Which ward in Bolton has the highest planning approval rate?

Breightmet at 93.1% based on 116 decisions.

Which ward in Bolton has the lowest planning approval rate?

Farnworth South at 56.8% based on 44 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Bolton?

There is a 36.3% gap between Breightmet and Farnworth South. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Bolton

Planning outcomes in Bolton are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 36.3% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

4,630 real decisions·27 wards·Updated June 2026

All 27 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Breightmet	116	108	8	93.1%
2	Horwich And Blackrod	197	181	16	91.9%
3	Heaton And Lostock	464	418	46	90.1%
4	Farnworth	64	57	7	89.1%
5	Horwich North East	128	114	14	89.1%
6	Westhoughton North	137	122	15	89.1%
7	Bromley Cross	399	355	44	89.0%
8	Kearsley	128	113	15	88.3%
9	Bradshaw	214	188	26	87.9%
10	Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor	180	158	22	87.8%
11	Halliwell	234	202	32	86.3%
12	Little Lever And Darcy Lever	119	102	17	85.7%
13	Smithills	259	219	40	84.6%
14	Horwich South & Blackrod	78	66	12	84.6%
15	Harper Green	76	64	12	84.2%
16	Hulton	236	198	38	83.9%
17	Great Lever	310	260	50	83.9%
18	Astley Bridge	290	243	47	83.8%
19	Rumworth	153	128	25	83.7%
20	Westhoughton South	127	106	21	83.5%
21	Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill	85	71	14	83.5%
22	Crompton	170	138	32	81.2%
23	Tonge With The Haulgh	128	103	25	80.5%
24	Farnworth North	58	45	13	77.6%
25	Queens Park & Central	129	99	30	76.7%
26	Horwich North	86	66	20	76.7%
27	Farnworth South	44	25	19	56.8%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Breightmet but face serious resistance in Farnworth South.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 36.3% gap separates the best and worst wards. Breightmet approves 93.1% of applications while Farnworth South approves just 56.8%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

663 planning applications in Bolton have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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Free · Property report emailed in minutes · Based on 3,290,000+ real decisions

More Bolton planning data

Methodology: Covers 4,630 planning decisions in Bolton, January 2020 to present. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Bolton Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →