Which ward in Cardiff has the highest planning approval rate?

LISVANE AND THORNHILL at 94.8% based on 97 decisions.

Which ward in Cardiff has the lowest planning approval rate?

LLANISHEN at 54.5% based on 145 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Cardiff?

There is a 40.3% gap between LISVANE AND THORNHILL 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 40.3% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

5,109 real decisions·29 wards·Updated August 2026

All 29 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	LISVANE AND THORNHILL	97	92	5	94.8%
2	PENTYRCH AND ST FAGANS	80	75	5	93.8%
3	ADAMSDOWN	59	52	7	88.1%
4	LLANDAFF NORTH	23	20	3	87.0%
5	GRANGETOWN	130	113	17	86.9%
6	BUTETOWN	114	98	16	86.0%
7	CATHAYS	335	286	49	85.4%
8	LLANDAFF	175	143	32	81.7%
9	CYNCOED	178	145	33	81.5%
10	CANTON	90	72	18	80.0%
11	WHITCHURCH AND TONGWYNLAIS	218	173	45	79.4%
12	PLASNEWYDD	161	126	35	78.3%
13	RIVERSIDE	153	119	34	77.8%
14	RHIWBINA	170	132	38	77.6%
15	ELY	29	22	7	75.9%
16	RADYR AND MORGANSTOWN	73	55	18	75.3%
17	PENYLAN	163	122	41	74.8%
18	HEATH	163	121	42	74.2%
19	SPLOTT	84	62	22	73.8%
20	PONTPRENNAU AND OLD ST MELLONS	98	71	27	72.4%
21	LLANRUMNEY	36	26	10	72.2%
22	FAIRWATER	55	39	16	70.9%
23	RUMNEY	61	41	20	67.2%
24	GABALFA	42	28	14	66.7%
25	CREIGIAU AND ST FAGANS	50	33	17	66.0%
26	TROWBRIDGE	87	55	32	63.2%
27	CAERAU	40	23	17	57.5%
28	PENTWYN	55	31	24	56.4%
29	LLANISHEN	145	79	66	54.5%

See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

An extension might sail through in LISVANE AND THORNHILL 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 40.3% gap separates the best and worst wards. LISVANE AND THORNHILL approves 94.8% of applications while LLANISHEN approves just 54.5%. 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

904 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 3,770,000+ real decisions

More Cardiff planning data

Methodology: Covers 5,109 planning decisions in Cardiff, January 2020 to August 2026. 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 →