Birmingham Council approves 83.8% of planning applications, based on 33,120 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Birmingham sits 4.5 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 33,120 decided applications published since January 2020, Birmingham Council approved 83.8% of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Birmingham council planning portal records · Updated June 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, 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 Birmingham.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 27,768 | 5,352 | 33,120 | 83.8% |
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, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
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 |
|---|
How Birmingham’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 8.4pp since 2025.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Birmingham council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/02454/PA | Application for a lawful development certificate for a proposed loft conversion | Approved |
| 2026/02482/PA | Erection of 6 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 3.7 metres | Approved |
| 2026/02525/PA | Application for a lawful development certificate for a proposed single storey re | Approved |
| 2026/01015/PA | Erection of 8 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 3.45 metre | Approved |
| 2026/00977/PA | Erection of 6 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 3.5 metres | Approved |
| 2026/00382/PA | Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for a proposed loft conversion | Approved |
| 2026/00601/PA | Erection of 8 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 3.9 metres | Approved |
| 2026/00541/PA | Erection of 8 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 3 metres, | Approved |
| 2026/00539/PA | Erection of 6 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 3.9 metres | Approved |
| 2025/05817/PA | Erection of 5.3 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 2.9 metr | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Birmingham's 33,120 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Birmingham's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Birmingham's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Birmingham. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 33,120 real decisions from Birmingham council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Birmingham's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 33,120 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Birmingham is 83.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 33,120 planning decisions from Birmingham council. 27,768 were approved and 5,352 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Birmingham is 83.8%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Birmingham? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.