Which ward in Bolton has the highest planning approval rate?

Breightmet at 92.8% based on 125 decisions.

Which ward in Bolton has the lowest planning approval rate?

Farnworth South at 62.5% based on 56 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Bolton?

There is a 30.3% 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 30.3% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

2,199 real decisions·27 wards·Updated September 2026

All 27 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Breightmet	125	116	9	92.8%
2	Horwich And Blackrod	200	184	16	92.0%
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	Bromley Cross	428	381	47	89.0%
7	Westhoughton North	139	123	16	88.5%
8	Bradshaw	232	204	28	87.9%
9	Kearsley	132	116	16	87.9%
10	Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor	238	208	30	87.4%
11	Halliwell	248	215	33	86.7%
12	Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill	101	86	15	85.1%
13	Horwich South & Blackrod	94	80	14	85.1%
14	Little Lever And Darcy Lever	131	111	20	84.7%
15	Harper Green	76	64	12	84.2%
16	Hulton	252	211	41	83.7%
17	Great Lever	325	271	54	83.4%
18	Astley Bridge	311	258	53	83.0%
19	Smithills	276	229	47	83.0%
20	Westhoughton South	135	111	24	82.2%
21	Rumworth	165	135	30	81.8%
22	Crompton	171	139	32	81.3%
23	Tonge With The Haulgh	144	115	29	79.9%
24	Horwich North	111	86	25	77.5%
25	Farnworth North	75	58	17	77.3%
26	Queens Park & Central	156	117	39	75.0%
27	Farnworth South	56	35	21	62.5%

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 30.3% gap separates the best and worst wards. Breightmet approves 92.8% of applications while Farnworth South approves just 62.5%. 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

431 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 3,840,000+ real decisions

More Bolton planning data

Methodology: Covers 2,199 planning decisions in Bolton, January 2020 to September 2026. 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 →