Lambeth vs Bristol — planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Lambeth and Bristol? A side-by-side comparison based on 45,853 combined decisions.

Last updated: March 2026

Lambeth: 82.5%

24,443 decisions · 20,158 approved · 4,285 refused · 42 wards

Bristol: 86.9%

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

Overall approval rates

Lambeth (24,443 decided)

82.5%

Bristol (21,410 decided)

86.9%

By application type

Advertisement — Lambeth (724 decided)

75.0%

Advertisement — Bristol (786 decided)

84.7%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Lambeth (2,872 decided)

83.4%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Bristol (3,281 decided)

88.1%

Change of Use — Lambeth (838 decided)

86.8%

Change of Use — Bristol (284 decided)

69.4%

Discharge of Conditions — Lambeth (432 decided)

83.1%

Discharge of Conditions — Bristol (829 decided)

93.5%

Full — Lambeth (10,395 decided)

76.1%

Full — Bristol (11,772 decided)

86.0%

Listed Building — Lambeth (1,000 decided)

83.1%

Listed Building — Bristol (1,634 decided)

91.2%

Other — Lambeth (5,263 decided)

89.1%

Other — Bristol (304 decided)

77.6%

Prior Approval — Lambeth (216 decided)

36.6%

Prior Approval — Bristol (1,152 decided)

83.3%

Trees — Lambeth (2,703 decided)

97.2%

Trees — Bristol (1,368 decided)

93.2%

What the numbers mean

There is a 4.4 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Lambeth 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

Lambeth full data Bristol full data