Which ward in Cardiff has the highest planning approval rate?

PENTYRCH AND ST FAGANS at 95.5% based on 67 decisions.

Which ward in Cardiff has the lowest planning approval rate?

LLANISHEN at 51.8% based on 137 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Cardiff?

There is a 43.7% gap between PENTYRCH AND ST FAGANS and LLANISHEN. Your postcode significantly affects outcomes.

Planning Approval Rates by Ward in Cardiff

Planning outcomes in Cardiff are highly localised. The gap between the most and least permissive wards is 43.7% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

4,803 real decisions·29 wards·Updated June 2026

All 29 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	PENTYRCH AND ST FAGANS	67	64	3	95.5%
2	LISVANE AND THORNHILL	81	77	4	95.1%
3	ADAMSDOWN	57	50	7	87.7%
4	CATHAYS	292	249	43	85.3%
5	BUTETOWN	109	93	16	85.3%
6	GRANGETOWN	115	98	17	85.2%
7	LLANDAFF NORTH	19	16	3	84.2%
8	CYNCOED	161	131	30	81.4%
9	LLANDAFF	152	121	31	79.6%
10	WHITCHURCH AND TONGWYNLAIS	204	160	44	78.4%
11	CANTON	82	64	18	78.0%
12	PLASNEWYDD	142	108	34	76.1%
13	RHIWBINA	151	114	37	75.5%
14	RIVERSIDE	138	104	34	75.4%
15	RADYR AND MORGANSTOWN	69	52	17	75.4%
16	SPLOTT	78	58	20	74.4%
17	PENYLAN	155	114	41	73.5%
18	HEATH	143	104	39	72.7%
19	PONTPRENNAU AND OLD ST MELLONS	93	67	26	72.0%
20	ELY	24	17	7	70.8%
21	LLANRUMNEY	32	22	10	68.8%
22	FAIRWATER	49	33	16	67.3%
23	GABALFA	36	24	12	66.7%
24	CREIGIAU AND ST FAGANS	50	33	17	66.0%
25	RUMNEY	56	36	20	64.3%
26	TROWBRIDGE	77	46	31	59.7%
27	PENTWYN	53	30	23	56.6%
28	CAERAU	36	19	17	52.8%
29	LLANISHEN	137	71	66	51.8%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in PENTYRCH AND ST FAGANS but face serious resistance in LLANISHEN.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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What the data tells us

A 43.7% gap separates the best and worst wards. PENTYRCH AND ST FAGANS approves 95.5% of applications while LLANISHEN approves just 51.8%. 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

877 planning applications in Cardiff 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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Free · Property report emailed in minutes · Based on 3,290,000+ real decisions

More Cardiff planning data

Methodology: Covers 4,803 planning decisions in Cardiff, January 2020 to present. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid excluded. Ward boundaries reflect current electoral divisions. Data from Cardiff Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →