Cardiff Council approves – of planning applications, based on 2,048 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Cardiff is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 2,048 decided applications on record (March 2006 to September 2026), Cardiff Council approved – of planning applications. The national average approval rate across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Cardiff council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Cardiff.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trees | – | – | 2,159 | – |
| Other | – | – | 1,365 | – |
| Full | – | – | 1,250 | – |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | – | – | 364 | – |
| Advertisement | – | – | 215 | – |
| Discharge of Conditions | – | – | 53 | – |
| Listed Building | – | – | 48 | – |
| Prior Approval | – | – | 43 | – |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathays | – | – | 396 | – |
| Whitchurch And Tongwynlais | – | – | 245 | – |
| Cyncoed | – | – | 203 | – |
| Llandaff | – | – | 192 | – |
| Rhiwbina | – | – | 190 | – |
| Plasnewydd | – | – | 186 | – |
| Riverside | – | – | 179 | – |
| Penylan | – | – | 175 | – |
| Heath | – | – | 175 | – |
| Llanishen | – | – | 157 | – |
| Grangetown | – | – | 140 | – |
| Butetown | – | – | 125 | – |
| Lisvane And Thornhill | – | – | 112 | – |
| Pontprennau And Old St Mellons | – | – | 108 | – |
| Pentyrch And St Fagans | – | – | 103 | – |
| Canton | – | – | 101 | – |
| Splott | – | – | 93 | – |
| Trowbridge | – | – | 91 | – |
| Radyr And Morganstown | – | – | 81 | – |
| Rumney | – | – | 69 | – |
| Adamsdown | – | – | 67 | – |
| Fairwater | – | – | 59 | – |
| Pentwyn | – | – | 55 | – |
| Gabalfa | – | – | 54 | – |
| Creigiau And St Fagans | – | – | 50 | – |
Showing top 25 of 29 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Cardiff’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, unchanged since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Cardiff council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/02025/WTTPP Llanishen | 1.5-2 metre crown reduction of Silver Birch in the front garden of 13 Solva Aven | Approved |
| 25/00739/FUL Splott | Construction of two semi-detached dwellings. | Approved |
| 26/02026/WTCA Llandaff | Fell sycamore tree in front garden of 22 Pencisely Road to ground level. | Approved |
| 26/01636/HSE Whitchurch And Tongwynlais | 2 storey side extension and single storey rear extension to increase habitable s | Approved |
| 26/01402/ADV Pentyrch And St Fagans | Replace boundary signage with bilingual designs. Provide the advertising element | Approved |
| 26/00957/FUL ELY | Single storey residential dwelling with associated works. | Refused |
| 26/00261/FUL Plasnewydd | Retention of building in use as 2 serviced flats. | Refused |
| 26/02006/WTTPP Rhiwbina | T1 - Copper Beech. reduce one limb encroaching on roof by roughly 2.5 meters bac | Approved |
| 26/01771/HSE Cathays | Proposed installation of two air source heat pump outdoor units | Approved |
| 26/01765/FUL Llandaff | Installation of PV panels on the roofs of buildings within Llandaff campus and t | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Cardiff's 2,048 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Cardiff's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Cardiff's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Cardiff. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 2,048 real decisions from Cardiff council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Cardiff's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 2,048 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Cardiff is –. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 2,048 planning decisions from Cardiff council. – were approved and – were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, March 2006 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Cardiff is –, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Cardiff? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.