Planning decisions in Tower Hamlets
How long Tower Hamlets takes to decide a planning application and how many it approves, from the 894 decisions it made in the twelve months to August 2026. Days run from validation to decision, the clock the council reports against; the wait from receipt is shown beside it. How the figures are made.
56 daysmedian from validation to decision (UK 52); 56 from receipt
67%decided within eight weeks (UK 73%), 88% within thirteen
91%approved (UK 89%): 805 approved, 81 refused
264 of 321UK rank for speed, down 134 places on last year; 164 of 321 for approvals
By kind of application
| Kind | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions | UK rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full applications (including householder) | 56 | 64% | 84% | 267 | 189 of 302 |
| Discharge of conditions | 56 | 50% | 98% | 245 | 161 of 175 |
| Amendments | 33 | 73% | 95% | 95 | 126 of 263 |
| Tree works | 41 | 99% | 100% | 73 | 152 of 259 |
| Listed building consent | 56 | 67% | 92% | 61 | 94 of 200 |
| Advertisement consent | 56 | 69% | 84% | 58 | 140 of 190 |
| Lawful development certificates | 43 | 88% | 90% | 52 | 65 of 253 |
| Other * | 20 | 91% | 86% | 22 | 18 of 41 |
| Prior approvals * | 46 | 90% | 50% | 13 | 120 of 168 |
Delegated or committee
| Route | Share | Median days | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delegated to officers | over 99% | 56 | 91% | 892 |
| Planning committee | under 1% | 69 | 50% | 2 |
Where the register states how the decision was made.
Appeals
74 appeals against Tower Hamlets decisions were decided by the Planning Inspectorate in the window, 91 for every 100 refusals; 24% were allowed. Every appeal in Tower Hamlets.
By year
| Year decided | Median days | Within 8 weeks | Approved | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 * | 56 | 57% | 88% | 322 |
| 2017 * | 53 | 95% | 47% | 96 |
| 2018 * | 55 | 100% | 4% | 199 |
| 2019 * | 52 | 77% | 90% | 88 |
| 2020 * | 56 | 75% | 89% | 84 |
| 2021 * | 54 | 86% | 90% | 114 |
| 2022 * | 56 | 60% | 78% | 124 |
| 2023 * | 56 | 62% | 79% | 99 |
| 2024 * | 41 | 93% | 98% | 130 |
| 2025 * | 56 | 67% | 78% | 126 |
| 2026 so far | 56 | 67% | 91% | 894 |
* Years from our archive, which carries no validation date: timed from receipt, so a few days longer than the live years above them.
Past their target date now
- 10 Cabot Square, London, E14 5ABPart demolition of existing building structure, replacement of building fa�ade, extension at roof level, provision of external terraces anddue 23 May 2026
- 187-189 Commercial Road, London, E1 2DA2 storey roof extension to create 4 new flats on existing buildingdue 4 Jun 2026
- Ravenscroft Park, Ravenscroft Street, London E2Construction of a new Multi use 2G sand dressed surface for Football and Cricket MUGA with associated fencing and lightingdue 3 Jul 2026
- Former Poplar Bus Depot, Leven Road, London, E14 0LNApplication for Non-Material Amendment to planning permission ref: PA/19/02148, Dated 14/10/2020. Non Material Amendment(s) Sought: introducdue 20 Jul 2026
- Former 277 Commercial Road, London E1Construction of four storey building with basement. Creation of retail unit at ground floor and basement level and 1x one-bedroom flat and 1due 30 Jul 2026
- 4-8 Vyner Street, London, E2 9DGDemolition of existing buildings and redevelopment of a building comprising commercial and residential uses, alongside landscaping and cycledue 14 Aug 2026
- 185 Bow Common Lane, London, E3 4JJChange of use of ground floor to provide two residential dwellings (Use Class C3)due 20 Aug 2026
- 53 Grove Road, London, E3 4PESubmission of details pursuant to condition no.8 (Materials) of planning permission PA/21/01417, dated 19/05/2022due 27 Aug 2026
Decided in the last three weeks
- Adjacent to Wilmer House, Daling Way, London E3 5JRSubmission of details pursuant to condition no.8 (Management Plan) of planning permission ref: PA/25/00751, dated 04/09/2025Approved11 Sept 2026
- Omega Works, 4 Roach Road, London, E3 2GYSubmission of details pursuant to condition no.3 (Samples (to be provided on-site) and Full Particulars of the Following Materials) of plannApproved11 Sept 2026
- 6 Sutton Street, London, E1 0BBRetrospective change of use from a Rental Car Hire Business (Sui Generis use) with ancillary office floorspace to retail warehouse club (SuiApproved11 Sept 2026
- 9 Flamborough Street, London, E14 7LSReplacement of the existing front door with a Georgian-style timber door, replacement of the rear door and sidelight with timber double-glazApproved10 Sept 2026
- 9 Flamborough Street, London, E14 7LSReplacement of the existing front door with a Georgian-style timber door, replacement of the rear door and sidelight with timber double-glazApproved10 Sept 2026
- 66 Tredegar Square, London, E3 5AEWorks to: T1 x Sorbus Tree to Reduce by 2.0Mtrs T2 x Bay Tree to Reduce by 2.0Mtrs T3 x Magnolia Tree - to Reduce by 2.0MtrsApproved8 Sept 2026
- 350 The Highway, London E1W 3HURepairs to the listed building including replacement of all rooflights, removal of one rooflight, replacement ridge tiles and vent tiles, brApproved8 Sept 2026
- 14 Flamborough Street, London, E14 7LSReplacement of windows and external doors.Approved8 Sept 2026
Built nightly from Tower Hamlets's planning register. Ranks are among the 321 published councils. See planning applications in Tower Hamlets, appeals, or get alerts for Tower Hamlets.
About these figures
How are decision times measured?
Days from the date the council validated the application to the date it decided it, for applications approved or refused in the window. That is the clock councils report against and the official statistics use. Each council’s page also shows the count from receipt, which is what the applicant actually waited. Withdrawn and undecided applications are not timed.
Why do these figures differ from the council’s own?
Councils count an agreed extension of time as decided on time; we treat the calendar as the calendar. Our figures are also live and rolling, where official statistics are quarterly and annual. So a council’s own within-eight-weeks figure will usually sit a little above ours.
What counts as approved?
Approval rate is approvals divided by approvals plus refusals. Withdrawals, and decisions whose outcome the register does not state, are counted in the totals but not in the rate.
Why is a council missing?
A council is published when it has at least 25 timed decisions in the window and its register’s decision data passes our consistency checks. Councils that fail are listed with the reason rather than shown with a number that would mislead.
How often is this updated?
Nightly, from the decisions we collect from every council register we monitor. The window is the twelve months to the last complete month.