Which councils get overturned on appeal

When a council refuses planning permission, the applicant can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. Across England, inspectors allowed 31% of the 10,059 planning appeals decided in April 2025 to March 2026. Which council you are dealing with changes that number a great deal.

Appeals decided

10,059

Allowed

3,073

England rate

31%

Councils

306

Most often overturned

Refusals here are the least likely to stick.

Newcastle-under-Lyme60% (12/20)
Nottingham56% (19/34)
Tonbridge and Malling55% (12/22)
Portsmouth52% (12/23)
South Derbyshire52% (12/23)
Tandridge52% (24/46)
Basildon50% (14/28)
Dartford50% (13/26)
Dudley48% (13/27)
Telford and Wrekin48% (13/27)

Least often overturned

When these councils refuse, it tends to hold.

Newcastle upon Tyne5% (1/21)
Folkestone and Hythe8% (2/24)
Merton9% (2/22)
Barking and Dagenham9% (3/33)
New Forest10% (2/20)
Ealing10% (5/50)
Breckland11% (5/47)
Torbay13% (3/24)
Harrow14% (8/59)
Winchester14% (5/36)

Every council

Councils with fewer than 20 appeals decided are listed without a rate, because at that size one decision moves the percentage several points.

Council	Region	Decided	Allowed	Rate
Adur	South East	9	3	-
Amber Valley	East Midlands	11	1	-
Arun	South East	36	11	31%
Ashfield	East Midlands	11	4	-
Ashford	South East	53	13	25%
Babergh	East of England	26	7	27%
Barking and Dagenham	London	33	3	9%
Barnet	London	157	36	23%
Barnsley	Yorkshire & Humberside	18	8	-
Basildon	East of England	28	14	50%
Basingstoke and Deane	South East	66	18	27%
Bassetlaw	East Midlands	22	4	18%
Bath and North East Somerset	South West	31	9	29%
Bedford	East of England	53	15	28%
Bexley	London	48	13	27%
Birmingham	West Midlands	88	30	34%
Blaby	East Midlands	11	2	-
Blackburn with Darwen	North West	5	0	-
Blackpool	North West	10	2	-
Bolsover	East Midlands	9	3	-
Bolton	North West	36	8	22%
Boston	East Midlands	7	1	-
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	South West	89	22	25%
Bracknell Forest	South East	26	9	35%
Bradford	Yorkshire & Humberside	47	8	17%
Braintree	East of England	58	14	24%
Breckland	East of England	47	5	11%
Brent	London	102	18	18%
Brentwood	East of England	18	4	-
Brighton and Hove	South East	55	21	38%
Bristol, City of	South West	95	23	24%
Broadland	East of England	21	3	14%
Bromley	London	110	28	25%
Bromsgrove	West Midlands	21	7	33%
Broxbourne	East of England	33	10	30%
Broxtowe	East Midlands	10	6	-
Buckinghamshire	South East	127	48	38%
Burnley	North West	10	2	-
Bury	North West	15	3	-
Calderdale	Yorkshire & Humberside	37	7	19%
Cambridge	East of England	22	5	23%
Camden	London	61	16	26%
Cannock Chase	West Midlands	6	3	-
Canterbury	South East	28	6	21%
Castle Point	East of England	23	10	43%
Central Bedfordshire	East of England	91	22	24%
Charnwood	East Midlands	22	8	36%
Chelmsford	East of England	43	19	44%
Cheltenham	South West	5	2	-
Cherwell	South East	41	18	44%
Cheshire East	North West	105	38	36%
Cheshire West and Chester	North West	67	25	37%
Chesterfield	East Midlands	8	0	-
Chichester	South East	33	14	42%
Chorley	North West	14	9	-
City of London	London	7	3	-
Colchester	East of England	55	18	33%
Cornwall	South West	199	85	43%
Cotswold	South West	32	12	38%
County Durham	North East	43	10	23%
Coventry	West Midlands	36	17	47%
Crawley	South East	7	4	-
Croydon	London	119	21	18%
Cumberland	North West	11	2	-
Dacorum	East of England	34	11	32%
Darlington	North East	5	1	-
Dartford	South East	26	13	50%
Dartmoor National Park	South West	18	5	-
Derby	East Midlands	13	6	-
Derbyshire Dales	East Midlands	16	7	-
Doncaster	Yorkshire & Humberside	30	8	27%
Dorset	South West	92	32	35%
Dover	South East	23	6	26%
Dudley	West Midlands	27	13	48%
Ealing	London	50	5	10%
East Cambridgeshire	East of England	23	5	22%
East Devon	South West	62	20	32%
East Hampshire	South East	22	7	32%
East Hertfordshire	East of England	51	20	39%
East Lindsey	East Midlands	21	7	33%
East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire & Humberside	75	18	24%
