Blackburn with Darwen planning approval rate
Blackburn with Darwen council approved 89.1% of planning applications and refused 10.9%, based on 12,714 decisions analysed.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
89.1%
overall approval rate
Planning in Blackburn with Darwen?
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 Blackburn with Darwen. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Blackburn with Darwen, mined from 12,714 proposal descriptions.
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Blackburn with Darwen. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Wards in Blackburn with Darwen
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Blackburn with Darwen, showing how the council decides real applications.
10/26/0480
Erection of single storey rear extension
6m from original rear wall, Max Height · · 2026-06-18
10/26/0466
Erection of single storey extension to rear.
6m from original rear wall, Max Hei · · 2026-06-11
10/26/0461
Erection of single storey extension to rear
Max length 6m additional 1.8m beyond · · 2026-06-11
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Blackburn with Darwen, 1 in 9 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 Blackburn with Darwen
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Blackburn with Darwen →
Free. Based on 12,714 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Blackburn with Darwen
What is the planning approval rate in Blackburn with Darwen?
Based on 12,714 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Blackburn with Darwen approved 89.1% of applications and refused 10.9%.
How many planning applications are refused in Blackburn with Darwen?
Blackburn with Darwen refuses 10.9% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 9. That is close to the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 12,714 decided applications since 2020, 1,391 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Blackburn with Darwen have the highest planning approval rates?
Approval rates in Blackburn with Darwen vary by ward, see the ward breakdown above for detailed figures for each area.
What types of planning application are most common in Blackburn with Darwen?
The most common planning application types in Blackburn with Darwen are: Other (12,513 decisions, 88.9% approved), Full (90, 97.8%), and Discharge of Conditions (43, 95.3%).
How long does a planning application take in Blackburn with Darwen?
Planning applications in Blackburn with Darwen take an average of 5.9 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 212 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is inside the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Blackburn with Darwen decides approximately 2,119 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Blackburn with Darwen?
You can search planning applications in Blackburn with Darwen directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 12,714 historical decisions in Blackburn with Darwen to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Blackburn with Darwen calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Blackburn with Darwen'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.