Bury Council approves 90.4% of planning applications, based on 4,359 decisions from the council’s public planning portal. The national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%. Bury is 2.9 percentage points above that rate.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 751 decided applications, Bury Council approved 90.4% of planning applications in 2025. Across 4,359 decisions on record (March 2006 to October 2026), the overall approval rate in Bury is 90.4%; the national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Bury council planning portal records · Data to 21 October 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 Bury, including types that the headline rate leaves out, so its totals are larger than the headline figure.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 3,391 | 258 | 3,649 | 92.9% |
| Other | 1,313 | 197 | 1,510 | 87.0% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 549 | 75 | 624 | 88.0% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 196 | 5 | 201 | 97.5% |
| Advertisement | 148 | 44 | 192 | 77.1% |
| Listed Building | 28 | 5 | 33 | 84.8% |
| Prior Approval | 25 | 5 | 30 | 83.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prestwich - Sedgley | 519 | 90 | 609 | 85.2% |
| North Manor | 491 | 52 | 543 | 90.4% |
| Ramsbottom | 454 | 55 | 509 | 89.2% |
| Bury East | 402 | 69 | 471 | 85.4% |
| Whitefield + Unsworth - Pilkington Park | 398 | 23 | 421 | 94.5% |
| Prestwich - Holyrood | 322 | 33 | 355 | 90.7% |
| Bury East - Redvales | 305 | 42 | 347 | 87.9% |
| Prestwich - St Mary's | 314 | 30 | 344 | 91.3% |
| Whitefield + Unsworth - Unsworth | 308 | 22 | 330 | 93.3% |
| Tottington | 272 | 14 | 286 | 95.1% |
| Radcliffe - North and Ainsworth | 248 | 25 | 273 | 90.8% |
| Bury West - Elton | 253 | 15 | 268 | 94.4% |
| Radcliffe - East | 237 | 28 | 265 | 89.4% |
| Bury West - Church | 237 | 14 | 251 | 94.4% |
| Bury East - Moorside | 210 | 20 | 230 | 91.3% |
| Whitefield + Unsworth - Besses | 192 | 19 | 211 | 91.0% |
| Radcliffe - West | 162 | 20 | 182 | 89.0% |
| Bury West | 71 | 6 | 77 | 92.2% |
How Bury’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 0.3pp since 2018.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 73557 North Manor | Construction of single storey dwelling to the garden of Sedgewell, with associat | Approved |
| 73392 Bury East - Redvales | Change of use from pub (Sui Generis) to 3no. self-contained apartments | Approved |
| 73587 Whitefield + Unsworth - Pilkington Park | First floor side extension; Loft conversion with rear dormer and juliet balcony; | Approved |
| 73530 Ramsbottom | Loft conversion with raising of roof ridge; Rear dormer; Front porch | Approved |
| 73503 Whitefield + Unsworth - Unsworth | Change of use from Restaurant (Class E(b) and Takeaway (Sui Generis) to a Veteri | Approved |
| 73627 Bury West - Elton | Erection of a single-storey rear extension | Approved |
| 73621 Bury East | Raise roof ridge height to side elevation with 2 no. front dormers with juliette | Approved |
| 73585 Bury East | Two storey side extension; Single storey rear extension | Approved |
| 73584 Radcliffe - North and Ainsworth | Lawful Development Certificate for proposed garage conversion, retaining a reduc | Approved |
| 73565 Whitefield + Unsworth - Besses | Demolition of conservatory; Single storey rear extension | 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 Bury's 4,359 decisions.
Check my postcodeCompare Bury's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Bury'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 Bury. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 4,359 real decisions from Bury 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 Bury'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 4,359 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Bury is 90.4%. The national approval rate across the councils PlanningLens tracks is 87.43%.
PlanningLens has analysed 4,359 planning decisions from Bury council. 3,939 were approved and 420 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, March 2006 to October 2026.
The average approval rate in Bury is 90.4%, 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 Bury? 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.