Kingston upon Thames vs Manchester — planning approval compared
How do planning outcomes differ between Kingston upon Thames and Manchester? A side-by-side comparison based on 28,261 combined decisions.
Last updated: March 2026
Kingston upon Thames: 75.3%
14,571 decisions · 10,977 approved · 3,594 refused · 28 wards
Manchester: 87.8%
13,690 decisions · 12,025 approved · 1,665 refused · 32 wards
Overall approval rates
Kingston upon Thames
75.3%
Manchester
87.8%
By application type
Advertisement — Kingston upon Thames
80.2%
Advertisement — Manchester
79.9%
Certificate of Lawfulness — Kingston upon Thames
73.2%
Certificate of Lawfulness — Manchester
80.7%
Change of Use — Manchester
91.9%
Discharge of Conditions — Kingston upon Thames
81.3%
Discharge of Conditions — Manchester
84.9%
Full — Kingston upon Thames
73.5%
Full — Manchester
89.7%
Listed Building — Kingston upon Thames
86.5%
Listed Building — Manchester
97.5%
Other — Kingston upon Thames
60.0%
Other — Manchester
85.5%
Prior Approval — Kingston upon Thames
51.9%
Prior Approval — Manchester
77.9%
Trees — Kingston upon Thames
93.1%
Trees — Manchester
96.8%
What the numbers mean
There is a 12.5 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Kingston upon Thames 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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