East Staffordshire	West Midlands	10	4	-
East Suffolk	East of England	41	8	20%
Eastbourne	South East	11	6	-
Eastleigh	South East	21	5	24%
Elmbridge	South East	51	18	35%
Enfield	London	75	15	20%
Epping Forest	East of England	90	26	29%
Epsom and Ewell	South East	18	6	-
Erewash	East Midlands	4	0	-
Exeter	South West	17	4	-
Exmoor National Park	South West	7	2	-
Fareham	South East	7	3	-
Fenland	East of England	16	4	-
Folkestone and Hythe	South East	24	2	8%
Forest of Dean	South West	21	8	38%
Fylde	North West	7	6	-
Gateshead	North East	12	4	-
Gedling	East Midlands	10	5	-
Gloucester	South West	2	0	-
Gosport	South East	5	1	-
Gravesham	South East	29	8	28%
Great Yarmouth	East of England	16	5	-
Greenwich	London	43	11	26%
Guildford	South East	49	14	29%
Hackney	London	59	23	39%
Halton	North West	4	1	-
Hammersmith and Fulham	London	40	11	28%
Harborough	East Midlands	24	7	29%
Haringey	London	42	12	29%
Harlow	East of England	9	3	-
Harrow	London	59	8	14%
Hart	South East	25	11	44%
Hartlepool	North East	6	2	-
Hastings	South East	4	1	-
Havant	South East	6	2	-
Havering	London	112	18	16%
Herefordshire, County of	West Midlands	33	8	24%
Hertsmere	East of England	16	9	-
High Peak	East Midlands	11	4	-
Hillingdon	London	68	21	31%
Hinckley and Bosworth	East Midlands	21	3	14%
Horsham	South East	89	29	33%
Hounslow	London	65	17	26%
Huntingdonshire	East of England	27	6	22%
Hyndburn	North West	13	9	-
Ipswich	East of England	16	6	-
Isle of Wight	South East	27	11	41%
Isles of Scilly	South West	1	0	-
Islington	London	56	14	25%
Kensington and Chelsea	London	25	9	36%
King’s Lynn and West Norfolk	East of England	38	9	24%
Kingston upon Hull, City of	Yorkshire & Humberside	10	5	-
Kingston upon Thames	London	55	18	33%
Kirklees	Yorkshire & Humberside	41	7	17%
Knowsley	North West	3	0	-
Lake District National Park	North West	14	0	-
Lambeth	London	74	19	26%
Lancaster	North West	16	5	-
Leeds	Yorkshire & Humberside	94	24	26%
Leicester	East Midlands	31	8	26%
Lewes	South East	20	4	20%
Lewisham	London	42	14	33%
Lichfield	West Midlands	20	5	25%
Lincoln	East Midlands	8	2	-
Liverpool	North West	57	23	40%
Luton	East of England	41	13	32%
Maidstone	South East	70	33	47%
Maldon	East of England	47	18	38%
Malvern Hills	West Midlands	47	21	45%
Manchester	North West	54	10	19%
Mansfield	East Midlands	2	0	-
Medway	South East	29	5	17%
Melton	East Midlands	9	3	-
Merton	London	22	2	9%
Mid Devon	South West	13	3	-
Mid Suffolk	East of England	42	8	19%
Mid Sussex	South East	37	16	43%
Middlesbrough	North East	19	6	-
Milton Keynes	South East	27	6	22%
Mole Valley	South East	67	17	25%
New Forest	South East	20	2	10%
New Forest National Park	South East	12	6	-
Newark and Sherwood	East Midlands	21	7	33%
Newcastle upon Tyne	North East	21	1	5%
Newcastle-under-Lyme	West Midlands	20	12	60%
Newham	London	53	8	15%
North Devon	South West	24	7	29%
North East Derbyshire	East Midlands	21	4	19%
North East Lincolnshire	Yorkshire & Humberside	8	2	-
North Hertfordshire	East of England	24	8	33%
North Kesteven	East Midlands	10	2	-
North Lincolnshire	Yorkshire & Humberside	36	12	33%
North Norfolk	East of England	30	6	20%
North Northamptonshire	East Midlands	41	18	44%
North Somerset	South West	45	11	24%
North Tyneside	North East	11	5	-
North Warwickshire	West Midlands	11	6	-
North West Leicestershire	East Midlands	14	5	-
North York Moors National Park	Yorkshire & Humberside	9	3	-
North Yorkshire	Yorkshire & Humberside	150	51	34%
Northumberland	North East	52	11	21%
Northumberland National Park	North East	1	0	-
Norwich	East of England	7	1	-
Nottingham	East Midlands	34	19	56%
Nuneaton and Bedworth	West Midlands	5	1	-
Oadby and Wigston	East Midlands	2	0	-
Oldham	North West	11	5	-
Oxford	South East	26	6	23%
Peak District National Park	East Midlands	19	9	-
Pendle	North West	19	9	-
Peterborough	East of England	16	2	-
Plymouth	South West	8	0	-
Portsmouth	South East	23	12	52%
Preston	North West	16	3	-
Reading	South East	23	4	17%
Redbridge	London	45	10	22%
