Cardiff planning approval rate

Cardiff council approved 81.9% of planning applications and refused 18.1%, based on 4,367 decisions analysed. Ranked 23rd out of 221 councils for strictness.

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

81.9%

overall approval rate

4,367

Decisions analysed

3,575

Approved

792

Refused

Wards covered

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

Trees (2,044 decided)

99.8%

Other (1,158 decided)

36.2%

Full (693 decided)

95.1%

Certificate of Lawfulness (232 decided)

95.3%

Advertisement (164 decided)

99.4%

Prior Approval (39 decided)

97.4%

Discharge of Conditions (25 decided)

92.0%

Listed Building (12 decided)

100.0%

Approval rate by project type

These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Cardiff — mined from 4,367 proposal descriptions.

Extension (General) (271 decided)

66.8%

Rear Extension (265 decided)

63.0%

Garage / Parking (249 decided)

67.1%

Conservatory (172 decided)

48.8%

Dormer (168 decided)

92.3%

Loft Conversion (164 decided)

70.1%

Side Extension (108 decided)

59.3%

Change of Use (Residential) (69 decided)

55.1%

Outbuilding (62 decided)

77.4%

Hip-to-Gable Conversion (48 decided)

91.7%

Annex (23 decided)

78.3%

Flat Conversion (22 decided)

90.9%

HMO (18 decided)

94.4%

New Build (15 decided)

86.7%

Front Extension (10 decided)

80.0%

Approval rate by ward

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

CATHAYS (239 decided)

85.8%

WHITCHURCH AND TONGWYNLAIS (172 decided)

78.5%

CYNCOED (138 decided)

80.4%

PENYLAN (136 decided)

72.1%

LLANDAFF (134 decided)

80.6%

RHIWBINA (130 decided)

75.4%

LLANISHEN (127 decided)

50.4%

HEATH (124 decided)

71.8%

RIVERSIDE (119 decided)

74.8%

PLASNEWYDD (117 decided)

79.5%

GRANGETOWN (99 decided)

83.8%

BUTETOWN (95 decided)

84.2%

PONTPRENNAU AND OLD ST MELLONS (80 decided)

70.0%

TROWBRIDGE (67 decided)

59.7%

CANTON (67 decided)

76.1%

SPLOTT (64 decided)

76.6%

LISVANE AND THORNHILL (63 decided)

96.8%

RADYR AND MORGANSTOWN (57 decided)

75.4%

CREIGIAU AND ST FAGANS (50 decided)

66.0%

RUMNEY (49 decided)

59.2%

Wards in Cardiff

CATHAYS

85.8% approval · 239 decisions

WHITCHURCH AND TONGWYNLAIS

78.5% approval · 172 decisions

CYNCOED

80.4% approval · 138 decisions

PENYLAN

72.1% approval · 136 decisions

LLANDAFF

80.6% approval · 134 decisions

RHIWBINA

75.4% approval · 130 decisions

LLANISHEN

50.4% approval · 127 decisions

HEATH

71.8% approval · 124 decisions

RIVERSIDE

74.8% approval · 119 decisions

PLASNEWYDD

79.5% approval · 117 decisions

GRANGETOWN

83.8% approval · 99 decisions

BUTETOWN

84.2% approval · 95 decisions

PONTPRENNAU AND OLD ST MELLONS

70.0% approval · 80 decisions

TROWBRIDGE

59.7% approval · 67 decisions

CANTON

76.1% approval · 67 decisions

SPLOTT

76.6% approval · 64 decisions

LISVANE AND THORNHILL

96.8% approval · 63 decisions

RADYR AND MORGANSTOWN

75.4% approval · 57 decisions

CREIGIAU AND ST FAGANS

66.0% approval · 50 decisions

RUMNEY

59.2% approval · 49 decisions

Recent comparable decisions

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

26/00334/PRAP

Demolition of former Salvation Army Building in whole. · SPLOTT · Wed 04 Mar 2026

Approved

26/00385/WTCA

Lime at front of 153 Cathedral Road - remove all deadwood over 25mm in diameter · RIVERSIDE · Tue 03 Mar 2026

Approved

26/00313/CLPUD

Erection of ground floor rear extension, rear dormer roof extension and addition · CATHAYS · Fri 27 Feb 2026

Approved

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

What gets approved near your property?

In Cardiff, 1 in 6 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 Cardiff
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect

Get Cardiff Pro Report — £79

Less than one set of revised drawings. Based on 4,367 decisions.

Compare with nearby councils

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