Planning applications in Middlesbrough

Planning in Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough has become much stricter. Across the more than 25,300 applications since 1995, about 1 in 13 was refused, well below the 1 in 7 across the areas we cover. But in the three years before 2025, about 1 in 4 decided applications was refused, and in 2025 about 1 in 5. That is a very different picture from the long-run record, so the history of earlier years may flatter what to expect now.

The volume of work has fallen sharply too. The busiest year was 2004 with 1,283 applications, and 2025 had 591, against an average of about 609 a year in the three years before. The 2025 refusal rate was a little lower than in those earlier years.

Rear extensions are the most common kind of work, with 7,553 applications, and about 1 in 14 was refused. Side extensions come next with 3,652 (about 1 in 12), then garden rooms and outbuildings with 2,835 (about 1 in 13) and windows and doors with 1,649 (about 1 in 14). Those are close to the council’s overall rate.

Some work is refused more often than that. Front extensions and porches are about 1 in 9, fences, walls and gates about 1 in 10, loft conversions and dormers about 1 in 7, and driveways and dropped kerbs about 1 in 6. All of these are still less often than the national picture, where loft conversions and driveways are each about 1 in 5. Solar panels are the exception, at about 1 in 15. If you are planning a driveway or a loft, look carefully at what was approved on nearby streets first.

Neighbouring areas are far more lenient. North Yorkshire refuses about 1 in 83 and Redcar and Cleveland about 1 in 179, so Middlesbrough refuses more often than both.

Middlesbrough has 8 conservation areas and 125 listed buildings. If your home is in a conservation area or is listed, expect closer attention to materials, windows and anything visible from the street.

Figures in this section as of 9 October 2026.