Carlisle planning approval rate
Carlisle council approved 97.5% of planning applications and refused 2.5%, based on 5,105 decisions analysed. Ranked 274th out of 292 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
97.5%
overall approval rate
5,105
Decisions analysed
4,977
Approved
128
Refused
39
Wards covered
Planning in Carlisle? 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 Carlisle. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
99.0%
97.2%
93.4%
100.0%
98.2%
97.9%
92.9%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Carlisle, mined from 5,105 proposal descriptions.
99.2%
98.3%
97.0%
99.4%
98.7%
95.8%
99.5%
100.0%
94.9%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Carlisle. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Dalston & Burgh
97.9%
Wetheral & Corby - Abolished 31/03/2023
96.8%
Brampton & Fellside-Abolished 31/03/2023
98.0%
Cathedral & Castle- Abolished 31/03/2023
96.9%
Stanwix Urban
96.9%
Stanwix Rural (Abolished 07/05/2019)
94.9%
Longtown
100.0%
Brampton
98.7%
Houghton & Irthington
99.4%
Belah & Kingmoor - Abolished 31/03/2023
96.8%
Longtown & Rockcliffe (Abolished 2019
90.1%
Burgh (Abolished 07/05/2019)
96.7%
Wetheral
98.6%
Longtown & the Border - Abolished 03/23
97.9%
Great Corby & Geltsdale (Abolished 2019
97.6%
Castle
100.0%
Lyne (Abolished 07/05/2019)
95.9%
Corby & Hayton
99.1%
Harraby South & Parklands - Abolished 23
96.8%
Irthing (Abolished 07/05/2019)
97.8%
Wards in Carlisle
Dalston & Burgh
97.9% approval · 618 decisions
Wetheral & Corby - Abolished 31/03/2023
96.8% approval · 376 decisions
Brampton & Fellside-Abolished 31/03/2023
98.0% approval · 302 decisions
Cathedral & Castle- Abolished 31/03/2023
96.9% approval · 261 decisions
Stanwix Urban
96.9% approval · 259 decisions
Stanwix Rural (Abolished 07/05/2019)
94.9% approval · 177 decisions
Longtown
100.0% approval · 170 decisions
Brampton
98.7% approval · 155 decisions
Houghton & Irthington
99.4% approval · 154 decisions
Belah & Kingmoor - Abolished 31/03/2023
96.8% approval · 154 decisions
Longtown & Rockcliffe (Abolished 2019
90.1% approval · 151 decisions
Burgh (Abolished 07/05/2019)
96.7% approval · 151 decisions
Wetheral
98.6% approval · 147 decisions
Longtown & the Border - Abolished 03/23
97.9% approval · 141 decisions
Great Corby & Geltsdale (Abolished 2019
97.6% approval · 127 decisions
Castle
100.0% approval · 125 decisions
Lyne (Abolished 07/05/2019)
95.9% approval · 121 decisions
Corby & Hayton
99.1% approval · 116 decisions
Harraby South & Parklands - Abolished 23
96.8% approval · 95 decisions
Irthing (Abolished 07/05/2019)
97.8% approval · 91 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Carlisle, showing how the council decides real applications.
Erection Of General Purpose Building For Crop And Machinery Storage · Brampton · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Erection Of 1no. Dwelling · Botcherby · Fri 21 Aug 2026
Demolition Of Garage, Carport & Porch; Erection Of Single Storey Side/Rear Exten · Corby & Hayton · Thu 20 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Carlisle, 1 in 40 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in Carlisle
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Carlisle →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Carlisle
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 5,105 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Carlisle
What is the planning approval rate in Carlisle?
Based on 5,105 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Carlisle approved 97.5% of applications and refused 2.5%. The council is ranked 274th out of 292 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Carlisle?
Carlisle refuses 2.5% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 40. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 5,105 decided applications since 2020, 128 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Carlisle have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Carlisle are in Longtown (100.0%), Castle (100.0%), and Morton (100.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Carlisle?
The most common planning application types in Carlisle are: Full (1,751 decisions, 99.0% approved), Trees (1,066, 97.2%), and Other (970, 93.4%).
How long does a planning application take in Carlisle?
Planning applications in Carlisle take an average of 15.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 819 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. Carlisle decides approximately 851 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Carlisle?
You can search planning applications in Carlisle directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 5,105 historical decisions in Carlisle to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Carlisle calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Carlisle's official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at planninglens.co.uk/methodology.