Bury planning approval rate
Bury council approved 90.6% of planning applications and refused 9.4%, based on 6,067 decisions analysed. Ranked 132nd out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
90.6%
overall approval rate
6,067
Decisions analysed
5,494
Approved
573
Refused
18
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.
93.0%
86.9%
76.9%
98.3%
84.4%
82.8%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Bury, mined from 6,067 proposal descriptions.
92.6%
91.2%
95.3%
93.6%
89.5%
91.5%
96.4%
96.9%
81.7%
95.8%
95.2%
96.8%
85.0%
74.4%
90.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Bury. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Prestwich - Sedgley
85.1%
North Manor
90.4%
Ramsbottom
89.4%
Bury East
85.5%
Whitefield + Unsworth - Pilkington Park
94.3%
Prestwich - Holyrood
90.8%
Bury East - Redvales
87.7%
Prestwich - St Mary's
92.0%
Whitefield + Unsworth - Unsworth
93.5%
Tottington
94.9%
Radcliffe - North and Ainsworth
91.3%
Bury West - Elton
94.3%
Radcliffe - East
89.2%
Bury West - Church (Historic)
94.4%
Bury East - Moorside
91.2%
Whitefield + Unsworth - Besses
90.7%
Radcliffe - West
88.8%
Bury West
91.2%
Wards in Bury
Prestwich - Sedgley
85.1% approval · 599 decisions
North Manor
90.4% approval · 531 decisions
Ramsbottom
89.4% approval · 499 decisions
Bury East
85.5% approval · 455 decisions
Whitefield + Unsworth - Pilkington Park
94.3% approval · 405 decisions
Prestwich - Holyrood
90.8% approval · 346 decisions
Bury East - Redvales
87.7% approval · 342 decisions
Prestwich - St Mary's
92.0% approval · 338 decisions
Whitefield + Unsworth - Unsworth
93.5% approval · 323 decisions
Tottington
94.9% approval · 277 decisions
Radcliffe - North and Ainsworth
91.3% approval · 264 decisions
Bury West - Elton
94.3% approval · 262 decisions
Radcliffe - East
89.2% approval · 259 decisions
Bury West - Church (Historic)
94.4% approval · 251 decisions
Bury East - Moorside
91.2% approval · 228 decisions
Whitefield + Unsworth - Besses
90.7% approval · 204 decisions
Radcliffe - West
88.8% approval · 178 decisions
Bury West
91.2% approval · 68 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Bury, showing how the council decides real applications.
Change of use from hot food takeaway (Sui Generis) to restaurant/café (Class E(b · Prestwich - St Mary's · Thu 20 Aug 2026
Demolition of conservatory; single storey side and rear extension; alterations t · Prestwich - St Mary's · Thu 20 Aug 2026
Erection of garage and creation of parking area · Bury East · Wed 19 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Bury, 1 in 11 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 Bury
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Bury →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Bury
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 6,067 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Bury
What is the planning approval rate in Bury?
Based on 6,067 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Bury approved 90.6% of applications and refused 9.4%. The council is ranked 132nd out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Bury?
Bury refuses 9.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 11. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 6,067 decided applications since 2020, 573 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Bury have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Bury are in Tottington (94.9%), Bury West - Church (Historic) (94.4%), and Bury West - Elton (94.3%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Bury?
The most common planning application types in Bury are: Full (3,541 decisions, 93.0% approved), Other (1,497, 86.9%), and Certificate of Lawfulness (606, 88.0%).
How long does a planning application take in Bury?
Planning applications in Bury take an average of 11.4 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 1,171 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. Bury decides approximately 1,011 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Bury?
You can search planning applications in Bury directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 6,067 historical decisions in Bury to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Bury calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Bury'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.