Planning applications in Basildon

Planning in Basildon

Basildon has refused more often than the areas we cover as a whole, but the latest year shows a big change. Over the whole record since 2016 about 1 in 6 decided applications was refused, against about 1 in 7 across the areas we cover. Yet in 2025 the rate was about 1 in 9, compared with about 1 in 5 in the three years before. Refusals fell sharply even though the number of applications was steady, at 1,550 against an average of about 1,500 a year.

The older record still matters, because it shows which projects were hardest. Garden rooms and outbuildings, loft conversions and dormers, and driveways and dropped kerbs were each refused about 1 in 4 times, more often than the council overall and well above the national picture (about 1 in 7, 1 in 5 and 1 in 5). Side extensions and front extensions and porches were each about 1 in 5, and solar panels about 1 in 5 as well. Fences, walls and gates were about 1 in 6.

Rear extensions are the biggest category, with more than 5,000 applications, and about 1 in 6 was refused, in line with the council overall but above the 1 in 7 seen nationally. Windows and doors are the easy exception, at about 1 in 9, the same as the national rate.

Basildon refuses less often than its neighbours Brentwood, Castle Point and Rochford, which are all at about 1 in 5. So although it is stricter than the national picture, it is more lenient than all three of those neighbours.

Basildon has 4 conservation areas and 125 listed buildings, so heritage is a limited factor for most homes. The busiest year on record was 2021 with 1,796 applications. Even with refusals running lower, the earlier record is a reason to look carefully at what has been approved nearby before you apply for an outbuilding, a loft or a driveway.

Figures in this section as of 9 October 2026.