Redcar and Cleveland	North East	5	1	-
Redditch	West Midlands	4	2	-
Reigate and Banstead	South East	37	11	30%
Ribble Valley	North West	28	10	36%
Richmond upon Thames	London	38	12	32%
Rochdale	North West	14	6	-
Rochford	East of England	19	7	-
Rossendale	North West	17	5	-
Rother	South East	38	8	21%
Rotherham	Yorkshire & Humberside	16	6	-
Rugby	West Midlands	14	5	-
Runnymede	South East	32	5	16%
Rushcliffe	East Midlands	19	6	-
Rushmoor	South East	5	1	-
Rutland	East Midlands	18	6	-
Salford	North West	9	5	-
Sandwell	West Midlands	12	5	-
Sefton	North West	17	10	-
Sevenoaks	South East	21	6	29%
Sheffield	Yorkshire & Humberside	42	19	45%
Shropshire	West Midlands	73	24	33%
Slough	South East	30	9	30%
Solihull	West Midlands	23	6	26%
Somerset	South West	138	53	38%
South Cambridgeshire	East of England	37	9	24%
South Derbyshire	East Midlands	23	12	52%
South Downs National Park	South East	56	18	32%
South Gloucestershire	South West	57	25	44%
South Hams	South West	20	7	35%
South Holland	East Midlands	23	6	26%
South Kesteven	East Midlands	25	8	32%
South Norfolk	East of England	18	4	-
South Oxfordshire	South East	42	16	38%
South Ribble	North West	10	1	-
South Staffordshire	West Midlands	30	10	33%
South Tyneside	North East	3	2	-
Southampton	South East	13	4	-
Southend-on-Sea City Council	East of England	48	16	33%
Southwark	London	15	3	-
Spelthorne	South East	33	11	33%
St Albans	East of England	38	10	26%
St. Helens	North West	9	2	-
Stafford	West Midlands	14	7	-
Staffordshire Moorlands	West Midlands	32	12	38%
Stevenage	East of England	1	1	-
Stockport	North West	8	5	-
Stockton-on-Tees	North East	13	4	-
Stoke-on-Trent	West Midlands	6	2	-
Stratford-on-Avon	West Midlands	62	24	39%
Stroud	South West	43	14	33%
Sunderland	North East	11	0	-
Surrey Heath	South East	27	5	19%
Sutton	London	30	12	40%
Swale	South East	41	13	32%
Swindon	South West	17	4	-
Tameside	North West	18	6	-
Tamworth	West Midlands	1	0	-
Tandridge	South East	46	24	52%
Teignbridge	South West	40	12	30%
Telford and Wrekin	West Midlands	27	13	48%
Tendring	East of England	49	13	27%
Test Valley	South East	28	9	32%
Tewkesbury	South West	28	12	43%
Thanet	South East	25	10	40%
The Broads Authority	East of England	4	0	-
Three Rivers	East of England	20	7	35%
Thurrock	East of England	33	7	21%
Tonbridge and Malling	South East	22	12	55%
Torbay	South West	24	3	13%
Torridge	South West	37	12	32%
Tower Hamlets	London	41	7	17%
Trafford	North West	35	9	26%
Tunbridge Wells	South East	23	5	22%
Uttlesford	East of England	71	16	23%
Vale of White Horse	South East	19	4	-
Wakefield	Yorkshire & Humberside	34	14	41%
Walsall	West Midlands	18	11	-
Waltham Forest	London	58	14	24%
Wandsworth	London	47	10	21%
Warrington	North West	46	13	28%
Warwick	West Midlands	30	12	40%
Watford	East of England	23	8	35%
Waverley	South East	54	22	41%
Wealden	South East	76	27	36%
Welwyn Hatfield	East of England	11	2	-
West Berkshire	South East	37	16	43%
West Devon	South West	35	14	40%
West Lancashire	North West	25	9	36%
West Lindsey	East Midlands	15	2	-
West Northamptonshire	East Midlands	65	26	40%
West Oxfordshire	South East	29	7	24%
West Suffolk	East of England	46	9	20%
Westminster	London	62	28	45%
Westmorland and Furness	North West	26	9	35%
Wigan	North West	25	9	36%
Wiltshire	South West	108	42	39%
Winchester	South East	36	5	14%
Windsor and Maidenhead	South East	59	19	32%
Wirral	North West	27	6	22%
Woking	South East	25	6	24%
Wokingham	South East	25	5	20%
Wolverhampton	West Midlands	22	9	41%
Worcester	West Midlands	13	5	-
Worthing	South East	9	1	-
Wychavon	West Midlands	86	41	48%
Wyre	North West	12	4	-
Wyre Forest	West Midlands	22	8	36%
York	Yorkshire & Humberside	43	7	16%
Yorkshire Dales National Park	Yorkshire & Humberside	9	1	-

Figures cover April 2025 to March 2026 and come from the Planning Inspectorate, Decisions by LPA and decision maker, published under the Open Government Licence. Section 78 planning appeals only. Source data. Free to reuse with a link to this page.