Bolton planning approval rate

Bolton council approved 87.8% of planning applications and refused 12.2%, based on 3,753 decisions analysed. Ranked 70th out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

87.8%

overall approval rate

3,753

Decisions analysed

3,295

Approved

458

Refused

Wards covered

Planning in Bolton? 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 Bolton. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Full (1,036 decided)

90.3%

Trees (932 decided)

91.3%

Change of Use (573 decided)

84.5%

Other (397 decided)

75.6%

Certificate of Lawfulness (251 decided)

87.3%

Discharge of Conditions (224 decided)

94.2%

Advertisement (181 decided)

92.8%

Prior Approval (126 decided)

77.0%

Listed Building (33 decided)

87.9%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Bolton — mined from 3,753 proposal descriptions.

Extension (General) (838 decided)

82.8%

Garage / Parking (266 decided)

89.1%

Change of Use (Residential) (172 decided)

78.5%

New Build (168 decided)

88.1%

Rear Extension (149 decided)

87.9%

Conservatory (131 decided)

93.9%

Dormer (104 decided)

82.7%

Side Extension (91 decided)

85.7%

Outbuilding (28 decided)

78.6%

HMO (21 decided)

71.4%

Flat Conversion (21 decided)

81.0%

Loft Conversion (17 decided)

76.5%

Front Extension (16 decided)

93.8%

Wraparound Extension (12 decided)

83.3%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Bolton. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Heaton And Lostock (464 decided)

90.1%

Bromley Cross (337 decided)

90.2%

Great Lever (274 decided)

85.0%

Astley Bridge (244 decided)

86.5%

Smithills (210 decided)

86.7%

Halliwell (204 decided)

85.8%

Horwich And Blackrod (193 decided)

92.2%

Bradshaw (177 decided)

88.1%

Hulton (172 decided)

84.3%

Crompton (170 decided)

81.2%

Westhoughton North (136 decided)

89.0%

Horwich North East (128 decided)

89.1%

Rumworth (126 decided)

87.3%

Kearsley (107 decided)

88.8%

Westhoughton South (100 decided)

87.0%

Breightmet (98 decided)

93.9%

Little Lever And Darcy Lever (97 decided)

91.8%

Tonge With The Haulgh (90 decided)

86.7%

Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor (86 decided)

87.2%

Harper Green (76 decided)

84.2%

Wards in Bolton

Heaton And Lostock

90.1% approval · 464 decisions

Bromley Cross

90.2% approval · 337 decisions

Great Lever

85.0% approval · 274 decisions

Astley Bridge

86.5% approval · 244 decisions

Smithills

86.7% approval · 210 decisions

Halliwell

85.8% approval · 204 decisions

Horwich And Blackrod

92.2% approval · 193 decisions

Bradshaw

88.1% approval · 177 decisions

Hulton

84.3% approval · 172 decisions

Crompton

81.2% approval · 170 decisions

Westhoughton North

89.0% approval · 136 decisions

Horwich North East

89.1% approval · 128 decisions

Rumworth

87.3% approval · 126 decisions

Kearsley

88.8% approval · 107 decisions

Westhoughton South

87.0% approval · 100 decisions

Breightmet

93.9% approval · 98 decisions

Little Lever And Darcy Lever

91.8% approval · 97 decisions

Tonge With The Haulgh

86.7% approval · 90 decisions

Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor

87.2% approval · 86 decisions

Harper Green

84.2% approval · 76 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Bolton, showing how the council decides real applications.

00167/26

DEMOLITION OF EXISTING CONSERVATORY AND ERECTION OF TWO STOREY EXTENSION AT REAR · Westhoughton South · Mon 09 Mar 2026

Approved

00207/26

ERECTION OF A TWO STOREY SIDE AND SINGLE STOREY REAR EXTENSION. · Astley Bridge · Wed 04 Mar 2026

Approved

21416/25

ERECTION OF A TWO STOREY FRONT EXTENSION WITH RENDER TOGETHER WITH A BALCONY TO · Bradshaw · Tue 13 Jan 2026

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Bolton, 1 in 8 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:

✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Bolton
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get Bolton Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 3,753 decisions.

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