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 8 August 2026.

#	Council	Large Apps	Approved	Total Apps	Est. Units
1	Central Bedfordshire	203	23	2095	27938
2	West Northamptonshire	169	69	3378	27630
3	Southwark	162	31	3444	12989
4	Bristol	113	13	4002	9132
5	Wealden	108	31	2583	1647
6	Ealing	108	58	3836	8192
7	South Gloucestershire	97	9	2356	5887
8	Vale of White Horse	90	62	2083	2340
9	Charnwood	87	11	1501	2853
10	Kirklees	87	4	3410	6862
11	Wandsworth	86	0	2493	3809
12	Buckinghamshire	85	9	6577	7232
13	Hounslow	82	28	2248	2428
14	Cornwall	80	3	9638	5537
15	Medway	78	2	1638	4797
16	Bath	73	16	3023	1980
17	East Cambridgeshire	70	12	674	3082
18	Kings Lynn	70	20	1957	1423
19	Aberdeenshire	65	29	1803	1844
20	Windsor	65	6	1620	109
21	Coventry	65	0	1408	10767
22	Rutland	63	18	1288	734
23	West Berkshire	63	15	1825	2645
24	St Albans	62	4	3117	4718
25	Dover	62	7	1511	688
26	South Oxfordshire	59	46	1420	3106
27	Mid Kent	56	13	2827	1153
28	Rugby	56	25	1080	5846
29	Dorset	56	18	6169	2956
30	East Suffolk	55	22	2089	1683
31	Tonbridge	55	22	1212	1310
32	Doncaster	55	22	902	3290
33	Maldon	55	6	879	1059
34	Selby	54	7	790	1252
35	Fenland	54	30	770	1359
36	Teignbridge	52	6	1136	3622
37	Broxbourne	50	0	1171	6257
38	Lambeth	50	18	1764	2889
39	Cotswold	48	31	2547	987
40	Leeds	48	10	6196	4762
41	Chesterfield	47	5	867	11556
42	North Norfolk	47	16	2137	2410
43	Derby	46	4	1323	7341
44	South Kesteven	45	19	1586	1491
45	Brentwood	44	23	981	1440
46	Swindon	42	9	1497	1836
47	Croydon	42	17	2487	1936
48	Mansfield	42	3	519	6021
49	Wiltshire	41	4	5799	2198
50	Runnymede	41	17	1522	797

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.