Which ward in Bury has the highest planning approval rate?

Tottington at 95.1% based on 286 decisions.

Which ward in Bury has the lowest planning approval rate?

Prestwich - Sedgley at 85.2% based on 607 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Bury?

There is a 9.9% 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 9.9% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

4,302 real decisions·18 wards·Updated October 2026

90.3% approved overall. But 417 applications refused since 2020. Where you live in Bury shifts your odds by up to 9.9%. 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	286	272	14	95.1%
2	Whitefield + Unsworth - Pilkington Park	415	392	23	94.5%
3	Bury West - Church (Historic)	251	237	14	94.4%
4	Bury West - Elton	266	251	15	94.4%
5	Whitefield + Unsworth - Unsworth	328	307	21	93.6%
6	Bury West	76	70	6	92.1%
7	Prestwich - St Mary's	341	312	29	91.5%
8	Bury East - Moorside	229	209	20	91.3%
9	Radcliffe - North and Ainsworth	271	247	24	91.1%
10	Whitefield + Unsworth - Besses	207	188	19	90.8%
11	Prestwich - Holyrood	355	322	33	90.7%
12	North Manor	539	487	52	90.4%
13	Radcliffe - East	262	234	28	89.3%
14	Ramsbottom	508	453	55	89.2%
15	Radcliffe - West	182	162	20	89.0%
16	Bury East - Redvales	344	302	42	87.8%
17	Bury East	467	398	69	85.2%
18	Prestwich - Sedgley	607	517	90	85.2%

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 9.9% gap separates the best and worst wards. Tottington approves 95.1% of applications while Prestwich - Sedgley approves just 85.2%. 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

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

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More Bury planning data

Methodology: Covers 4,302 planning decisions in Bury, January 2020 to October 2026. 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 →