Leeds vs West Suffolk, planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Leeds and West Suffolk? A side-by-side comparison based on 48,021 combined decisions.

Last updated: September 2026

Leeds: 84.1%

24,994 decisions · 21,030 approved · 3,964 refused · 33 wards

West Suffolk: 91.4%

23,027 decisions · 21,055 approved · 1,972 refused · 48 wards

Overall approval rates

Leeds (24,994 decided)

84.1%

West Suffolk (23,027 decided)

91.4%

By application type

Advertisement, Leeds (1,234 decided)

85.7%

Advertisement, West Suffolk (992 decided)

89.9%

Certificate of Lawfulness, Leeds (5,316 decided)

84.6%

Certificate of Lawfulness, West Suffolk (787 decided)

90.9%

Discharge of Conditions, Leeds (5,526 decided)

87.8%

Discharge of Conditions, West Suffolk (4,710 decided)

97.0%

Full, Leeds (23,750 decided)

84.9%

Full, West Suffolk (19,186 decided)

92.2%

Listed Building, Leeds (1,306 decided)

92.0%

Other, Leeds (2,980 decided)

77.2%

Other, West Suffolk (9,029 decided)

93.1%

Prior Approval, West Suffolk (402 decided)

70.9%

Trees, Leeds (6,312 decided)

96.5%

Trees, West Suffolk (5,234 decided)

99.9%

What the numbers mean

There is a 7.3 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.

Planning professional? PlanningLens runs refusal alerts and evidence packs for any published UK council — see the data services →

See detailed data

Leeds full data West Suffolk full data

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