Housing Development Hotspots

Where is the most large-scale housing development happening? Councils ranked by the number of major planning applications.

Data covers the most recent 24-month period. Rankings are based on 200 councils that meet minimum data thresholds for statistical significance. Last updated 15 May 2026.

#	Council	Large Apps	Approved	Total Apps	Est. Units
1	Central Bedfordshire	181	22	1513	25803
2	West Northamptonshire	155	63	2550	30043
3	Southwark	132	30	2348	9972
4	Ealing	112	62	3186	8222
5	Vale of White Horse	91	69	1850	1675
6	Wandsworth	91	0	2181	1990
7	Bristol	80	5	2488	8237
8	Wealden	73	19	1721	1332
9	Hounslow	71	29	1994	2213
10	Kirklees	67	4	2139	5163
11	Charnwood	67	9	1359	2887
12	Buckinghamshire	62	3	3970	5518
13	Medway	60	2	1116	1223
14	Bath	60	16	2605	1690
15	Doncaster	58	30	994	3721
16	Cornwall	57	2	5350	3161
17	Kings Lynn	56	18	1593	1328
18	West Berkshire	56	13	1297	1847
19	Tonbridge	55	23	1061	1315
20	St Albans	54	3	1769	2282
21	Lambeth	53	18	1478	2541
22	Aberdeenshire	52	20	1258	1606
23	Windsor	51	3	1348	109
24	Fenland	50	29	564	1267
25	Maldon	50	8	456	1007
26	Dover	49	8	1053	723
27	Rutland	49	16	702	709
28	Coventry	48	0	950	7202
29	Selby	46	6	577	689
30	South Oxfordshire	45	39	1013	3044
31	Teignbridge	44	6	790	3244
32	Croydon	43	18	1691	998
33	South Gloucestershire	43	1	1518	2709
34	North Norfolk	42	15	1496	2435
35	Dorset	42	16	4438	1713
36	East Cambridgeshire	41	9	492	2590
37	Hillingdon	39	23	1657	819
38	Derby	39	2	721	4690
39	Mansfield	39	3	304	3915
40	East Suffolk	38	9	1762	1208
41	Mid Kent	37	10	1860	931
42	Epping Forest	35	11	1397	439
43	Harrogate	35	3	1456	1098
44	East Staffordshire	34	9	683	18777
45	Wiltshire	34	4	4575	1531
46	South Derbyshire	32	10	538	1711
47	Cheshire East	31	3	2543	1507
48	South Kesteven	31	11	884	1231
49	Thanet	30	11	651	2525
50	Runnymede	29	14	939	772

Major Housing Development

Large-scale or 'major' planning applications are defined as those proposing 10 or more dwellings, residential development on a site of 0.5 hectares or more, or non-residential development creating more than 1,000 square metres of floor space. These applications represent the most significant development activity in any area.

Councils appearing high in this ranking are experiencing significant housing growth pressure. This may be driven by local plan housing allocations, strategic growth areas, urban regeneration programmes, or market-led development in high-demand locations.

The estimated housing units figure is derived from application descriptions using natural language processing and may not perfectly reflect final numbers. Schemes frequently change during construction, and reserved matters applications may specify exact unit numbers after outline consent is granted.

Implications for Communities

Areas with high levels of major development face both opportunities and challenges. New housing can address affordability concerns and fund community infrastructure through Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy. However, rapid development can also strain local services, roads, and amenities if infrastructure delivery does not keep pace.