Croydon vs Bristol — planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Croydon and Bristol? A side-by-side comparison based on 46,660 combined decisions.

Last updated: March 2026

Croydon: 79.2%

25,250 decisions · 19,993 approved · 5,257 refused · 29 wards

Bristol: 86.9%

21,410 decisions · 18,610 approved · 2,800 refused · 34 wards

Overall approval rates

Croydon (25,250 decided)

79.2%

Bristol (21,410 decided)

86.9%

By application type

Advertisement — Croydon (430 decided)

84.7%

Advertisement — Bristol (786 decided)

84.7%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Bristol (3,281 decided)

88.1%

Change of Use — Bristol (284 decided)

69.4%

Discharge of Conditions — Croydon (4,678 decided)

98.0%

Discharge of Conditions — Bristol (829 decided)

93.5%

Full — Croydon (11,423 decided)

68.0%

Full — Bristol (11,772 decided)

86.0%

Listed Building — Croydon (76 decided)

76.3%

Listed Building — Bristol (1,634 decided)

91.2%

Other — Croydon (5,499 decided)

85.5%

Other — Bristol (304 decided)

77.6%

Prior Approval — Croydon (730 decided)

39.5%

Prior Approval — Bristol (1,152 decided)

83.3%

Trees — Croydon (2,414 decided)

92.0%

Trees — Bristol (1,368 decided)

93.2%

What the numbers mean

There is a 7.7 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Croydon is the stricter of the two, which means similar applications may face higher refusal risk there. However, approval rates vary by ward and application type, so your specific situation may differ from the averages.

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See detailed data

Croydon full data Bristol full data