Which ward in Cardiff has the highest planning approval rate?

LISVANE AND THORNHILL at 94.9% based on 98 decisions.

Which ward in Cardiff has the lowest planning approval rate?

LLANISHEN at 54.8% based on 146 decisions.

How much do planning approval rates vary across Cardiff?

There is a 40.1% 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 40.1% — that's not noise, it's a fundamentally different planning environment depending on where you live.

5,184 real decisions·29 wards·Updated August 2026

All 29 wards ranked

#	Ward	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	LISVANE AND THORNHILL	98	93	5	94.9%
2	PENTYRCH AND ST FAGANS	87	81	6	93.1%
3	LLANDAFF NORTH	26	23	3	88.5%
4	ADAMSDOWN	60	53	7	88.3%
5	GRANGETOWN	131	114	17	87.0%
6	BUTETOWN	116	100	16	86.2%
7	CATHAYS	348	298	50	85.6%
8	CYNCOED	182	149	33	81.9%
9	LLANDAFF	176	144	32	81.8%
10	CANTON	95	77	18	81.1%
11	WHITCHURCH AND TONGWYNLAIS	221	176	45	79.6%
12	PLASNEWYDD	165	130	35	78.8%
13	RIVERSIDE	160	125	35	78.1%
14	RHIWBINA	173	134	39	77.5%
15	ELY	29	22	7	75.9%
16	RADYR AND MORGANSTOWN	74	56	18	75.7%
17	PENYLAN	165	124	41	75.2%
18	SPLOTT	86	64	22	74.4%
19	HEATH	168	125	43	74.4%
20	PONTPRENNAU AND OLD ST MELLONS	100	73	27	73.0%
21	LLANRUMNEY	36	26	10	72.2%
22	FAIRWATER	56	40	16	71.4%
23	RUMNEY	63	43	20	68.3%
24	CREIGIAU AND ST FAGANS	50	33	17	66.0%
25	GABALFA	44	29	15	65.9%
26	TROWBRIDGE	89	57	32	64.0%
27	CAERAU	40	23	17	57.5%
28	PENTWYN	55	31	24	56.4%
29	LLANISHEN	146	80	66	54.8%

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 40.1% gap separates the best and worst wards. LISVANE AND THORNHILL approves 94.9% of applications while LLANISHEN approves just 54.8%. 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

910 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 3,780,000+ real decisions

More Cardiff planning data

Methodology: Covers 5,184 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 →