Birmingham Council approves 83.8% of planning applications, based on 33,111 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. Birmingham sits 4.1 percentage points below 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 Birmingham.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 27,759 | 5,352 | 33,111 | 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.
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 |
|---|
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/01015/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 |
| 2026/00569/PA | Erection of 6 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 4 metres, | Approved |
| 2026/00224/PA | Erection of single storey rear extensions and dormer window to front elevation | Refused |
| 2026/00053/PA | Application to determine the details for condition 21 (residential travel pack) | 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 Birmingham's 33,111 real decisions. Delivered by email in minutes.
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Dig deeper into Birmingham's planning statistics — by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Based on 33,111 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Birmingham is 83.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 87.9%. However, rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 33,111 planning decisions from Birmingham council. 27,759 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 PlanningLens free postcode check to get a personalised score.