Burnley Council approves 87.3% of planning applications, based on 220 decisions from the council’s public planning portal. The national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%. Burnley is within one percentage point of that rate.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 236 decided applications, Burnley Council approved 89.4% of planning applications in 2025. Across 220 decisions on record (June 2025 to April 2026), the overall approval rate in Burnley is 87.3%; the national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Burnley council planning portal records · Data to 10 April 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode to see approval patterns for your ward and application type.
This table counts every decided application in Burnley, including types that the headline rate leaves out, so its totals are larger than the headline figure.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 164 | 22 | 186 | 88.2% |
| Trees | 24 | 1 | 25 | 96.0% |
| Advertisement | 21 | 0 | 21 | 100.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 16 | 3 | 19 | 84.2% |
| Other | 15 | 1 | 16 | 93.8% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 13 | 1 | 14 | 92.9% |
| Listed Building | 14 | 0 | 14 | 100.0% |
| Prior Approval | 8 | 4 | 12 | 66.7% |
| Change of Use | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100.0% |
The free check shows approval patterns for your postcode. The property report follows by email.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daneshouse With Stoneyholme | 49 | 2 | 51 | 96.1% |
| Cliviger With Worsthorne | 29 | 3 | 32 | 90.6% |
| Hapton With Park | 19 | 6 | 25 | 76.0% |
| Trinity | 23 | 1 | 24 | 95.8% |
| Coal Clough With Deerplay | 20 | 2 | 22 | 90.9% |
| Briercliffe | 18 | 3 | 21 | 85.7% |
| Bank Hall | 18 | 1 | 19 | 94.7% |
| Gannow | 16 | 2 | 18 | 88.9% |
| Lanehead | 14 | 3 | 17 | 82.4% |
| Gawthorpe | 14 | 3 | 17 | 82.4% |
| Queensgate | 16 | 0 | 16 | 100.0% |
| Rosegrove With Lowerhouse | 13 | 3 | 16 | 81.2% |
| Rosehill With Burnley Wood | 14 | 2 | 16 | 87.5% |
| Whittlefield With Ightenhill | 9 | 0 | 9 | 100.0% |
| Brunshaw | 6 | 1 | 7 | 85.7% |
How Burnley’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 1.1pp since 2025.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Each reference links to the record on the council’s planning portal.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| HOU/2025/0678 Lanehead | Single storey rear extension with roof lantern over, single storey side extensio | Approved |
| HOU/2026/0040 Queensgate | Single storey rear extension | Approved |
| HOU/2026/0005 Briercliffe | Dormer to rear roof slope | Approved |
| HOU/2026/0036 Cliviger With Worsthorne | Front dormer extension at first floor, sliding doors on ground floor front eleva | Approved |
| HOU/2026/0039 Hapton With Park | Single storey rear extension | Approved |
| HOU/2026/0018 Hapton With Park | Proposed single-storey rear extension, with associated internal alterations and | Approved |
| HOU/2026/0014 Brunshaw | Proposed two storey side extension and single storey rear extension | Refused |
| FUL/2026/0020 Coal Clough With Deerplay | Extension to existing bakery for effluent plant. | Approved |
| HOU/2026/0033 Gannow | Convert garage to habitable room and extend driveway to create an additional car | Approved |
| HOU/2026/0029 Gannow | Single storey rear extension with flat roof. | Approved |
See what has been approved and refused near your address. The property report covers the 20 nearest decisions, refusal patterns in your ward and approval rates by project type, drawn from Burnley's 220 decisions.
Check my postcodeCompare Burnley's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Burnley'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 Burnley. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 220 real decisions from Burnley 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 Burnley'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 220 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Burnley is 87.3%. The national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%.
PlanningLens has analysed 220 planning decisions from Burnley council. 192 were approved and 28 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, June 2025 to April 2026.
The average approval rate in Burnley is 87.3%, 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 Burnley? 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.