Bradford Council approves 82.8% of planning applications, based on 18,551 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Bradford sits 2.2 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 3,902 decided applications, Bradford Council approved 76.5% of planning applications in 2025. Across 18,551 decisions on record (January 2020 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Bradford is 82.8%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Bradford council planning portal records · Data to 11 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Bradford.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 12,927 | 2,702 | 15,629 | 82.7% |
| Prior Approval | 2,455 | 1,143 | 3,598 | 68.2% |
| Other | 2,721 | 315 | 3,036 | 89.6% |
| Trees | 1,434 | 1,186 | 2,620 | 54.7% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1,254 | 277 | 1,531 | 81.9% |
| Listed Building | 1,071 | 145 | 1,216 | 88.1% |
| Advertisement | 436 | 130 | 566 | 77.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 325 | 42 | 367 | 88.6% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilkley | 1,974 | 817 | 2,791 | 70.7% |
| City | 1,251 | 298 | 1,549 | 80.8% |
| Wharfedale | 1,199 | 229 | 1,428 | 84.0% |
| Craven | 1,083 | 285 | 1,368 | 79.2% |
| Heaton | 1,035 | 287 | 1,322 | 78.3% |
| Worth Valley | 858 | 347 | 1,205 | 71.2% |
| Bingley | 844 | 308 | 1,152 | 73.3% |
| Shipley | 946 | 193 | 1,139 | 83.1% |
| Bingley Rural | 849 | 214 | 1,063 | 79.9% |
| Baildon | 758 | 244 | 1,002 | 75.6% |
| Thornton And Allerton | 762 | 168 | 930 | 81.9% |
| Great Horton | 770 | 154 | 924 | 83.3% |
| Keighley East | 700 | 198 | 898 | 78.0% |
| Keighley Central | 685 | 161 | 846 | 81.0% |
| Bolton And Undercliffe | 683 | 157 | 840 | 81.3% |
| Idle And Thackley | 662 | 169 | 831 | 79.7% |
| Bradford Moor | 680 | 126 | 806 | 84.4% |
| Toller | 664 | 132 | 796 | 83.4% |
| Bowling And Barkerend | 648 | 127 | 775 | 83.6% |
| Clayton And Fairweather Green | 605 | 159 | 764 | 79.2% |
| Eccleshill | 600 | 126 | 726 | 82.6% |
| Queensbury | 564 | 150 | 714 | 79.0% |
| Manningham | 461 | 196 | 657 | 70.2% |
| Little Horton | 557 | 92 | 649 | 85.8% |
| Wibsey | 493 | 106 | 599 | 82.3% |
Showing top 25 of 43 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Bradford’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 2.9pp since 2020.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Bradford council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/02742/CLP Windhill & Wrose | Demolition of conservatory and construction of single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/02637/FUL Manningham | Blocking up existing fire exit door to west elevation and creation of new fire e | Approved |
| 26/02569/HOU Idle & Thackley | Single storey rear extension, front and rear dormer windows, front porch, re-sur | Refused |
| 26/02564/HOU Shipley | Raised patio and south-west facing boundary treatment | Approved |
| 26/02059/HOU Holme Wood & Bierley | Hip to gable roof conversion with dormer windows to front and rear. | Approved |
| 26/02019/PNH Worth Valley | Construction of single storey rear extension of the following dimensions:Depth o | Approved |
| 26/01813/FUL Ilkley & Addingham | Replacement of 5No. timber windows and 2No. panels of timber cladding | Approved |
| 26/01515/FUL Thornton And Allerton | Two storey front extension to main house. Demolition of former barn and re-const | Approved |
| 26/00443/HOU Bowling And Barkerend | Part two storey and part single storey side and rear extension, hip to gable roo | Approved |
| 26/03058/CLP Wharfedale | Single storey rear extension | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Bradford's 18,551 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Bradford's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Bradford's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Bradford. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 18,551 real decisions from Bradford council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Bradford's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 18,551 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Bradford is 82.8%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 18,551 planning decisions from Bradford council. 15,358 were approved and 3,193 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, January 2020 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Bradford is 82.8%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Bradford? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.