Manchester vs Wandsworth — planning approval compared

How do planning outcomes differ between Manchester and Wandsworth? A side-by-side comparison based on 27,095 combined decisions.

Last updated: March 2026

Manchester: 87.8%

13,690 decisions · 12,025 approved · 1,665 refused · 32 wards

Wandsworth: 89.7%

13,405 decisions · 12,027 approved · 1,378 refused · 0 wards

Overall approval rates

Manchester (13,690 decided)

87.8%

Wandsworth (13,405 decided)

89.7%

By application type

Advertisement — Manchester (690 decided)

79.9%

Certificate of Lawfulness — Manchester (654 decided)

80.7%

Change of Use — Manchester (632 decided)

91.9%

Discharge of Conditions — Manchester (4,397 decided)

84.9%

Full — Manchester (5,548 decided)

89.7%

Listed Building — Manchester (561 decided)

97.5%

Other — Manchester (393 decided)

85.5%

Other — Wandsworth (13,405 decided)

89.7%

Prior Approval — Manchester (95 decided)

77.9%

Trees — Manchester (720 decided)

96.8%

What the numbers mean

There is a 1.9 percentage point difference in overall approval rates between these councils. Manchester 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 Wandsworth full data