Manchester vs Newham — planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Manchester and Newham? A side-by-side comparison based on 22,283 combined decisions.

Last updated: February 2026

Manchester: 87.7%

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

Newham: 81.8%

9,620 decisions · 7,873 approved · 1,747 refused · 28 wards

Overall approval rates

Manchester (12,663 decided)

87.7%

Newham (9,620 decided)

81.8%

By application type

Advertisement — Manchester (627 decided)

78.8%

Advertisement — Newham (300 decided)

92.0%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Manchester (620 decided)

80.6%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Newham (1,618 decided)

74.7%

Change of Use — Manchester (597 decided)

92.1%

Change of Use — Newham (554 decided)

75.3%

Discharge of Conditions — Manchester (4,091 decided)

84.7%

Discharge of Conditions — Newham (205 decided)

94.1%

Full — Manchester (5,077 decided)

89.7%

Full — Newham (4,347 decided)

77.9%

Listed Building — Manchester (519 decided)

97.5%

Listed Building — Newham (32 decided)

96.9%

Other — Manchester (367 decided)

85.6%

Other — Newham (2,221 decided)

94.9%

Prior Approval — Manchester (94 decided)

77.7%

Prior Approval — Newham (119 decided)

38.7%

Trees — Manchester (671 decided)

97.0%

Trees — Newham (224 decided)

92.0%

What the numbers mean

There is a 5.9 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Newham 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 Newham full data