Lambeth vs Manchester — planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Lambeth and Manchester? A side-by-side comparison based on 26,437 combined decisions.

Last updated: February 2026

Lambeth: 82.5%

13,774 decisions · 11,362 approved · 2,412 refused · 42 wards

Manchester: 87.7%

12,663 decisions · 11,108 approved · 1,555 refused · 32 wards

Overall approval rates

Lambeth (13,774 decided)

82.5%

Manchester (12,663 decided)

87.7%

By application type

Advertisement — Lambeth (434 decided)

72.8%

Advertisement — Manchester (627 decided)

78.8%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Lambeth (1,604 decided)

84.7%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Manchester (620 decided)

80.6%

Change of Use — Lambeth (482 decided)

87.1%

Change of Use — Manchester (597 decided)

92.1%

Discharge of Conditions — Lambeth (231 decided)

82.7%

Discharge of Conditions — Manchester (4,091 decided)

84.7%

Full — Lambeth (5,655 decided)

75.3%

Full — Manchester (5,077 decided)

89.7%

Listed Building — Lambeth (584 decided)

81.0%

Listed Building — Manchester (519 decided)

97.5%

Other — Lambeth (2,921 decided)

89.1%

Other — Manchester (367 decided)

85.6%

Prior Approval — Lambeth (112 decided)

40.2%

Prior Approval — Manchester (94 decided)

77.7%

Trees — Lambeth (1,751 decided)

97.0%

Trees — Manchester (671 decided)

97.0%

What the numbers mean

There is a 5.2 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 Manchester full data