City of Edinburgh vs Leeds — planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between City of Edinburgh and Leeds? A side-by-side comparison based on 95,333 combined decisions.

Last updated: May 2026

City of Edinburgh: 89.8%

50,718 decisions · 45,539 approved · 5,179 refused · 38 wards

Leeds: 86.6%

44,615 decisions · 38,647 approved · 5,968 refused · 33 wards

Overall approval rates

City of Edinburgh (50,718 decided)

89.8%

Leeds (44,615 decided)

86.6%

By application type

Advertisement — Leeds (1,186 decided)

85.9%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Leeds (5,078 decided)

84.8%

Discharge of Conditions — Leeds (5,299 decided)

87.8%

Full — Leeds (22,903 decided)

85.0%

Listed Building — Leeds (1,241 decided)

92.8%

Other — City of Edinburgh (50,718 decided)

89.8%

Other — Leeds (2,882 decided)

77.3%

Trees — Leeds (6,026 decided)

96.5%

What the numbers mean

There is a 3.2 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Leeds is the stricter of the two, which means similar applications may face higher refusal rates there. However, approval rates vary by ward and application type, so your specific situation may differ from the averages.

Planning in your area? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.

See detailed data

City of Edinburgh full data Leeds full data

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