Manchester vs Greenwich — planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Manchester and Greenwich? A side-by-side comparison based on 23,330 combined decisions.

Last updated: February 2026

Manchester: 87.7%

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

Greenwich: 80.8%

10,667 decisions · 8,620 approved · 2,047 refused · 36 wards

Overall approval rates

Manchester (12,663 decided)

87.7%

Greenwich (10,667 decided)

80.8%

By application type

Advertisement — Manchester (627 decided)

78.8%

Advertisement — Greenwich (226 decided)

86.3%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Manchester (620 decided)

80.6%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Greenwich (1,246 decided)

76.1%

Change of Use — Manchester (597 decided)

92.1%

Discharge of Conditions — Manchester (4,091 decided)

84.7%

Full — Manchester (5,077 decided)

89.7%

Full — Greenwich (4,124 decided)

72.9%

Listed Building — Manchester (519 decided)

97.5%

Listed Building — Greenwich (263 decided)

87.5%

Other — Manchester (367 decided)

85.6%

Other — Greenwich (2,689 decided)

91.0%

Prior Approval — Manchester (94 decided)

77.7%

Prior Approval — Greenwich (653 decided)

53.6%

Trees — Manchester (671 decided)

97.0%

Trees — Greenwich (1,464 decided)

98.6%

What the numbers mean

There is a 6.9 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Greenwich 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

Manchester full data Greenwich full data