Bury planning approval rate

Bury council approved 91.2% of planning applications and refused 8.8%, based on 4,896 decisions analysed. Ranked 125th out of 221 councils for strictness.

Last updated: March 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present

91.2%

overall approval rate

4,896

Decisions analysed

4,465

Approved

431

Refused

Wards covered

Planning in Bury? 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 Bury. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.

Full (2,744 decided)

94.4%

Other (1,419 decided)

87.0%

Certificate of Lawfulness (507 decided)

87.6%

Advertisement (151 decided)

82.8%

Discharge of Conditions (43 decided)

97.7%

Listed Building (17 decided)

94.1%

Prior Approval (15 decided)

100.0%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Bury — mined from 4,896 proposal descriptions.

Extension (General) (1,479 decided)

92.4%

Rear Extension (1,150 decided)

90.6%

Side Extension (498 decided)

95.6%

Garage / Parking (490 decided)

93.9%

Dormer (409 decided)

89.5%

Conservatory (222 decided)

95.9%

Loft Conversion (187 decided)

90.9%

Front Extension (130 decided)

96.2%

Change of Use (Residential) (112 decided)

88.4%

New Build (105 decided)

88.6%

Outbuilding (82 decided)

96.3%

Wraparound Extension (65 decided)

95.4%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (43 decided)

97.7%

Basement (27 decided)

92.6%

Annex (15 decided)

86.7%

Approval rate by ward

Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Bury. Click any ward for detailed statistics.

Prestwich - Sedgley (493 decided)

84.8%

North Manor (454 decided)

91.0%

Ramsbottom (397 decided)

91.2%

Bury East (351 decided)

90.3%

Whitefield + Unsworth - Pilkington Park (340 decided)

94.4%

Prestwich - Holyrood (292 decided)

90.4%

Bury East - Redvales (277 decided)

89.9%

Prestwich - St Mary's (276 decided)

92.8%

Whitefield + Unsworth - Unsworth (261 decided)

94.3%

Bury West - Church (Historic) (251 decided)

94.4%

Tottington (245 decided)

95.9%

Bury West - Elton (223 decided)

93.3%

Radcliffe - East (212 decided)

88.7%

Radcliffe - North and Ainsworth (199 decided)

91.0%

Bury East - Moorside (190 decided)

93.2%

Whitefield + Unsworth - Besses (170 decided)

90.0%

Radcliffe - West (145 decided)

89.7%

Bury West (23 decided)

91.3%

Wards in Bury

Prestwich - Sedgley

84.8% approval · 493 decisions

North Manor

91.0% approval · 454 decisions

Ramsbottom

91.2% approval · 397 decisions

Bury East

90.3% approval · 351 decisions

Whitefield + Unsworth - Pilkington Park

94.4% approval · 340 decisions

Prestwich - Holyrood

90.4% approval · 292 decisions

Bury East - Redvales

89.9% approval · 277 decisions

Prestwich - St Mary's

92.8% approval · 276 decisions

Whitefield + Unsworth - Unsworth

94.3% approval · 261 decisions

Bury West - Church (Historic)

94.4% approval · 251 decisions

Tottington

95.9% approval · 245 decisions

Bury West - Elton

93.3% approval · 223 decisions

Radcliffe - East

88.7% approval · 212 decisions

Radcliffe - North and Ainsworth

91.0% approval · 199 decisions

Bury East - Moorside

93.2% approval · 190 decisions

Whitefield + Unsworth - Besses

90.0% approval · 170 decisions

Radcliffe - West

89.7% approval · 145 decisions

Bury West

91.3% approval · 23 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

The most recent residential planning decisions in Bury, showing how the council decides real applications.

72874

Lawful development certificate for proposed: Internal alterations and limited ex · Prestwich - St Mary's · Fri 06 Mar 2026

Approved

72788

Part single/part two storey rear extension, rear dormer extension and front porc · Radcliffe - West · Fri 06 Mar 2026

Approved

72786

Two storey extension at side · Ramsbottom · Fri 06 Mar 2026

Approved

Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the Pro Report →

What gets approved near your property?

In Bury, 1 in 11 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Pro Report gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:

✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Bury
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get Bury Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 4,896 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

Manchester Bolton Oldham Rossendale

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