Bristol Council approves 87.0% of planning applications, based on 25,848 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Bristol sits 1.6 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,819 decided applications, Bristol Council approved 87.3% of planning applications in 2025. Across 25,848 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in Bristol is 87.0%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Bristol council planning portal records · Updated August 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 Bristol.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 12,065 | 1,986 | 14,051 | 85.9% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 3,450 | 444 | 3,894 | 88.6% |
| Listed Building | 1,743 | 178 | 1,921 | 90.7% |
| Trees | 1,760 | 108 | 1,868 | 94.2% |
| Prior Approval | 1,160 | 251 | 1,411 | 82.2% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 954 | 68 | 1,022 | 93.3% |
| Advertisement | 820 | 151 | 971 | 84.4% |
| Other | 282 | 84 | 366 | 77.0% |
| Change of Use | 243 | 101 | 344 | 70.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze | 1,893 | 202 | 2,095 | 90.4% |
| Central | 1,707 | 213 | 1,920 | 88.9% |
| Clifton | 1,340 | 178 | 1,518 | 88.3% |
| Stoke Bishop | 1,131 | 129 | 1,260 | 89.8% |
| Ashley | 959 | 184 | 1,143 | 83.9% |
| Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston | 907 | 122 | 1,029 | 88.1% |
| Redland | 868 | 129 | 997 | 87.1% |
| Clifton Down | 849 | 128 | 977 | 86.9% |
| Southville | 797 | 141 | 938 | 85.0% |
| Bishopston & Ashley Down | 715 | 99 | 814 | 87.8% |
| Lawrence Hill | 695 | 107 | 802 | 86.7% |
| Cotham | 669 | 95 | 764 | 87.6% |
| Bedminster | 652 | 91 | 743 | 87.8% |
| Frome Vale | 615 | 126 | 741 | 83.0% |
| Horfield | 565 | 114 | 679 | 83.2% |
| Knowle | 560 | 79 | 639 | 87.6% |
| Brislington West | 549 | 79 | 628 | 87.4% |
| Windmill Hill | 539 | 77 | 616 | 87.5% |
| Hengrove & Whitchurch Park | 543 | 69 | 612 | 88.7% |
| Lockleaze | 526 | 84 | 610 | 86.2% |
| Eastville | 521 | 87 | 608 | 85.7% |
| Easton | 511 | 77 | 588 | 86.9% |
| Hotwells & Harbourside | 464 | 75 | 539 | 86.1% |
| Hillfields | 433 | 98 | 531 | 81.5% |
| Bishopsworth | 457 | 54 | 511 | 89.4% |
Showing top 25 of 34 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Bristol’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 3.4pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Bristol council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/12871/VC Redland | T1 - Sycamore - Cut back overhanging branches by 3m (back to the boundary of 139 | Approved |
| 26/12847/VC Cotham | T1 - Holly - Reduce crown height by approx 4m and trim sides to shape. | Approved |
| 26/12846/VC Clifton Down | T1 - Cherry plum - Crown reduce by approx 1.75m off the sides and 2.5m off the t | Approved |
| 26/12423/H Lawrence Hill | Single-storey rear extension including internal alterations. | Approved |
| 26/12437/H Redland | Single storey side / rear extension to provide larger open planning living dinin | Approved |
| 26/12395/H Knowle | Front porch and two storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/12298/H Hartcliffe & Withywood | Outbuilding to side. | Approved |
| 26/12228/F Lawrence Hill | Plant equipment added to an area of the roof. | Approved |
| 26/12166/H Redland | Single storey rear extension. | Approved |
| 26/11730/F Windmill Hill | Removal of the temporary store unit and replacement with a single-storey rear ex | 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 Bristol's 25,848 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Bristol's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Bristol'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 Bristol. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 25,848 real decisions from Bristol 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 Bristol'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 25,848 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Bristol is 87.0%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 25,848 planning decisions from Bristol council. 22,477 were approved and 3,371 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in Bristol is 87.0%, 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 Bristol? 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.