and more likely to be handled efficiently by officers rather than held for committee. It is a descriptive index of the published year-ending-December-2025 record, not a prediction of any individual application’s outcome.
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Source: Planning Application Statistics — live table P134 (district planning authorities), year ending December 2025. Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), published 18 December 2025, fetched 2026-06-18. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are this authority’s published record, not a prediction for any individual application.