Which ward in Bury has the highest planning approval rate?

Tottington at 95.9% based on 245 decisions.

Which ward in Bury has the lowest planning approval rate?

Prestwich - Sedgley at 84.8% based on 493 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Bury?

There is a 11.1% gap between Tottington and Prestwich - Sedgley. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Bury

Planning outcomes in Bury are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 11.1% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

4,896 real decisions·18 wards·Updated March 2026

91.2% approved overall. But 431 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in Bury shifts your odds by up to 11.1%. The council average doesn't tell you which side of that gap you're on.

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All 18 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Tottington	245	235	10	95.9%
2	Bury West - Church (Historic)	251	237	14	94.4%
3	Whitefield + Unsworth - Pilkington Park	340	321	19	94.4%
4	Whitefield + Unsworth - Unsworth	261	246	15	94.3%
5	Bury West - Elton	223	208	15	93.3%
6	Bury East - Moorside	190	177	13	93.2%
7	Prestwich - St Mary's	276	256	20	92.8%
8	Bury West	23	21	2	91.3%
9	Ramsbottom	397	362	35	91.2%
10	Radcliffe - North and Ainsworth	199	181	18	91.0%
11	North Manor	454	413	41	91.0%
12	Prestwich - Holyrood	292	264	28	90.4%
13	Bury East	351	317	34	90.3%
14	Whitefield + Unsworth - Besses	170	153	17	90.0%
15	Bury East - Redvales	277	249	28	89.9%
16	Radcliffe - West	145	130	15	89.7%
17	Radcliffe - East	212	188	24	88.7%
18	Prestwich - Sedgley	493	418	75	84.8%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in Tottington but face serious resistance in Prestwich - Sedgley.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 11.1% gap separates the best and worst wards. Tottington approves 95.9% of applications while Prestwich - Sedgley approves just 84.8%. That's a fundamentally different planning environment.

High volume doesn't mean high approval. Some of the busiest wards aren't the most permissive. The number of applications a ward processes tells you nothing about how likely yours is to succeed.

Ward averages are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your specific outcome depends on your property, your neighbours, your proposal type and the comparable decisions near your address.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

431 planning applications in Bury have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A £79 report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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More Bury planning data

Methodology: Covers 4,896 planning decisions in Bury, January 2020 to present. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Bury Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →