Barnsley planning approval rate
Barnsley council approved 90.0% of planning applications and refused 10.0%, based on 24,616 decisions analysed. Ranked 117th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
90.0%
overall approval rate
24,616
Decisions analysed
22,158
Approved
2,458
Refused
46
Wards covered
Planning in Barnsley? Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in Barnsley. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
90.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Barnsley, mined from 24,616 proposal descriptions.
84.8%
88.3%
95.4%
94.4%
92.4%
91.6%
93.9%
85.7%
89.4%
95.5%
77.0%
90.5%
56.0%
79.8%
88.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Barnsley. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Penistone East Ward
90.6%
Central Ward
92.1%
Penistone Ward, Penistone West Ward
89.4%
Dodworth
89.8%
Darton East
88.2%
Darton West
90.8%
Hoyland Milton
90.1%
Rockingham Ward
91.8%
North East Ward
88.6%
Old Town Ward
89.2%
Darfield
88.4%
Royston Ward
87.1%
Wombwell Ward
92.0%
Worsbrough Ward
89.1%
Stairfoot Ward
93.2%
Cudworth
89.0%
Monk Bretton
91.0%
Dearne North
90.6%
Penistone West Ward
86.6%
Dearne South
91.0%
Wards in Barnsley
Penistone East Ward
90.6% approval · 2,822 decisions
Central Ward
92.1% approval · 1,744 decisions
Penistone Ward, Penistone West Ward
89.4% approval · 1,649 decisions
Dodworth
89.8% approval · 1,245 decisions
Darton East
88.2% approval · 1,209 decisions
Darton West
90.8% approval · 1,139 decisions
Hoyland Milton
90.1% approval · 1,096 decisions
Rockingham Ward
91.8% approval · 1,059 decisions
North East Ward
88.6% approval · 1,019 decisions
Old Town Ward
89.2% approval · 1,000 decisions
Darfield
88.4% approval · 964 decisions
Royston Ward
87.1% approval · 920 decisions
Wombwell Ward
92.0% approval · 914 decisions
Worsbrough Ward
89.1% approval · 875 decisions
Stairfoot Ward
93.2% approval · 851 decisions
Cudworth
89.0% approval · 810 decisions
Monk Bretton
91.0% approval · 809 decisions
Dearne North
90.6% approval · 778 decisions
Penistone West Ward
86.6% approval · 710 decisions
Dearne South
91.0% approval · 676 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Barnsley, showing how the council decides real applications.
2026/0001
Demolition of pre-fabricated outbuilding (Listed Building Consent) · Penistone East Ward · 10 February 2026
2026/0004
Single storey front extension to dwelling · Penistone East Ward · 26 February 2026
2026/0010
Erection of two storey/single storey rear extension to dwelling (Amended Descrip · Darton West · 6 March 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Barnsley, 1 in 10 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Barnsley
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Barnsley →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Barnsley
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 24,616 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Barnsley
What is the planning approval rate in Barnsley?
Based on 24,616 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Barnsley approved 90.0% of applications and refused 10.0%. The council is ranked 117th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Barnsley?
Barnsley refuses 10.0% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 10. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 24,616 decided applications since 2020, 2,458 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Barnsley have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Barnsley are in NA (96.3%), St Helens Ward (93.9%), and Stairfoot Ward (93.2%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Barnsley?
The most common planning application types in Barnsley are: Other (24,616 decisions, 90.0% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Barnsley?
Most planning applications in Barnsley are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 24,616 decisions analysed since 2020, Barnsley processes approximately 4,103 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Barnsley?
You can search planning applications in Barnsley directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 24,616 historical decisions in Barnsley to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Barnsley calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Barnsley's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.