Applying for planning permission is a difficult and frustrating process. Thousands of applications are denied every year, resulting in numerous re-attempts. The main reason for declining an application is overlooking or the loss of privacy.
However, 88% of planning permissions are still approved in England. The easiest place to get your application approved is the City of London, with 99% of all planning permission applications granted.
Everest held a survey that revealed 34% of people who recently applied for planning permission found the process of getting started difficult, while 32% waited at least three months before their application was approved and 25% of those denied applied three or more times.
Data shows that planning permission is given more easily now than before. In the year ending September 2017, authorities across the UK received 476,300 planning applications out of which 434,300 were approved.
Everest created a list with the areas that are most likely to grant planning permission, including City of London, Wigan, Exmoor National Park, Copeland, Hartlepool, Rushmoor, Plymouth, Sefton, Middlesbrough and The Broads Authority. The areas that are the most likely to decline it are Harrow, Enfield, Havering, Hillingdon, Luton, Redbridge, Southend-on-Sea, Kingston upon Thames and Maldon.
The big question now is, why were those applications declined? Results from the Everest survey revealed that the most common reason was loss of privacy, with 42% of people admitting that was a struggle they faced. Another cause was the unsupportive neighbours or overshadowing/causing loss of light, with 25% of people experiencing that. 16% of respondents revealed that they were denied because of disruptions to parking.
However, despite these results, 65% said their neighbours accepted their home improvement plans, proving that community support still exists.