Barnsley Council approves 90.0% of planning applications, based on 24,616 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Barnsley sits 2.1 percentage points above the national average.
Enter your postcode for a personalised approval likelihood score — based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Barnsley.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 22,158 | 2,458 | 24,616 | 90.0% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penistone East Ward | 2,556 | 266 | 2,822 | 90.6% |
| Central Ward | 1,606 | 138 | 1,744 | 92.1% |
| Penistone Ward, Penistone West Ward | 1,475 | 174 | 1,649 | 89.4% |
| Dodworth | 1,118 | 127 | 1,245 | 89.8% |
| Darton East | 1,066 | 143 | 1,209 | 88.2% |
| Darton West | 1,034 | 105 | 1,139 | 90.8% |
| Hoyland Milton | 987 | 109 | 1,096 | 90.1% |
| Rockingham Ward | 972 | 87 | 1,059 | 91.8% |
| North East Ward | 903 | 116 | 1,019 | 88.6% |
| Old Town Ward | 892 | 108 | 1,000 | 89.2% |
| Darfield | 852 | 112 | 964 | 88.4% |
| Royston Ward | 801 | 119 | 920 | 87.1% |
| Wombwell Ward | 841 | 73 | 914 | 92.0% |
| Worsbrough Ward | 780 | 95 | 875 | 89.1% |
| Stairfoot Ward | 793 | 58 | 851 | 93.2% |
| Cudworth | 721 | 89 | 810 | 89.0% |
| Monk Bretton | 736 | 73 | 809 | 91.0% |
| Dearne North | 705 | 73 | 778 | 90.6% |
| Penistone West Ward | 615 | 95 | 710 | 86.6% |
| Dearne South | 615 | 61 | 676 | 91.0% |
| Kingstone Ward | 483 | 104 | 587 | 82.3% |
| St Helens Ward | 550 | 36 | 586 | 93.9% |
| NA | 393 | 15 | 408 | 96.3% |
| Penistone East Ward, Penistone Ward | 280 | 48 | 328 | 85.4% |
| Darton West, Old Town Ward | 40 | 1 | 41 | 97.6% |
Showing top 25 of 46 wards by volume. Your Pro Report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →Real residential planning decisions from Barnsley council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/0001 Penistone East Ward | Demolition of pre-fabricated outbuilding (Listed Building Consent) | Approved |
| 2026/0004 Penistone East Ward | Single storey front extension to dwelling | Approved |
| 2026/0010 Darton West | Erection of two storey/single storey rear extension to dwelling (Amended Descrip | Approved |
| 2026/0015 Cudworth | Installation of air source heat pump to rear of the dwelling and retrospective a | Approved |
| 2026/0016 Penistone East Ward | Removal of existing first-floor balcony and erection of part single storey and p | Approved |
| 2026/0020 Old Town Ward | Lawful Development Certificate for the proposed use of the dwellinghouse (curren | Approved |
| 2026/0024 Dearne North | Demolition of existing corridor link and the erection of a new corridor will be, | Approved |
| 2026/0025 Penistone East Ward | Erection of 1st storey rear extension above existing single storey extension to | Approved |
| 2026/0026 Darton West | Erection of new detached garage to replace existing and add an hard surface driv | Approved |
| 2026/0030 Monk Bretton | Proposed single storey side extension and flue to dwelling | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your Pro Report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Barnsley's 24,616 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 24,616 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Barnsley is 90.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 24,616 planning decisions from Barnsley council. 22,158 were approved and 2,458 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Barnsley is 90.0%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.