Horsham approves 9 in 11 home projects, and conservation-area applications run at nearly 3 times the national share.
Horsham District Council received 2,680 planning applications in 2025, up 14% on 2024. Of the 3,133 applications decided across 2024 and 2025, 91.1% were approved and only 8.9% refused, well below the national refusal rate of 12.4%. The district also stands out for its historic built environment: conservation-area works accounted for 5.4% of submissions, nearly three times the national share of 1.9%, and listed-building works ran at 1.6 times the national rate.
The year in one line
Horsham is one of England's easier districts to get permission in, with a refusal rate of just 1 in 11, and its historic character shows in the data: conservation-area and listed-building applications together run well above the national norm.
What Horsham Is Building
Extensions lead, but conservation and heritage work set the district apart.
Home extensions were the most common project type submitted to Horsham District Council in 2025, at 22.3% of applications, though this sits below the national norm of 29.1%. What distinguishes the Horsham area is its heritage activity: conservation-area works made up 5.4% of submissions against a national 1.9%, and listed-building works accounted for 3.8% against a national 2.4%. Demolition applications were also notable at 10.8% of the mix.
Applications submitted to Horsham District Council in 2025, by project type (2024-2025 pooled counts shown).
The standout
Conservation-area works ran at 2.8 times the national share, with 189 applications. Listed-building consent applications ran at 1.6 times the national rate. Both reflect Horsham's concentration of protected streets and historic properties.
The council verdict
Easy to get permission here.
The council approved 91.1% of the applications it decided and refused just 8.9%, roughly 1 in 11. The national refusal rate is 12.4%, so Horsham is noticeably more permissive. Refusals fall on a small minority of projects.
About 1 in 11 Horsham applications was turned down, against a national 1 in 8.
applications refused in the Horsham area, against a national rate of roughly 1 in 8. Approval stood at 91.1%, above the national 87.6%.
Horsham vs The National Norm
A historic district, and the data proves it.
Set Horsham's application mix against the national average and two categories stand clearly above the norm. Conservation-area works made up 5.4% of submissions against a national 1.9%, nearly 3 times the national share. Listed-building works ran at 3.8% against 2.4% nationally. Extensions, at 22.3%, were lower than the national 29.1%, suggesting the district's older housing stock limits how much owners extend versus maintain or restore.
Horsham submits conservation-area works applications at 2.8 times the national share, and listed-building works at 1.6 times. Together they reflect a district with substantial protected and historic character.
Each bar is Horsham's share of applications submitted in 2025; the marker is the national share. Conservation-area and listed-building works are the town's clear divergences above the norm.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices held steady alongside the building activity.
Building and adapting homes carried on at a healthy pace, and prices moved with it rather than against it.
Horsham's planning data reflects a district with a genuine historic character. Conservation-area and listed-building applications together run well above the national norm, a signal of how much protected and period stock exists here. At the same time, this is one of the easier councils to get permission from, with a refusal rate of just 1 in 11 against a national 1 in 8. For buyers, that combination of heritage character and a permissive council is a notable finding.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to Horsham District Council in 2025 (volume); decision rates and category shares are computed over the pooled 2024-2025 window for stability. Categories are classified from each application's published description.
Decision Rates
Approval rate is approvals as a share of approvals plus refusals, over 3,133 decided applications. The national benchmarks are computed the same way across all decided applications in England and Wales.
Sales Data
HM Land Registry Price Paid Data for the Horsham post town, the latest full year's completions, with growth measured against the previous year.
The Real Applications
Open the planning applications behind the numbers.
These are real applications submitted within the Horsham District Council area, from conservation-area and listed-building consent to retrospective work and refusals. Open any one to see its full record.
14 Windrum Close RH12 1XR
A retrospective application within the district was turned down, one of the 279 refusals recorded across 2024-2025.
See this property's full record3 Reeves Court Littlehaven Lane RH12 4FH
A consent application in the Horsham area was approved, reflecting the district's high approval rate of 91.1%.
See this property's full record12 Cambridgeshire Walk, Faygate RH12 0DD
A retrospective application in the Horsham area was approved, part of the district's above-average retrospective filing rate.
See this property's full record29 Guildford Road RH12 1ND
A home extension, the most common project type submitted to Horsham, was granted by the council.
See this property's full record23 Comptons Lane RH13 5NL
A loft conversion with a rear dormer was approved, one of 148 dormer applications submitted to the district.
See this property's full record2 Normans Cottages High Street, Rusper RH12 4PX
Listed-building consent was given to replace windows with wooden flush units, part of the 134 listed-building applications in the district.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Horsham?
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