Bradford planning approval rate
Bradford council approved 79.2% of planning applications and refused 20.8%, based on 28,122 decisions analysed. Ranked 12th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
79.2%
overall approval rate
28,122
Decisions analysed
22,260
Approved
5,862
Refused
55
Wards covered
Planning in Bradford? 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 Bradford. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
82.7%
68.0%
89.6%
54.3%
88.2%
77.1%
88.3%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Bradford, mined from 28,122 proposal descriptions.
87.8%
87.3%
85.0%
79.7%
84.2%
90.2%
77.1%
89.6%
85.5%
87.1%
77.8%
77.2%
76.2%
73.5%
73.2%
78.8%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Bradford. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Ilkley (ward 14)
70.8%
City (ward 07)
80.5%
Wharfedale (ward 26)
83.7%
Craven (ward 09)
79.2%
Heaton (ward 12)
78.3%
Worth Valley (ward 29)
70.8%
Bingley (ward 02)
73.2%
Shipley (ward 22)
83.1%
Bingley Rural (ward 03)
79.9%
Baildon (ward 01)
75.4%
Thornton And Allerton (ward 23)
81.9%
Great Horton (ward 11)
83.1%
Keighley East (ward 16)
78.0%
Bolton And Undercliffe (ward 04)
81.3%
Idle And Thackley (ward 13)
79.6%
Keighley Central (ward 15)
80.9%
Bradford Moor (ward 06)
84.2%
Bowling And Barkerend (ward 05)
83.6%
Toller (ward 24)
83.4%
Clayton And Fairweather Green (ward 08)
79.0%
Wards in Bradford
Ilkley (ward 14)
70.8% approval · 2,777 decisions
City (ward 07)
80.5% approval · 1,495 decisions
Wharfedale (ward 26)
83.7% approval · 1,398 decisions
Craven (ward 09)
79.2% approval · 1,366 decisions
Heaton (ward 12)
78.3% approval · 1,322 decisions
Worth Valley (ward 29)
70.8% approval · 1,181 decisions
Bingley (ward 02)
73.2% approval · 1,150 decisions
Shipley (ward 22)
83.1% approval · 1,100 decisions
Bingley Rural (ward 03)
79.9% approval · 1,061 decisions
Baildon (ward 01)
75.4% approval · 985 decisions
Thornton And Allerton (ward 23)
81.9% approval · 929 decisions
Great Horton (ward 11)
83.1% approval · 897 decisions
Keighley East (ward 16)
78.0% approval · 874 decisions
Bolton And Undercliffe (ward 04)
81.3% approval · 840 decisions
Idle And Thackley (ward 13)
79.6% approval · 828 decisions
Keighley Central (ward 15)
80.9% approval · 822 decisions
Bradford Moor (ward 06)
84.2% approval · 795 decisions
Bowling And Barkerend (ward 05)
83.6% approval · 770 decisions
Toller (ward 24)
83.4% approval · 766 decisions
Clayton And Fairweather Green (ward 08)
79.0% approval · 758 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Bradford, showing how the council decides real applications.
Construction of single storey rear extension of the following dimensions:Depth o · Bowling & Barkerend (Ward 06) · Wed 05 Aug 2026
First floor side extension, two storey rear extension, front porch, roof alterat · Shipley (Ward 23) · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Single storey rear extension · Bingley West (Ward 04) · Wed 05 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Bradford, 1 in 5 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 Bradford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Bradford →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Bradford
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 28,122 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Bradford
What is the planning approval rate in Bradford?
Based on 28,122 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Bradford approved 79.2% of applications and refused 20.8%. The council is ranked 12th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Bradford?
Bradford refuses 20.8% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 5. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 28,122 decided applications since 2020, 5,862 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Bradford have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Bradford are in Little Horton (ward 18) (85.6%), Bradford Moor (ward 06) (84.2%), and Tong (ward 25) (84.2%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Bradford?
The most common planning application types in Bradford are: Full (15,390 decisions, 82.7% approved), Prior Approval (3,571, 68.0%), and Other (2,995, 89.6%).
How long does a planning application take in Bradford?
Planning applications in Bradford take an average of 9.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 28,056 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than 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. Bradford decides approximately 4,687 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Bradford?
You can search planning applications in Bradford directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 28,122 historical decisions in Bradford to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Bradford calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Bradford'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.