Bristol planning approval rate
Bristol council approved 86.9% of planning applications and refused 13.1%, based on 25,943 decisions analysed. Ranked 67th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
86.9%
overall approval rate
25,943
Decisions analysed
22,552
Approved
3,391
Refused
34
Wards covered
Planning in Bristol? 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 Bristol. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
85.8%
90.8%
94.2%
82.2%
93.4%
84.4%
76.8%
70.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Bristol, mined from 25,943 proposal descriptions.
90.7%
84.7%
88.4%
90.6%
87.9%
88.3%
75.5%
88.8%
72.3%
91.1%
90.6%
92.0%
93.8%
76.5%
73.6%
81.1%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Bristol. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze
90.3%
Central
88.8%
Clifton
88.3%
Stoke Bishop
89.8%
Ashley
83.8%
Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston
88.1%
Redland
87.0%
Clifton Down
87.0%
Southville
85.0%
Bishopston & Ashley Down
87.6%
Lawrence Hill
86.7%
Cotham
87.6%
Bedminster
87.7%
Frome Vale
82.9%
Horfield
83.2%
Knowle
87.4%
Brislington West
87.3%
Windmill Hill
87.6%
Hengrove & Whitchurch Park
88.8%
Lockleaze
86.0%
Wards in Bristol
Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze
90.3% approval · 2,100 decisions
Central
88.8% approval · 1,924 decisions
Clifton
88.3% approval · 1,524 decisions
Stoke Bishop
89.8% approval · 1,266 decisions
Ashley
83.8% approval · 1,149 decisions
Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston
88.1% approval · 1,034 decisions
Redland
87.0% approval · 998 decisions
Clifton Down
87.0% approval · 981 decisions
Southville
85.0% approval · 939 decisions
Bishopston & Ashley Down
87.6% approval · 816 decisions
Lawrence Hill
86.7% approval · 806 decisions
Cotham
87.6% approval · 766 decisions
Bedminster
87.7% approval · 748 decisions
Frome Vale
82.9% approval · 742 decisions
Horfield
83.2% approval · 683 decisions
Knowle
87.4% approval · 643 decisions
Brislington West
87.3% approval · 630 decisions
Windmill Hill
87.6% approval · 619 decisions
Hengrove & Whitchurch Park
88.8% approval · 614 decisions
Lockleaze
86.0% approval · 613 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Bristol, showing how the council decides real applications.
Mansard roof with a bedroom, office, and ensuite. · Bedminster · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Retrospective Change of use from dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to a 10-bedroom ho · Frome Vale · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Boundary amendment to rear of Merchants Hall and erection of new timber garden f · Clifton · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Bristol, 1 in 8 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 Bristol
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Bristol →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Bristol
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 25,943 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Bristol
What is the planning approval rate in Bristol?
Based on 25,943 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Bristol approved 86.9% of applications and refused 13.1%. The council is ranked 67th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Bristol?
Bristol refuses 13.1% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is higher than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 25,943 decided applications since 2020, 3,391 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Bristol have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Bristol are in Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze (90.3%), Stoke Bishop (89.8%), and Bishopsworth (89.5%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Bristol?
The most common planning application types in Bristol are: Full (14,104 decisions, 85.8% approved), Certificate of Lawfulness (3,912, 88.5%), and Listed Building (1,929, 90.8%).
How long does a planning application take in Bristol?
Planning applications in Bristol take an average of 13.7 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 25,769 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. Bristol decides approximately 4,324 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Bristol?
You can search planning applications in Bristol directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 25,943 historical decisions in Bristol to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Bristol calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Bristol'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.